Franklin Graham believes 'religious freedom' should be used to justify homophobia, but not LGBTQ acceptance

Franklin Graham exposes the lie of 'religious freedom

Conservative evangelicals are all about "religious freedom." That's the buzzword they use to give a gentler tone to their desire to businesses and agencies denying services to the LGBTQ community while in some cases still receiving tax dollars.  They claim that people and organizations shouldn't be made to sacrifice their "deeply held personal beliefs."

Don't be fooled. It's a lie. A spin. A cynical bit of dishonesty on their part.  Take Franklin Graham for example. He gone on and on several times about "religious freedom," even to the point claiming that Christians are under attack and being "persecuted" by the so-called LGBTQ agenda.  Franklin has even praised Trump as being a defender of "religious freedoms."

So imagine my surprise (or rather non-surprise) at reading the following on Graham's Facebook page today:

'Connecticut wants more LGBTQ families to adopt and foster children' & other Mon midday news briefs

Connecticut Wants More LGBT Families to Adopt and Foster Children - In response to laws allowing adoption agencies to take tax dollars while discriminating against the LGBTQ community, Connecticut just took a wonderful step forward.

Inside the Fight Against America’s Wave of Anti-LGBT Adoption Bills - You had better believe we are fighting against these dreadful bills. 

Defense bill amendment would protect open transgender military service - This would be wonderful if it happened, but I still want to know how much Pence and anti-LGBTQ leaders were involved in shaping that bad policy in the first place. THAT's the gold. 

Here’s why psychiatric hospitals are so bad at helping transgender patients - Definitely a needed article. 

Family Research Council is terrible, and its president Tony Perkins just got appointed to an international commission - Another article on how disgusting and deceptive Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council are. Why? Why not. There is no such thing as too many articles on that particular subject. But there is such thing is not enough attention paid to it.

To some bigots, gays simply breathing is 'promoting a homosexual agenda'

I want you to read the following article which was published by SPLC-designated hate group American Family Association's One News Now:

Texas parents are commending their local school board for suspending an elementary art teacher who repeatedly refused to stop promoting the LGBTQ lifestyle to her students.
Besides being suspended for pushing the LBGTQ agenda on students, Charlotte Anderson Elementary teacher Stacy Bailey was also pressuring administrators to modify the district's anti-discrimination policy to include LGBTQ language, according to Dallas News. 

Texas Values Policy Analyst Nicole Hudgens maintains that the mainstream media distorted the story to help further the homosexual agenda. 

"And the media took the story, totally twisted it and said she was fired for asking questions,” Hudgens explained. “And in reality, she was placed on paid leave because she was talking about issues that were inappropriate for elementary school students."
The conservative advocate also pointed out that at a recent board meeting, concerned parents outnumbered those who were there to push for adding sexual-orientation and gender-identity policies in the school district. 

"They were outnumbered by parents who said, 'We don't want this in our school district, nor do we believe that it's right that it's being talked about – that these issues are being discussed in our elementary school,'" Hudgens noted. 

The school board told those in attendance that any policy review would take place after the elections this month – and after new assignments to the review committee are in place.

The One News Now article was badly written and contained numerous errors. It claims that parents supported Bailey's dismissal but the link it included from the Dallas News  contained quotes from  many students and parents who actually supported Bailey. In fact the article featured a photo of them holding up signs of support.

'GOP candidate films herself harassing trans woman using the restroom, trying to fundraise from it' & other Fri midday news briefs

Jazmina Saavedra, who shall be known as 'a waste of space,' is trying to get to Congress by harassing trans women.

GOP House candidate live streams herself challenging transgender woman for using women's restroom - What kind of crap is this? I was reluctant to post something about this for fear it would scare my transgender sisters, but the story has gone viral. I just want my transgender sisters AND brothers to know that if an incident happened where I was on the scene, I would have YOUR back.

California Pro-Trump Candidate Is Fundraising Off Her Harassment Of A Transgender Woman - And she is trying to raise money off of it. There aren't enough words to express my anger over this.

CDC to roll back data collection on the health and well-being of LGBT people - THIS is dangerous to the LGBTQ community. It would eliminate a much needed resource to accurately gauge LGBTQ health and beat back anti-LGBTQ propaganda about our lives.

Religious right’s new battleground: Hurting kids to attack LGBT rights - They always have a nasty angle and they always lose. They are going to lose again.

GLAAD to Publish LGBTQ Children’s Book Series, Starting With ‘Prince & Knight’ (Exclusive) - Wonderful! I totally am for this.

Twitter explodes with anger over appointment of hate group leader Tony Perkins to religious freedom committee

Family Research Council's Tony Perkins

A lot of people on Twitter are NOT happy that Family Research Council's Tony Perkins was appointed to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Needless to say, they are being very vocal with their disapproval.

Tony Perkins, who

-supported Uganda's "Kill the Gays" bill
-called pedophilia "a homosexual problem"
-claimed gay men "recruit" kids into homosexuality

just got appointed to an international commission that will make policy recs to Trump / Congress / etc https://t.co/bnUWr8OAXN

— Leanne Naramore (@LeanneNaramore) May 17, 2018

If you identify as #transgender “what’s to keep you from saying you’re an animal?” - Tony Perkins, president of the anti-LGBTQ hate group Family Research Council and recent appointee to U.S. Commission on International Religious “Freedom”

They fight for you’re right to hate them pic.twitter.com/2fI5Z9sG0n

— Bryan Dawson (@BryanDawsonUSA) May 17, 2018

A lot of the #Exvangelical crowd has already said this, but I'll come in with my two cents.

Tony Perkins is not an exception. He's the rule. #EmptyThePews pic.twitter.com/0lfWrcYQHH

— Oppress South Park Fans (@LyanaRodriguez1) May 17, 2018

'Hate group leader Tony Perkins blistered in Daily Beast column' & other Thur midday news briefs

Trump Adviser Tony Perkins Just Got a Global License to Spread His Anti-LGBT Hate - One positive about members of the anti-LGBTQ industry getting more power under Trump is them also getting more attention. We tend to forget that a lot of folks don't know length of the venom they spew, so when mainstream publications focus on them, it is the first time many Americans are becoming knowledgeable about who they are. With that in mind, I wish more of them would get such blisteringly vicious introduction as FRC's Tony Perkins got in The Daily Beast yesterday. Brutal piece by Jay Michaelson, which makes for wonderful reading AND sharing.

Gay couple faces deportation after seeking immigration marriage waiver - OH HELL NO! 

Black Gay Men, We Must Treat Each Other Better - The first thing we need are conversations like this. Gay black men are face uniquely difficult struggles in terms of racism, homophobia (external and internal), and false ideas of masculinity in the black community. 

Beirut Pride Canceled After Organizer Is Detained By Authorities - The struggle is real and it is difficult. . . . 

Trans woman live-tweets her 86-year-old grandmother’s amazing response to her coming out - . . . but not impossible to win. It's always a blessing to see that those you love demonstrate how much they love you.

LGBTQ 'Conversion Therapy' Survivor: 'They Got Some Weird Joy Out of Torturing Children'

 This riveting video serves as a reason why we must fight to outlaw the fraudulent practice of "ex-gay" or conversion therapy (especially for children) and not allow the religious right to divert the argument with the false concept of "religious liberty" or "religious freedom." Your religion does not give you the right to harm anyone, especially children.

 Hat tip to the Human Rights Campaign.