News briefs special - North Carolina is so screwed

NC Gov. Pat McCrory is feeling the heat.

Early reports are that due to the ugliness of it's new anti-gay law and the speed in which the legislature passed it, North Carolina is seriously screwed right now. It's being vilified in the press and companies are slowly but surely raising the alarm. And don't count on groups like the Family Research Council being adept at defending the state. FRC has been obscuring the many nasty repercussions of the law, to no avail. NO ONE is fooled.

Businesses Are Joining The Fight Against North Carolina’s Anti-LGBT Law - And more are coming. 

North Carolina Gov. McCrory in Hot Seat as Apple, Google, NBA, Many Others Denounce Anti-LGBT Law - And NC Gov. McCrory is feeling the heat. Good.

  North Carolina Gay Bias Law Draws a Sharp Backlash - Not just businesses. The law has caused a HUGE statewide backlash.

 NY Times Editorial Board: Republican-Led Effort To Roll Back LGBT Nondiscrimination Protections "Makes North Carolina Pioneer In Bigotry" - The New York Times blitzed North Carolina with the ferocity of a very pissed off linebacker. It wasn't pretty, which means it was highly enjoyable to folks like me. 

 The Family Research Council omits truth about North Carolina's anti-gay law - And you just know I have to get a good jab in. My piece from last night looks at how the Family Research Council gloats about the law while omitting what it actually does. A little advice, FRC. NO ONE is fooled by the "bathroom predators" and "public safety" junk anymore. The fact that you continue lie about that point only hurts you.  

North Carolina’s Anti-LGBT Law Is Based on a Total Lie - And the coup de gras. The Daily Beast looks at the "bathroom bill" lie which fueled the law and "unleashes the beast" all over that lie.


Bear in mind that these are early reports. Don't get comfortable. Pressure needs to be kept up. No mercy. No pity. No slack.

The Family Research Council omits truth about North Carolina's anti-gay law

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins

I knew that the Family Research Council would gloat  about North Carolina's new law, HB2, but  even I am a bit put off by the organization's celebratory email. I am going to post FRC's entire statement coming from its president, Tony Perkins:

Yesterday, leaders in North Carolina achieved more in a day than many state leaders have been able to accomplish in years. In a single-day special session, legislators passed and the governor signed into law protections for the privacy of children and women using school and public bathrooms, showers, and locker rooms in the Tar Heel state. Governor Pat McCrory (R), Lt. Gov. Dan Forest (R), and House Speaker Tim Moore (R) are to be commended for a day's work well done!

A month ago, the Charlotte City Council revived and passed a previously failed effort to establish special rights for people who identify as transgender. The law added "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" (SOGI) to the list of protected classes like race, national origin, and sex to the city's nondiscrimination code. The change was billed as "tolerant" and "inclusive," but as we've seen time and again it effectively opened every public bathroom, every gym shower, and every school locker room in the city to anyone, regardless of their biological sex. Despite thousands of calls, emails, and testimony from Charlotte residents -- including the Benham brothers -- who have experienced first-hand the heightened hostility and discrimination against Christians who hold to a biblical view of marriage and sexuality, the Council voted to force all businesses and places of public accommodation in city limits to recognize every person's preferred "gender identity" or face heavy fines and penalties.

This is where the Left leads us when left unchecked by common sense: The privacy of women and children must be sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. This reckless abandon of common sense threatens the safety and freedoms of Americans from Seattle to Houston.

Thankfully, state leaders stood up and common sense prevailed yesterday in North Carolina, days before the Charlotte ordinance was set to take effect. Even before the Council voted, Gov. McCrory and Lt. Gov. Forest (who presides over the Senate) made it abundantly clear that they would act to protect North Carolinians. The new law, Gov. McCrory warned, would "create major public safety issues." "It is not only the citizens of Charlotte that will be impacted by changing basic restroom and locker room norms," he wrote, "but also citizens from across our state and nation who visit and work in Charlotte."

Lt. Gov. Forest was even more direct: "Girls' bathrooms are for girls, boys' bathrooms are for boys. The fact we are even debating this is a sad commentary on where we are as a society."

If you live in North Carolina, please take a moment to thank Gov. McCrory, Lt. Governor Forest, and Speaker Moore for their courage in the face of fierce opposition on social media, staged protests to disrupt debate, and Democratic drama as Democrats in the Senate walked-out. Because these men refused to be bullied and intimidated, North Carolina becomes the third state (after Tennessee and Arkansas) to protect its citizens in bathrooms and locker rooms.

