'Lawsuit filed against West Virginia's ban on marriage equality' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Same-Sex Couples Sue For Marriage Rights In West Virginia - “We need the protection that marriage affords,” Nancy Michael, suing the state, says. 

Mississippi Town Rejected Gay Bar Out Of Bias, Lawsuit Alleges - More of that "religious liberty" #@! no doubt.

Saving Our Locker Rooms’ Arguments Erase Transgender People - Good grief, folks. Transgender men and women are not trying to peek at you in the showers or the locker rooms. 

 Keyes: Teaching It's OK To Be Gay Is To 'Rape The Parental Authority Of Christian Parents' - Alan Keyes is a psychotic @!$ whose only place in history will be as the nutcase who lost the Illinois Senatorial election to the now President Obama.

NOM getting Issa to waste taxpayer money on investigation

Issa

In the midst of a government shutdown (thank you Republican party and especially you teabaggers), comes this news. The National Organization for Marriage is now bragging that House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, headed by Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Ca.) will be investigating the so-called leaking of IRS tax information to the Human Rights Campaign:

You may have missed it since the news just came through on Friday, but House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa announced that he is officially investigating how NOM's confidential tax files were stolen from within the IRS and provided to the Human Rights Campaign. This is fantastic news... not just for NOM — but for every group targeted by the Obama administration and the IRS.

 And this is especially good news for the American people who are rightfully concerned about abuse of power and political targeting by operatives inside the IRS, and the failure of the Department of Treasury and other enforcement agencies to hold those responsible to account. NOM has worked closely with Chairman Issa and the House Oversight Committee for many months to ensure they have all the information and legal authority they need, including confidentiality waivers, to compel the IRS and the Treasury Department to cooperate with the Committee's investigation.

As Chairman Issa told National Review Online last week:

These waivers allow the committee to get information the IRS is currently withholding. This information will give us a better sense of why these groups faced delays, what questions they were asked, and what sort of communications were occurring within the IRS in regards to the inappropriate delays and the apparently politically driven leak.

NOM has been whining ever since July that its tax information was leaked by the IRS to the Human Rights Campaign in 2012 and this alleged action is connected to President Obama's re-election campaign.

However, while NOM spins its conspiracy theories, its own former chairperson, Maggie Gallagher, earlier wrote that a lower level employee accidentally leaked the information.

Interestingly enough, she later backtracked and claimed that she was only guessing. But according to Equality Matters:

(Gallagher's) explanation was corroborated during the May 17 House Ways and Means Committee's hearing on the recent IRS controversy. When Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) asked Acting IRS Commissioner Steve Miller about NOM's accusation, Miller responded by explaining that an investigation had determined that the release of NOM's Form 990 had been "inadvertent" . . . Miller's testimony was echoed by Treasury Department Inspector General Russell George, who explained that a review of NOM's claims had been conducted but was no longer ongoing. 

So basically, this "controversy" is much ado about nothing. However, with Congressman Issa's talent with wasting taxpayer money on conspiracy theories and pointless investigations (i.e. Benghazi, other investigations of the IRS), it would seem that NOM has struck gold in its attempt to create a huge blowup over this incident.

However, if you ask me, the news of a government investigation isn't exactly the sort of thing people are happy about hearing in the middle of a government shutdown, particularly if its the latest chapter of an investigation (i.e. the IRS) which has basically proven nothing.

Religious right groups aren't about God or morals, but lies and fear

As I have said numerous times and especially in my booklet, How They See Us, the attack on the lgbt community by religious right groups has nothing to do with Christianity. Whether you believe homosexuality to be a sin or whether you don't doesn't matter because these groups and their spokespeople are all about fear.

I defy anyone (and I am especially talking to folks who disagree with my point of view) to tell me how what Bryan Fischer says in the video below has anything to do with Christianity or the love of God:



 I've always thought Christianity was about having faith in God's love, not scaring people about concentration camps and persecution. It's sad, really. The Christianity I grew up with taught me never to fear the actions of man because God is always in control. Fischer seems to be telling folks to be scared all of the time.

