News briefs special - 2013 was an extremely successful year for lgbt equality

WATCH: ABC News Looks Back at One Big Gay Year - It was a very good year (apologies to Frank Sinatra. On the other hand, you DO NOT want to hear me sing it, much less anything else.)

Michelle Obama Congratulates Robin Roberts On Coming Out - How cool is this? The First Lady of the United States publicly acknowledges and congratulates someone coming out.

 20 Of The Most Compelling Queer People Of 2013 - LOVE the list. Although I am not completely down with the "queer" definition. It's nothing personal, just a little stubbornness on my part. I don't like someone labeling me without giving me an understanding of what that label means. I know that I am a gay man, but would like the "queer" paradigm explained to me before I choose to embrace it.  

23 Photos Of Same-Sex Couples That Will Warm Your Heart - Expect to see more of these couples AND their children because marriage equality is here to stay!  

How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America - Oh come on, folks. Did you really think I wouldn't include this? For me, 2013 will be remembered for my successful (though underground and cult status) booklet which took a unique look at anti-gay propaganda. We need more stuff like this and done by larger and more moneyed sources. (Editor's note - this link is not to Scribd but to my new webpage where you can download my booklet free of charge. Of course if you would rather move onto the adobe acrobat version of the booklet and avoid the site, which gives a good explanation of the booklet, you can go directly here.)

Moments of LGBTQ pride in 2013 should be required viewing

This video from Buzzfeed which looks back at some of the best lgbtq moments of 2013 should be required viewing:

Conservatives forget love of defending 'rights' because of Rose Parade wedding

That didn't take as long as I thought it would.

Remember all of that good stuff conservatives were popping about Phil Robertson's "rights" last week? Apparently we are now learning that some conservatives think that what should be true for Robertson shouldn't be true for gay couples wanting to be married.

From the Advocate:

The Los Angeles Times reports that a Facebook group calling for skipping the parade has more than 1,600 backers. And antigay comments are being posted to the Rose Parade's own Facebook page, according to the Times: 

“I am a 79 year old Los Angeles native and have not missed a parade since I was about 4 years old. I have watched my LAST one due to your decision to allow this unbiblical, gay marriage to take place on one of your floats,” one man wrote. 

“2 gay men in a ‘wedding’ ceremony is highly offensive to me and millions of Americans,” one wrote. “I can't think of many things LESS appropriate for families and especially children. It's completely the wrong venue for a stunt like this.” 

. . .The complaints started because a float from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation will feature the wedding of Aubrey Loots and Danny Leclair, who will be real-life wedding cake toppers. The theme of this year's parade is “Dreams Come True,” and this is the year that Proposition 8 was struck down by the Supreme Court and couples in California — where the Rose Parade is held — are once again legally able to wed.

I fail to see what seems to be the problem. Granted, neither case (regarding Phil Robertson and the one involving the gay couple) is about the free speech, but if conservatives can defend Robertson's anti-gay and racist comments, what's the problem with this couple? Gay marriage is legal in California and obviously Loots and Leclair went through the proper channels so have been given permission.  So if Robertson can be made into a hero for his vulgar anti-gay and racist comments because of his "rights," then why can't this couple be publicly married for the same reason, i.e. their "rights."

It's astounding that some folks - such as our favorite anti-gay activist Peter LaBarbera - can make a reverse turn from defending Robertson's supposed rights to defaming this couple's right to have their wedding at a public venue. To Loots and Leclair, this is not a stunt. And so what if children are watching. Children are already aware of gay marriage and many live in same-sex households. It's not as scary for children to witness this as some folks like to think.

But what really galls me is this remark:

2 gay men in a ‘wedding’ ceremony is highly offensive to me and millions of Americans,”

Big fat #%@! deal. I'm going to put it like some folks did when they defended Robertson:

Not everyone agrees with you on this issue. And maybe you should show some true tolerance instead of trying to use force to get your way. And stop shoving your beliefs down our throats.

'Anti-gay groups spreading fear, lies to foreign countries' and other Monday midday news briefs

Massachusetts Anti-Gay Activist Tells Jamaica To Preserve Law Banning Sodomy - As they lose ground in America, more anti-gay hate groups are traveling to foreign countries to spin their lies. This is a tragedy.

Why Some LGBT Youths In Jamaica Are Forced To Call A Sewer Home - And this is the end result. Just who is being persecuted here?  

2013: An Historic Year For LGBT Progress - Not bad but let's not rest on our laurels and get a case of "victor's disease." Already people are trying to claim that the Duck Dynasty controversy will "usher in a new culture war" with lgbts as the aggressors. It's bullshit, but we know how well that sort of things plays in the media.  

Duck Dynasty and Undue Fears Of Anti-Gay Backlash - And its acknowledgement of the nonsense in the brief above - and the calling it out as nonsense - which will help us tremendously.  

LGBT Misinformer Of The Year: The Pacific Justice Institute - How this anti-gay group and Fox News smeared an innocent transgender teen. If it can happen to her, it can happen to any of us.

The ugly collusion between 'religious faith' and bigotry

There is no need to rehash this Duck Dynasty mess. We have all said our bits and pieces about Phil Robertson's racism and homophobia. And it will continue to reverberate. But a larger picture of the entire controversy needs to be stated.

Remember last year when a pastor of an NC church got into trouble because he said gays should be put behind an electrified fence. Even with all of the backlash, there was a few who stood behind him because according to them, "the Bible says homosexuality is wrong."

But the anger was due to the fact that this man said lgbts should be placed behind an electrified fence like they were cattle to be abused and killed off. Still,the pastor had a loyal bunch who continued to justify his words by claiming that he were merely preaching in accordance to his "faith."

Never mind that his faith encompassed genocide.

Decades before that in the 1970s was Anita Bryant and her opposition to the pro-gay ordinance in a Florida county. She said as a Christian, she couldn't support such an ordinance. But she wasn't content on leaving her opposition rooted in her faith. She snuck in a little nugget. According to her, since gays can't reproduce, we supposedly recruit children.

She was able to pull off that lie by reminding folks of her "Christian values."

Years after Bryant came a plethora of anti-gay and supposed morality groups standing against lgbt equality. Using junk science, discredited sources, venomous accusations and name-calling, and out-and-out lies, they claimed to oppose lgbt equality because supposedly because it is a "public health menace."

These groups, amongst them the Family Research Council, the American Family Association,and the Traditional Values Coalition, still exists today.

And what would generally happen - and still does happen -  when these groups are called out on their lies, i.e. the complaints of misappropriation of scientific work, the omission of CDC data which easily dispels their idea of homosexuality being a "public health menace," the usage of work from discredited sources?

Well these groups would cling to their crosses of martyrdom so hard that their fingers would get splinters. They would claim that they were simply standing up for their faith and those who called their "facts" into question were trying to silence them. And thus all of the negative, untrue things they said about gays would be wiped away by the media as simple inconveniences which didn't deserve any attention because apparently "making a stance in accordance to one's religious values" trumps the methods in which the stance is made, even if the methods contradict said religious values.

There is an ugly collusion between religious belief and bigotry which we don't talk about and it didn't begin with the lgbt community. It wasn't that long ago when religious belief and faith was used to justify slavery, segregation, and Anti-Semitism on a large scale. Sadly, the lgbt community seems to be the last bastion where it is okay to justify demonizing people under the guise of "adhering to one's faith."

 We need to call out the fact that just because your "faith" says that homosexuality is a sin is no justification to tack on lies geared to demonize the lgbt community. It's no justification to perform a humiliating psychological dissection on lgbts by saying things like "I don't hate you as a person, just what you do." It's not about your alleged hate,but your proud display of your ignorance. And it is certainly no justification to judge lgbts based on your view of the Bible and play the victim when you are called out for it.

Folks who do these things always seem to think that they own the word "Christianity" and everyone else is beholden to their interpretation. They forget that many lgbts are also Christians and bring up good points when they lay out their case in proving that God doesn't condemn them for being who they are.

But as it is, those who are so damn eager to speak against the so-called sin of homosexuality would be best to remember the sin of lying, speaking ill of one's brother, or bearing false witness.

More often than not, it applies better to their situations.

Related:

How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America

Know Your LGBT History - Love between gay men

All of us in the lgbt community get dogged by nasty folks forever stitching us to the worst stereotypes. However, gay men sometimes are figuratively tied to a platform, raised in the air, and have tomatoes thrown at us as the standard bearers of all that's wrong with being an lgbt.

How we supposedly engage in intercourse (and you know what I'm talking about - anal sex) is the key to the anti-gay's exploitation of the "ick" factor regarding our lives. And I personally think it's ludicrous. When you see a heterosexual couple walking down the street, do you wonder how they enjoy sexual relations? Of course not. You see a couple and that's it. 

The video below reminds us all that when it comes to gay male couples, that's basically the same thing that you should see - two men in a relationship. Nothing sexual at all. Just two people who found someone they can share their lives with.

And in case you are wondering, I purposely chose vintage couples to spotlight. Forget the stereotypical pretty boys for a while:

Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

'Fischer: Duck Dynasty controversy = mark of the beast' and other Friday midday news briefs

The fact that the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer is claiming that the Duck Dynasty controversy is evidence of the "Mark of the Beast" (which is supposed to usher in Armageddon) makes me so jealous. It's apparent that he has better "medication" that me. 

In other news:  

Staver Fears Everyone Will Go Gay Under Marriage Equality - Works for me. LOL 

 Federal Judge: Ohio Must Recognize Out-Of-State Same-Sex Marriages For Death Certificates - Is Ohio slowly but surely swinging our way?

NRO's Lopez replies to my GLAAD piece—by sidestepping every word of my GLAAD piece - Lies and misdirection. The hallmark of the anti-gay right.

  Rich Valenza's Call To Action For The Let Love Define Family Series - Amen to this piece!