And no matter where you live, take a moment to tell your elected officials that you support protecting the rights of the majority of Americans who continue to believe in biblical sexuality and natural marriage.

Other than the deliberate appeal to fear mongering and lies about the transgender community, can you tell me what ELSE is wrong with the Family Research Council's statement. Isn't it missing one very HUGE detail about North Carolina's new law?

How about the simple fact that HB2 does more than supposedly "protect public safety." The law eliminates any and all non-discrimination ordinances in the state which would protect all members of the lgbt community.

 Jay Michelson of The Daily Beast puts it this way:

 The state has undone not just local ordinances protecting transgender people, but all LGBT nondiscrimination provisions across the state. Literally overnight, people in Charlotte and across North Carolina can now be fired from their jobs for being gay, turned away at hotel chains for being gay, and even forced to show their genitals to a police officer if the cop thinks they might be transgender.

Dominic Holden of Buzzfeed said:

House Bill 2 mandates that state law supersedes all local ordinances concerning wages, employment, and public accommodations.

Holden also pointed out that until yesterday, nine other jurisdictions in NC  had ordinances similar to Charlotte's

Lastly, this Human Rights Campaign graphic says it all:

We shouldn't fool ourselves as to why the Family Research Council conveniently omitted the full repercussions of HB2.

FRC knows what this awful law does in its entirety. The organization knows fully well that the law now leaves lgbts in North Carolina defenseless against discrimination. And I'm willing to wager that members of the organization are practically giddy over this fact.

But  Perkins and the rest of FRC also know that there is no way they can defend what this law does. Attempting to address the elimination of rights would totally destroy the narrative of "public safety." So rather than try to put lipstick on this pig, so to speak, FRC has hidden the pig deep in the barn while it distracts everyone with the shiny distraction of "men lurking in ladies restrooms."

As discussion about HB2 continue, FRC's shady behavior should serve as a warning about the truth regarding these "bathroom bills."  Let's not forget to remind everyone about this fact every chance we get.

Two things the lgbt community MUST do after North Carolina

After North Carolina yesterday, it's safe to say that finally the lgbt community is realizing that in spite of winning marriage, we are still involved in a brutal war of rhetoric and position against groups and folks determined to take away our rights.

Welcome to the party, y'all.

That being said, my guess is that after North Carolina, anti-gay groups will be coordinating to repeat what happened in there throughout the United States in as many areas as they can. The following is simply my opinion as to what the lgbt community and our allies MUST do next to combat and defeat this new attack on us.

1. The anchor of anti-gay assault this time is the transgender community. Exploiting fears and ignorance, the religious right and their allies in state legislatures are using "bathroom bills" to strip the entire lgbt community of our rights. My advice is to don't run from the lie. Run to it. Full speed. We have enough information and resources to bogart and refute the talking point. Resources like the following from Media Matters (which by the way does NOT get used enough by our community):

This graphic needs to be sent out to as many places as possible. Its information needs to be repeated in as many places as possible. Don't be afraid to overwhelm.  The goal is to get the truth about these so-called "bathroom bills" out there and drilled into as many heads as possible. And on that same note, I understand the trepidation and fear, but as many transgender brothers and sisters as can be need  to be public and telling their story. If folks have transgender family members, they need to tell their stories also. It's all about getting the truth out there.

2. I have no doubt that we will win this particular fight. But what about next time because my guess is that there will be another fight after this one. Religious right groups have an nauseatingly uncanny knack of pinpointing a fear about the lgbt community and using it to exploit the uninformed.  This mess about "bathroom bills" is just the latest in a long line of horror stories and lies they have told about the lgbt community. It's like I said in another post:

In the 70s, they said the children must be protected from "recruitment" since gays supposedly can't reproduce.

In the 80s, they exploited the ignorance regarding the AIDS crisis to make lgbts seem like deserving pariahs.

In the 90s. it was all about keeping us from receiving unfair "special rights."

And in the early 2000's, it was all about "protecting marriage."

So what can we do about it? We connect all of these past lies. We consistently remind people of other claims the religious right have made about lgbts (such as hate crimes legislation will lead pastors to be arrested in their pulpits) which turned out to be not true. In doing this, we can to strip the "bathroom bill" of its unearned power as a legitimate problem, thereby exposing it as yet another lie designed to demonize the lgbt community.

