Family Research Council caught lying about Charlotte Observer column on HB2

FRC distorts a quote to scare its supporters.

Just a simple lesson in lying brought to you by the Family Research Council.

What is claimed by the Family Research Council:

In a stunning column this week, the (Charlotte Observer) argues that “Girls must overcome ‘discomfort’ of seeing ‘male genitalia’ in locker rooms.” 

What The Charlotte Observer actually said:

Yes, the thought of male genitalia in girls’ locker rooms – and vice versa – might be distressing to some. But the battle for equality has always been in part about overcoming discomfort – with blacks sharing facilities, with gays sharing marriage – then realizing that it was not nearly so awful as some people imagined.

There is nothing in The Charlotte Observer editorial about girls seeing male genitalia. And the passage is definitely taken out of context. Read the column for yourself  and decide.

Some might argue that what The Charlotte Observer actually said is equally distressing. I say if that's the case, then why did FRC feel the need to totally alter the passage ?

'SC blocks SECOND 'bathroom bill' & other Fri midday news briefs

Senate blocks Berkeley bathroom ban - Since, as I said before, South Carolina doesn't seem to be on anyone's radar, you will probably miss the fact that our state Senators blocked SECOND anti-transgender bathroom bill. This was not as major as the first one we defeated, but still just as ornery. 

Conservatives Hope Religious Art Trumps LGBT Protections In New Lawsuit - Attaching the argument of "religious liberty" to bathroom usage. I don't think that's going to work . . . 

 LGBT Activists Arrested During North Carolina Bathroom Law Protest - THIS is getting interesting.

Maroon 5 Stands With Queer Community By Canceling NC Shows - VERY interesting.  

These Photographs Offer A Powerful Glimpse Into The Lives Of The LGBT Community In Bangladesh - We should never take the equality we have for granted.

Family Research Council, Wall Street Journal pushing biased science against trans community

Paul McHugh, the religious right's newest model of junk science.

Those who  read this blog know that I have kept a history of the many times anti-lgbt groups have relied on either junk or cherry-picked science to denigrate the lgbt community and refer to us as diseased "others" out to destroy American society.

Sometimes, other conservative entities aid in this bad endeavor. Today, it's the Wall Street Journal aiding the Family Research Council with its defense of "bathroom bills."  The following is part of an email sent by FRC denigrating Obama because his recent directive to allow transgender students to use bathrooms in accordance to their desired gender identity and also because of the Justice Department's lawsuit against North Carolina for passing that awful HB2 law:

Obviously, the president is trying to move the ball as far down the field for his extreme agenda as he can before leaving office. But if he expected resistance, he certainly didn’t plan for it. “Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has raised the possibility that his state may forfeit its $10 billion of annual federal funding for its schools,” the Wall Street Journal pointed out

“We hope Texas follows through and is joined by other states. There is more at stake here than sexual identity, not least the self-identity of the United States. The Obama administration’s preoccupation with sex, whether in sophomore year or the fourth grade, raises questions about whether the federal bureaucracies know at all what they are doing on anything resembling the merits… Two years ago on these pages we published ‘Transgender Surgery Isn’t the Solution’ by Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Paul McHugh. In one of the most widely-read pieces we have published, Dr. McHugh pointed out that the idea of gender as subjective ‘personal truth’ has no basis in science. What studies have been done on gender preference also suggest that the belief that these choices result in positive psychological outcomes isn’t proven -- especially for students in grade school. Suddenly, though, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has solved the mysteries of gender confusion -- for the whole country.”

Paul McHugh is not a name known by many. Recently though, the religious right and other conservatives have been passing his anti-transgender information as accurate. Of course McHugh has credibility because he is affiliated with John Hops University. However, his information is still flawed because he is biased.

'Fox News edited out discussion of anti-trans legislation from Laverne Cox interview' & other Thur. midday news briefs

Fox News doesn't let up on its transphobia even when interviewing Cox.

Laverne Cox Has A Lot To Say About Anti-Trans Legislation But It Was Cut From Megyn Kelly’s Interview - Just like Fox News and Megyn Kelly. They bend over backwards to indulge groups and people slinging anti-transgender lies but GOD forbid they allow someone be able to respond to that crap.

House Passes Bill That Lets Government Contractors Fire People For Being LGBT - Veto that sumbitch!

 An Alabama lawmaker has the creepiest response to transgender bathroom hysteria - Oh lawd! No! No! No! Now this actually endangers people! 

 United Methodist Church Takes ‘Historic Action’ Toward LGBT Equality - Another article which reiterates the point that the religious right is bogarting the argument of lgbt orientation and religion.  

Anti-Trans Hoaxes On Fake News Websites Are Spiking — And Going Viral - Yes they are and I have seen several of them. It's not funny, folks.

D.C. guard arrested for assault after attempting to prevent transgender woman from using the restroom.

For all of the fear mongering about what may happen if transgender men and women are allowed to use the bathroom of their desired gender identity, it's fast becoming a reality that the folks everyone should fear are those who are trying to protect us from this non-important reality.

First we have all of these crazy people going into Target stores scaring customers with their unsolicited and very loud John the Baptist on crack sermons.

And now this:

D.C. Police have charged a security guard at a Giant grocery store with simple assault after sources say she had a confrontation with a transgender woman who was trying to use the women's restroom.

The guard, who has not been identified, is a special police officer at a Giant store near Third and H streets in northeast D.C.Police confirmed they had arrested her there earlier today for a confrontation in the store, though they did not reveal details of the arrest. News4 spoke with Ebony Belcher, the transgender woman who said she was assaulted by the officer. Belcher, 32, said the woman came into the restroom and told her to get out. She said the officer put her hand on her shoulder and arm, grabbed her and tried to march her out of the store.

Belcher said she suffers from Parkinson's disease and almost fell while the officer was shoving her.

I'm sure we will be hearing more details about this and the story could change. But for now, go to the link of the article and view the transgender woman in the middle of the controversy. Then ask yourself something.

 Does she look anywhere near a 6-foot, 5-inch, 250-pound man that the religious right semantically conjures up when they malign our transgender sisters? 

It seems to me that America doesn't need to be protected from transgender men and women using public restrooms. We need to be protected from the folks who obsess about transgender men and women using public restrooms.

'Anti-gay groups team with religious oppressive countries to persecute lgbts' & other Wed. midday news briefs

Eric Fanning

Anti-Gay Activism Trumps Religious Freedom At UN 'Family' Event - So anti-lgbt groups teaming up with religious oppressive countries to persecute  lgbts. These folks talk of a moral core but they simply have none.

Muslim States Block 11 LGBT Groups From Attending UN Aids Meeting - More on this situation.

 Senate Confirms First Openly Gay Army Secretary - Just in case you didn't hear about this historical moment.

 The Shockingly Simple Case For Treating Trans Discrimination Just Like Religious Discrimination - Oh this is interesting!

House GOP won’t remove anti-LGBT component from defense bill - Lovely. Another fight on the horizon.  

The Media Is Lying About Why North Carolina Is Being Sued - I would argue that they are being lazy more than they are lying.

Fox News exploiting anti-transgender controversy it helped to create

Recently, Fox News has been showing an out of the ordinary - at least for the network - degree of professional journalism in attacking the credibility of these awful anti-lgbt "bathroom bills." However, as this Media Matters video shows, don't be fooled. Fox News spent a lot of time peddling the horror stories which state legislators used to justify these bills: