Anti-gay spokesman Bryan Fischer is blind to his OWN hypocrisy

In his zeal to defend former Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran after Cochran's dismissal by the city for giving out a self-published anti-gay book to fellow employees, the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer becomes so shortsighted that he fails to see his own hypocrisy.

In the above video, while simultaneously defending Cochran's nonexistent right to publish the book and retain his job, Fischer repeats one of his earlier statements that gays should not be allowed to hold public office at all.

Now before anyone goes into a  "why should we bother to pay Fischer's nonsense any attention" tangent, please do remember that Fischer and the AFA does retain a considerable amount of influence to, at the very least, cause problems for the lgbt community.

According to Right Wing Watch (who supplied the above video):

Fischer’s radio show has become an obligatory stop for Republican presidential candidates, prominent Republican politicians and top social conservative activists. As the AFA’s leading talk show host, whose voice is heard on affiliates in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Fischer frequently hosts likely presidential candidates who are looking to make inroads among Religious Right voters.

Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and businessman Herman Cain have all appeared on Fischer’s radio show. In addition, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour were both guests on Fischer’s show while they were weighing runs for the presidency. Many of these leading GOP figures have voiced support for Fischer’s bigotry, conspiracy theories and extreme views.

Huckabee agreed with Fischer’s claim that President Obama “has some fundamentally anti-American ideas,” and explained to Fischer that he believes the Mau Mau Revolution, the Kenyan uprising against British colonialism in the 1950s, had detrimentally “molded” Obama’s “worldview.” Huckabee added, “Most of us grew up going to Boy Scout meetings and our communities were filled with Rotary Clubs, not madrassas.”

 Pawlenty and Barbour both promised Fischer that if elected they would reinstate the military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, with Barbour warning that openly gay troops could bring an “amorous mindset” to the battlefield. When Fischer asked Gingrich how he would “slow down the homosexual agenda” as president, Gingrich pledged to work against gay rights. 

And then there Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who will be teaming up with Fischer and the AFA for a prayer vigil later this month. Jindal is said to be doing this in anticipation of a possible 2016 presidential run.

To even imply that the lgbt community shouldn't keep at least one eye open on Fischer and at least one spotlight on his unapologetic homophobia goes way beyond the definition of "oblivious."

'Fox News personality accuses gays of 'cultural cleansing'' & other Thursday midday news briefs

Todd Starnes: Gay Rights Movement Ushering In 'Cultural Cleansing' - The hyperbole is strong in THIS loser.

Kelvin Cochran and the homophobia hiding behind 'religious liberty'  - Yes I know this is an post of mine but I'm presenting it again because of a  personal resolution. Every time I feature a piece or post on how the anti-gay right is attempting to make Cochran a martyr (such as the piece above with Todd Starnes), I will be including THIS post because it gives an excellent point of view as to why "religious liberty" is a deceptive tactic.

Marco Rubio Slams Florida Court For Permitting Marriage Equality - Rubio is seriously bothering me on this issue. He is encouraging ignorance when it comes to our system of governing.

Larry Tomczak Warns Christians To Beware Of All The Gays On TV - Folks like Tomczak fear the visibility of lgbts because it destroys their false idea of our orientation being merely a 'sexual thing' which should not be talked about in public. We are people, not sex objects.

 Supreme Court To Meet Again On Hearing Gay Marriage - Keep your fingers crossed, brothers and sisters.

Fox News personality compares gays to 'Charlie Hebdo' terrorists

Erick Erickson

Yesterday, Fox News personality Erick Erickson went BELOW tacky:

Fox News contributor and radio talk show host Erick Erickson declared that "the terrorists won in Atlanta" after right-wing media falsely claimed that Atlanta's anti-gay fire chief was terminated for his religious beliefs.

On January 6, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed dismantled conservatives' claims that Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran was fired over a book that he wrote which contains anti-gay remarks, explaining that Cochran's lack of judgment in distributing the book to his employees, and not following instructions regarding his month-long suspension over publishing the book without notice to the city, is what led to his termination.

On January 7, hours after a horrific terrorist attack against staffers of the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris that left 12 people dead, Erickson wrote a blog post that likened the LGBT community to terrorists for objecting to the former Atlanta fire chief's book, and stated that "the terrorists won":

A publisher published something that offended. It mocked, it offended, and it showed the fallacy of a religion. It angered.

So the terrorists decided they needed to publicly destroy and ruin the publisher in a way that would not only make that destruction a public spectacle, but do it so spectacularly that others would think twice before publishing or saying anything similar.

The terrorist wants to sow fear. The destruction of an individual is not just meant to be a tool of vengeance, but a tool of instruction. It shows others what will happen to them if they dare do the same. It is generates self-regulating peer pressure. Others, fearing the fall out, will being to self-police and self-regulate. They will silence others on behalf of the terrorists. Out of fear, they will drive the ideas from the public square and society will make them off limits.
[...]
So they demanded the Mayor of Atlanta fire the Chief of the Fire Department for daring to write that his first duty was to "glory God" and that any sex outside of heterosexual marriage was a sin.

And the terrorists won in Atlanta.

No funny words or quips from me.  There aren't enough words for me to describe just how nasty and vile  Erickson is. And the words I can use . . . well I would rather not.