As much as I hate to say this, the lgbt community have the bad habit of underestimating those who want to deny us our equality. We are too quick to celebrate when we get one victory and too slow to realize that the one victory in question is only a battle in a larger war.

It's not that we aren't intelligent or talented enough to defeat religious right lies. It's that we seem to always be deliberately unprepared. We generally win, but only after lots of heart ache, tears, anger, circular firing squads, and all of the trappings of a people trying to catch up in a battle.

I don't about any of you, but I am tired of playing catch up.

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

'Fall out begins from NC's homophobia and it's not good' & other Thur. midday news briefs

NC Gov. Pat McCrory

North Carolina Editorials Slam Republican "Recklessness And Foolishness" In Rolling Back LGBT Nondiscrimination Protections - Slowly but surely, the backlash to yesterday's homophobic madness in North Carolina begins. First are the appetizers of editorials. Then the good stuff . . . 

How North Carolina Just Passed a Blood-Curdling Anti-LGBT Law Right Before Our Eyes - Yet again, Michelangelo Signorile is right. Complacency due to victories can be the lgbt community's worst enemy. 

 Pat McCrory Says He Signed the Broadest Anti-LGBT Bill in the Nation to Prevent Government Overreach - Chyle, you can't get me high enough to buy that explanation. And don't think we don't know that you are up for re-election this year. 

 Don’t forget, Trans People Are Loved - Yes they are. It's never affirming to be a scapegoat for bigotry. We need to remember our transgender brothers and sisters right now and make sure they know this.  

Disney To Georgia: We Will Not M-I-C See You Real Soon If You Pass That Anti-LGBT ‘Religious Liberty’ Bill - Events yet to come in NC, Georgia, Kansas, and any other place making one of those noxious "religious freedom" bills into law.

Two takeaways from the North Carolina legislature's vouch of homophobia

As expected, the dunderheads in the North Carolina legislature brought the hammer of homophobia down on the head of the state's lgbt community:

North Carolina’s House of Representatives voted Wednesday to block cities and counties from passing protections against LGBT discrimination in a wide-ranging bill that could have enormous implications for the state.

HB 2, which passed 83-25 in a special session, would set a statewide anti-discrimination policy, banning employers and businesses from discriminating against employees or customers based on their race, color, country of origin, religion, age or “biological sex.” The bill offers no protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and prevents local governments from passing any nondiscrimination policy that goes beyond the statewide standard.

The bill also pre-empts local employment ordinances governing wages, benefits, employee protections and leave policies. It would prevent schools from allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify.

The state Senate is set to consider the bill later Wednesday.

“This bill essentially repeals 50 years of non-discrimination efforts and gives lawmakers in Raleigh unprecedented control over our city and local governments,” Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue said in a statement. “North Carolina Republicans want to pass what would potentially be the single most discriminatory act in the country. This is a direct affront to equality, civil rights, and local autonomy.”

Republican lawmakers called the state’s General Assembly into a special session with the goal of blocking Charlotte’s anti-discrimination measure from going into effect. That measure, which passed last month in a 7-4 vote, bans businesses from discriminating against customers based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Critics of the Charlotte ordinance particularly took issue with a provision that allows transgender people to use bathrooms designated for their preferred gender. Gov. Pat McCrory (R) vowed to overturn it, claiming it creates “major public safety issues.”

Here are my two takeaways:

1. If you think this thing is a misguided attempt to protect females from predators sneaking into their bathrooms and locker rooms, raise your hands high . . . so I can smack you upside the head like Moe used to do in "Three Stooges" shorts. Protecting females is just the excuse. If it were simply about that, what's with the overreach? This bill is yet another attempt to keep lgbts under heel as second class citizens, just like other anti-gay bills. Folks who pus these things always claim that they are attempting to protect children, women, or others they see as vulnerable. The only folks who need protection are lgbts every time one of these bills come up. Count on the opposition to also make a false argument that the "rights" of Christians are under attack and the only way to prevent this is to hinder all lgbt non-discrimination laws.

2. Which brings up point two. These bills will continue to come up. The lgbt community attaining marriage equality never meant the fight for our equality was over. It only means that it's heating up. Angry at their losses, anti-gay groups and spokespeople are working hard - and getting paid lots of money - to dream up and put into play new ways to deny us equality or just basically ruin our specific day. North Carolina is yet ANOTHER wake up call that this so-called culture war isn't over. And we have to use new tactics.  Don't get discouraged. Get engaged.. A two hour protest expressing anger won't fix this. Lgbts must stop being sitting ducks. Get engaged in the political process, voting, and running for office. Study the tactics of the anti-gay groups in your state. Know them by heart. And don't be afraid to pick public fights of rhetoric with them.

