Analyzing and refuting the inaccuracies lodged against the lgbt community by religious conservative organizations. Lies in the name of God are still lies.
The Biggest Myth About Anti-LGBTQ Hate Groups Debunked - If I said it once, I've said a multitude of times. Lgbt equality will be harder and harder to attain IF we don't start taking anti-lgbt groups seriously. And aggressively calling them out BEFORE they smear us. We should encourage discussion and debate instead of whining about "a bigot being given a platform." Platforms are great places to fight battles AND change narratives. And one narrative we must change is how they claim their opposition to us is Biblically based. THAT is the ugliest lie of them all. Don't argue about it amongst yourselves. Just trust me on this one.
After this morning's decision, (Baronelle Stutzman)
was stunned. "I'm not asking for anything that our Constitution hasn't
promised me and every other American: the right to create freely, and to
live out my faith without fear of government punishment or
interference." Americans like Barronelle were told repeatedly that
redefining marriage wouldn't impact their lives. Now, two years into
this social experiment forced on the country by the courts, families are
being driven from their businesses -- and today, their homes -- for
wanting the same tolerance the Left preaches. Barronelle's attorney, Alliance Defending Freedom's (ADF) Kristen Waggoner, was blown away by the injustice.
"In a free America, people with differing beliefs must have room to
coexist," she said. "Our nation has a long history of protecting the
right to dissent, but simply because Barronelle disagrees with the state
about marriage, the government and ACLU have put at risk everything she
owns... It's no wonder that so many people are rightly calling on
President Trump to sign an executive order to protect our religious freedom
to prevent the federal government from persecuting Christians the way
rogue state actors in states like Washington are doing. Because that
freedom is clearly at risk for Barronelle and so many other Americans,
and because no executive order can fix all of the threats to that
freedom, we will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear this case and
reverse this grave injustice."
"The First Amendment guarantees the liberty
to speak freely, and the fundamental right to disagree. The government
cannot force individuals to create art against their conscience and
deeply held religious beliefs. Today's display of intolerance by the
Washington State Supreme Court both defies the Constitution and seeks to
outlaw the belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.
Compelling individuals to speak messages against their sincerely held
beliefs is un-American and unconstitutional."
You know how I feel about it. This entire "religious liberty" argument is a bogus piece of nonsense perpetrated by phony moral groups and fed to gullible individuals - both parties being too stubborn to admit the fact that they lost fair and square against marriage equality in our court of laws. This argument is not just about florists. Just where do you draw the line? Let's say that today, florists and bakers are given the right to refuse potential lgbt customers. How do we know that it won't be restaurants, hospitals or apartment complexes tomorrow?
Court rules florist Barronelle Stutzman cannot use 'religious liberty' excuse to discriminate.
Washington Supreme Court rules against florist who discriminated against same-sex couple - This JUST came in. It was a high profile case and it could give Trump an excuse to sign a so-called "religious liberty" executive order. I almost wish he would. I've had a rotten attitude since he was elected and I know the lgbt community have been primed to start fighting. It would be almost a sin to get all worked up for nothing. Bring it on!
According to Media Matters, the Southern Poverty Law Center named the Alliance Defending Freedom as an official anti-lgbt hate group. Media Matters breaks down 10 facts you should know about ADF.
They are listed below and should you want further information, go this very thorough link:
1. SPLC Labeled ADF A Hate Group Because Of Its Extreme, Demonizing Lies About LGBT People.
2. ADF Boasts A $48 Million-Plus Annual Budget And Over 3,000 “Allied Attorneys.” - Editor's note: Let met just break in here because I want to address those folks who constantly claim that if we ignore anti-lgbt groups and their actions, they will go away. When an organization has a budget of over $48 million and over 3,000 attorneys dedicated to eradicating your equality, it is not going ANYWHERE.