Related post:  Kelvin Cochran and the homophobia hiding behind 'religious liberty'

Comedy sketch gives the inside view of the homophobic mind

I've never been one to subscribe to the theory that the loudest homophobes are secretly gay because frankly, I don't care whether they are or not. But having said that, let me also say that the following skit from over 30 years ago courtesy of the short-lived comedy sketch show Fridays has me thinking with regards to the mindset of those who shout the loudest against the lgbt community. I have never laughed so hard in a long time:

'Possible Va legislation designed to stamp out lgbt equality' & other Wednesday midday news briefs

Va. lawmaker wants to allow widespread discrimination against LGBT individuals - You REALLY need to read the text of this awful bill. It's not talking solely about gays who get married. It targets ALL lgbts and gives a good idea of where the anti-gay right will be headed.

Archbishop Of Miami Threatens To Fire Employees Who Support Marriage Equality - Talk about your stank attitudes.
 

Conservative uses teen’s suicide to smear transgender people as demon-possessed lunatics - Just sad trash.

 Look: Here's The Latest Map Of Marriage Equality In America - Here's something guaranteed to make you smile. 

Jeb Bush: 'Respect' My Opposition to Your Civil Rights Because 'Religious Liberty' - I respect it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to sit on the side and just smile while you attempt to make me a second-class citizen. I respect your opposition, now you respect my dignity as a human being and my family.

Kelvin Cochran and the homophobia hiding behind 'religious liberty'

Cochran

The fire chief of Atlanta, GA, Kelvin Cochran, was just dismissed because of a self-published book he wrote which was viewed as homophobic. According to Think Progress:

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed (D) announced Tuesday that he has fired Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran, who had previously been suspended for publishing and distributing a book condemning homosexuality..

  . . . Since Cochran’s suspension last month, he has become a bit of a martyr for conservatives, who believe he has been persecuted for his religious beliefs. J. Edgar White, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Convention, suggested that Cochran was among those “who are punished or marginalized for their faith” and called on Christians to purchase his book and support him.

Reed was adamant during Tuesday’s press conference that Cochran’s religious beliefs were not the reason he was fired. His book, Who Told You That You Were Naked?, was published in violation of Atlanta’s Standards of Conduct, which requires approval from the Ethics Officer and the Board of Ethics. According to Reed, Cochran’s “actions and decision-making undermine his ability to manage our fire department” because employees need to feel that they are “a valued member of the team and that fairness and respect guide employment.

That's the story before conservatives and the religious right will attempt to make Cochran the newest martyr of the concept of  'religious liberty.'   'Religious liberty' is a phrase these individuals have coined to claim that those who practice their version Christian faith in America are supposedly being persecuted because of their objections to homosexuality and marriage equality. To them, "persecution" is a wide and loaded term which includes being forced to serve gay customers or, as we see with the above situation with Cochran, not being allowed to "voice objections" to homosexuality in places where such objections aren't exactly conducive or appropriate to the environment.

It is a concept which is gaining speed now that marriage equality is becoming more accepted and swiftly the law throughout the country.  'Religious liberty' has gained support from the "fire and brimstone" sect, who see persecution behind every bush, to the concern trolls who clamor that since gays are gaining the right to marry, we should "be nice and respectful" to those who oppose our general equality.

In other words, "religious liberty" is a load of nonsense.  It's equivalent to a good paint job a bad car salesman puts on an busted up clunker in a sad attempt to cover that it's stinker.

First of all gays were not given the right to marry. It was a right which should have been ours from the start and one which we earned by slowly slogging through the trenches and terrain of this ridiculous so-called culture war.

'Religious right, conservatives FURIOUS at Newsweek article' & other Tuesday midday news briefs

How Dare Anyone Criticize Fox News' Christian Viewers! - A Newsweek article has earned the anger of conservatives and the religious right because it dared to push the theory that the Bible is misunderstood and that many so-called Christians, evangelicals, and fundamentalists are exploiting it to bash lgbts and force their worldview on American society. I think the author, Kurt Eichenwald, should win some type of award on that score alone. LOVE this opening: 

They wave their Bibles at passersby, screaming their condemnations of homosexuals. They fall on their knees, worshipping at the base of granite monuments to the Ten Commandments while demanding prayer in school. They appeal to God to save America from their political opponents, mostly Democrats. They gather in football stadiums by the thousands to pray for the country’s salvation. They are God’s frauds, cafeteria Christians who pick and choose which Bible verses they heed with less care than they exercise in selecting side orders for lunch. They are joined by religious rationalizers—fundamentalists who, unable to find Scripture supporting their biases and beliefs, twist phrases and modify translations to prove they are honoring the Bible’s words. 

Todd Starnes: 'Repugnant' Newsweek 'Blasted The Bible' By Disagreeing With Conservatives - As a matter of fact, Fox News personality Todd Starnes is pitching a hissy fit over the entire situation. 

Atlanta fire chief back on job, is new face of Georgia ‘religious freedom’ fight - And while we are on the subject of exploiting the Bible to bash lgbts . . .  

Transgender Teen Shares Coming Out Story With Inspiring Birthday Photos - This is sooooo cute! 

Here's What Same-Sex Marriage In Florida Looks Like - Pictures of the weddings taking place in Florida! What a great day!

 Conservatives Admit The Truth On Indiana ‘Religious Liberty’ Bill - And that truth they don't want lgbts to even have cheese on our whopper burgers.