Editor's note - The bill just passed the Senate by a vote of 32-0. The Democrats walked out instead of voting on the bill. It now awaits Gov.  Pat McCrory,'s signature, which he unfortunately gave this same night.

Let the games begin.

'Gov. Brownback wrecks Kansas again, this time by signing 'religious liberty' bill' & other Wed. midday news briefs

Brownback

Watch: Kansas Governor Signs Anti-Gay 'Religious Liberty' Bill Into Law - I would be angry at Kansas but after the way Gov. Sam Brownback ruined the state's economy with his policies, the fact that he attempts to pose as a Christian is a sad allegory for our times. 

NORTH CAROLINA: Special Session Bill Would Ban ALL LGBT Rights In State, Not Just In Charlotte - Don't do it, North Carolina. It probably will and all hell will be in session. And we don't plan to be without our pitchforks. Listen to the audio of the session here.

 Family Research Council uses work of phony medical group in new attack on transgender community - Reiterating this morning's post. How the Family Research Council is using a phony medical group who believe that gay men sexualize feces and a John Hopkins University professor (whose university really should disavow him) to launder false information about the transgender community. 

 FBI Will Determine If Boiling Water Attack On Gay Men Was A Hate Crime - Uh yes it was.  

Rafael Cruz, Dinesh D'Souza And Selectively Flexible 'Moral Absolutes' On Marriage - Two anti-gay hypocrites and marriage . . .

Family Research Council uses work of phony medical group in new attack on transgender community

The Family Research Council was in a braggart's mood yesterday as it launched another attack against the transgender community:

Liberals like to say they're pushing these gender-neutral bills for the kids, but new research suggests they're doing it despite the kids. Every day, it seems like another city or school board is pushing a policy that tells children to ignore the anatomy that classrooms should be teaching! The waves of gender-neutral bathroom and athletic proposals keep coming, no matter how devastating it can be for students. Gender isn't a matter of self-determination, the American College of Pediatricians (ACP) is arguing, and suggesting otherwise can harm kids for life.

This isn't about helping children "find themselves" or accepting them for who they are, it's about glamorizing a disorder with life-long consequences. When legislatures or educators indulge and even encourage this confusion, ACP warns, it's child abuse. In a strong response to the transgender ideology marching across America, U.S. pediatricians are urging a complete and total rejection of these so-called "non-discrimination" bills. "Conditioning children into believing a lifetime of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex is normal and healthful is child abuse," they write in a statement released yesterday. In an eight-point dismantling of the trans-movement, they remind Americans that gender confusion is a "mental disorder" -- a fact, ACP points out, that has never been disproven.

I will spare you the rest of FRC's taunt. However, it cannot be ignored that yet again FRC is distorting information. Don't be fooled by the official sounding name of the organization. (The American College of Pediatricians) which crafted the  statement that FRC is pushing as legitimate.

To put it plainly, the American College of Pediatricians is a fraud, an organization which, while sounding credible, is actually a front for giving anti-lgbt propaganda a more respectable veneer. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center:

Like NARTH, ACPeds was born from an ideological split within a profession. It was founded in 2002 as a protest against the much larger American Academy of Pediatrics’ support for LGBT adoption rights — and that opposition remains central to the group’s identity. ACPeds is believed to have no more than 200 members, a tiny fraction of the nearly 60,000 professionals who belong to the American Academy of Pediatrics. But thanks to its deceptive name — which makes it sound as if it is the mainstream professional organization for pediatricians — ACPeds often serves as a supposedly scientific source for groups pushing utter falsehoods about LGBT people.

 . . . Dr. Joseph Zanga, who heads ACPeds, described what he hoped his group would become: “essentially a Judeo-Christian, traditional-values organization ... open to membership for pediatric medical professionals of all religions who hold our core beliefs ... that life begins at conception and that the traditional family unit, headed by an opposite-sex couple, poses far fewer risk factors.

In 2010, the group sent letters to 14,000 school district superintendents asking that they peruse and use information from a webpage it created entitled Facts About Youth.   I said the following about it during that time:

Facts About Youth contains the same tired lies and misinformation about the gay community found on almost every religious right web page and repeated by almost every religious right talking head.

 The following are just a few bits of misinformation which I discovered