'Prop 8 lawyers taking on VA anti-marriage equality law' and other Monday midday news briefs

Winning Prop 8 Attorney Team Olson And Boies Announce New Battle: Virginia Marriage Ban - The lawyers who defeated Prop 8 are targeting the anti-marriage equality law in Virginia. This is gonna be good! 

Scott Lively running for Governor of Massachusetts as spoiler candidate [Updated] - Apparently this homophobe is running as a "spoiler candidate." Mission accomplished. He's already spoiled my appetite for today. 

New guidance affords gay couples equal access to Medicaid - Excellent news!

 Heritage Foundation's Anderson: LGBT Protections Create "Climate Of Intolerance" - You HAVE to read this list of lies via Ryan T. Anderson of the Heritage Foundation. You will be hearing them continuously as time goes on.

NOM is FURIOUS over the idea that gays may be allowed to marry in New Jersey

Last week, a New Jersey state judge ruled that gays and lesbians have a right to marry in that state because "civil unions," which is permitted in the state, is illegally keeping these couples from receiving federal benefits.

Naturally, the National Organization for Marriage and its president, Brian Brown, issued a statement (tantrum) full of hyperbole and omitting the facts of the case:

“This is another outrageous example of judicial activism. An activist judge has overreached her authority and chosen to impose same-sex ‘marriage’ on the entire state of New Jersey,” stated Brian Brown, NOM’s president. “Judge Jacobson has trampled on the right of the people of New Jersey to define marriage, a right that the Supreme Court has upheld in the very case she misuses to redefine marriage.” The New Jersey state judge applied her own reading of the US Supreme Court’s decision in Windsor v United States to find that the state’s law defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman must be changed. However, the Windsor decision declined to impose same-sex marriage on the nation and instead upheld the right of states to define marriage for themselves. “This is a gross abuse of power that cannot be allowed to stand,” said Brown. “We urge Governor Chris Christie to appeal this lower court ruling immediately. It’s essential that a single lower court judge not be allowed to impose her own views of marriage on the entire state.”

On that last score, NOM and Brown will get their wish. Christie has promised to appeal the ruling.

'Second 'ex-gay' event may repeat disaster of the first' and other Friday midday news briefs

Ex-Gay Pride Hide And Seek - The 'ex-gays' are attempting their 'Pride Week' after the first disaster earlier this year. Based on reports, a sequel to the first awful attempts is inevitable. 

Daubenmire Defends Westboro Baptist Church Because 'What If God Really Told Fred Phelps To Do That?' - Oh mercy! If God is behind the Fred Phelps group, then that definitely shows He supports lgbt equality. 

U.S. joins other nations in declaring LGBT commitment at UN - Good for the United States!

  Daily Caller Is Amused By Transgender Students Getting Bullied - How #@! tacky!  

Why I Now Support Marriage Equality - I was there when this man, John Hawkins, spoke against marriage equality in South Carolina while he was a state senator. I say his change of mind is legit and welcomed.

Editor's note - Barring something absolutely juicy happening (and it probably will, knowing my luck), this will be my last post today. Tomorrow will be the South Carolina Pride Festival and as many of you probably already know (because I have been driving you crazy with the number of times I have mentioned it), I will be unveiling and handing out free copies of my lgbt cult classic and Scribd political favorite (hey, it's got over half a million readers)  'How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America.'

I will spend the rest of the day preparing physically, spiritually, and mentally. I will also be taking pictures and posting them to my blog next week. Wish me luck, success, and good thoughts.

Video shows the TRUE consequences of repealing DADT

In the face of the fake experts whining about how gays serving openly in the military will harm the country comes this awesome video via The Huffington Post:

The U.S. Department of Defense released a heartwarming video Sept. 25 depicting the lived impact of the recent extension of spousal and family benefits to same-sex military couples. Senior Chief Dwayne Beebe-Franqui and Jonathan Beebe-Franqui discuss both the symbolic and tangible importance of being able to apply for a military ID card as the same-sex spouse of an official, and the changing perception of same-sex relationships in the U.S. military since the 2011 repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."