3. ADF Defended The Constitutionality Of Criminalizing Gay Sex In The U.S.
4. ADF Has Expanded Its Anti-Choice, Anti-LGBTQ Extemism Internationally.
5. ADF Is Behind The National Push For Anti-LGBT “Religious Freedom” Laws.
6. ADF Is Leading The National Campaign For “Bathroom Bills” Targeting Transgender Youth.
7. An ADF Attorney Once Called Matthew Shepard’s Murder A Hate Crime Hoax.
8. ADF Believes In A “Homosexual Agenda” Dedicated To Destroying Christianity.
9. ADF Has Long Opposed Anti-Bullying Efforts In Schools And Even Launched The “Day Of Truth” To Combat The “Day Of Silence.”
10. ADF Wields Significant Power In The U.S. Legal System.
But if you want a general idea of how deceptive ADF is, check out the following video the organization posted asking Trump to "defend" the practice of "religious freedom," i.e. allowing people and businesses to discriminate against lgbts and in some cases, still be able to receive tax dollars. The video is 47 seconds and is very straightforward, so straightforward in fact that you may miss how it is deceiving you:
The summary of the video says the following:
Grace Youth and Family Foundation, one of thousands of faith based
organizations that contribute a trillion dollars in services each year
while serving their communities. They face giving up the very faith that
drives them to serve or stop serving those who need it most
Have you guessed how this video is deceptive?
How about if I ask a simple question: how is this charity being forced to trade its faith for tax dollars? Or better yet, is this charity actually being forced to make a decision between its faith and tax dollars?
The video doesn't explain this and I'd wager that it is because this charity is in no such danger.
It's all about images.
You see, when organizations like the ADF push the idea of "religious freedom," the image they seek to peddle are that of noble charities and so-called moral individuals forced by the government to abandon their personal beliefs for the money. They want to push images of upstanding Christians being forced to submit to the wishes of a so-called godless horde, be it bureaucratic or lgbt-oriented.
Organizations like the ADF don't want you to think about the lgbt families with their children or the lgbt youth who would be hurt by allowing people and businesses to discriminate against them.. They don't want you to think about the gay or lesbian couple who won't be able to get married because the clerk refuses to do his or her job while freely taking their tax dollars.
They don't want you to think of the possibility of the gay couple who could be denied fair treatment at hospitals if either of them or (shudder) any of their children are hurt because the registered nurse or the physician can pull the "religious freedom" card.
They don't want you to think about the significant ways lgbts lives could be disturbed by these "religious freedom" laws which would allow people to disrespect or devalue us while, in some cases, still taking our tax monies
This truth is what ADF and other like-minded organizations don't want you to know about. And the fact alone that they work so hard to hide this truth makes them worthy of being called hate groups
I think that it's safe to assume that there is a small but satisfying degree of panic within the religious right that their "meal ticket to power," Donald Trump is in trouble.
The anti-lgbt hate group, the American Family Association is pointing the finger of blame at a supposed "evil conspiracy" for the recent resignation of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Flynn was forced to resign after it was discovered that he was illegally communicating with Russia before Trump took office and lying about it.
But the American Family Association thinks the following:
The media's
gleeful reaction to Flynn's resignation has set off a firestorm of
criticism from media watchdogs such as MRC and others who see a
behind-the-scenes effort from Obama loyalists to damage the Trump
administration. "The political assassination of Michael Flynn," a story written by Bloomberg columnist Eli Lake
this week, describes an enemy of the Left who was targeted for
retaliation – with other Trump loyalists targeted for the next round of
attacks.
Lastly, there is this lovely statement courtesy of Bryan Fischer:
FRC president Tony Perkins (1st photo) doesn't think anti-lgbt violence (2nd photo) is a 'real human crisis.'
From a recent Family Research Council Washington Update:
Of course, one of the best examples of the Obama administration's
disdain for other country's beliefs was the addition of a full-time,
taxpayer-funded, diplomat who openly identified as gay to the payroll
whose sole purpose was forcing the president's radical social agenda on
reluctant countries. And as usual, the 44th president
bypassed Congress to appoint one. Like most conservatives, we encouraged
the new administration to do away with the position and focus on the
real human rights crises -- like Christian persecution and genocide. - FRC President Tony Perkins, February 14, 2017
Reality:
Despite recent progress in the US, Latin America and even Ireland
– one of the most conservative societies in Europe – the global
campaign for the rights of sexual minorities has experienced a series of
setbacks in other regions including Africa and the Middle East. Fewer than 1 billion of the world’s population live in countries
where same-sex marriage or civil unions are recognised, compared to
almost 2.8 billion living in countries which criminalise gay people and
impose severe punishments on homosexuality, such as imprisonment,
lashings and even death sentences. - The Guardian, February 26, 2015
A report that a Ugandan advocacy group released on Friday indicates
persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity increased
after the country’s president signed an anti-gay law in 2014. The Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) report documents 264 “verified
cases of human rights abuses against LGBTI Ugandans” between May 2014
and Dec. 31, 2015. The report indicates that 84 of these cases were loss of property and
employment and other forms of intimidation. Forty-eight of the 264
cases of anti-LGBT persecution involved violence, which included
“torture by the state.” - Washington Blade, April 22, 2016
While Americans have fiercely debated how to respond to the massacre
last month at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Brazilians have been
confronting their own epidemic of anti-gay violence — one that, by some
counts, has earned Brazil the ignominious ranking of the world’s deadliest place for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people.
Nearly 1,600 people have died in hate-motivated attacks in the past four and half years, according to Grupo Gay da Bahia,
which tracks the deaths through news articles. By its tally, a gay or
transgender person is killed almost every day in this nation of 200
million.
“And
these numbers represent only the tip of the iceberg of violence and
bloodshed,” said Eduardo Michels, the group’s data manager, adding that
the Brazilian police often omit anti-gay animus when compiling homicide
reports. - The New York Times, July 25, 2016
А Russian lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activist and another person have
been missing since January 31, 2017, in the separatist-controlled area
of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine,
and are feared to be victims of enforced disappearances, Human Rights
Watch said today. Human Rights Watch is concerned that the de facto
authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) have
detained them and are refusing to acknowledge their detention. Grey Violet, a Russian transgender person (also known as Oleg
Vasilyev and Maria Shtern), and Victoria Miroshnichenko arrived in the
DNR on January 31. They had planned to stage a public performance in
Donetsk in support of the LGBT community and record it on video. - Human Rights Watch, February 9, 2017
The point is not to make eradicating persecution a competition. When any group is persecuted, it is a hideous red mark for society in general. That being said, no one group is above another and for a so-called Christian organization to falsely claim or imply in anyway that lgbt persecution of any sort is not a "real human rights crisis" (especially in light of the fact that a simple google search refutes that idea) is beyond unconscionable.
It makes one wonder just what god does Perkins and the Family Research Council actually serve.
Heartfelt New Ad Urges LGBTQ People To ‘Hold Tight’ To One Another - "LGBTQ people of all ages are encouraged to hold their loved ones close in a heartwarming new ad campaign for the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ)
Released Feb. 9, the “Hold Tight” clip is intended to commemorate Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which kicks off Friday Feb. 17, and the Auckland Pride Festival (Feb. 10 ― 26). ANZ is a sponsor of both celebrations."
Anti-LGBTQ activists to Trump: Be Our Valentine - A special return from my friend, Jeremy Hooper. Trump doesn't have to worry about facing criticism from religious right groups for his incompetence. But he will if he doesn't grant them more power to make churches political tools and stamp down on lgbt equality.
Bryan Fischer: ‘The Real Brownshirts Are In The Homosexual Movement’ - Sigh! Bryan Fischer is calling us Nazis again, y'all. That's why ads like in the first news brief are important. Fighting evil rhetoric with true faces of love means a lot, particularly to impressionable lgbt kids. Remember that they are watching and listening. Always.
