Anti-LGBTQ groups step up effort to steal gay tax dollars via sleazily deceptive website

Via a webpage pushing a deceptive campaign, anti-LGBTQ and conservative groups seem to be stepping up efforts to undermine gay adoption and gay families.

Groups such as the Family Research Council, the Heritage Foundation, the Alliance Defending Freedom, and a few others have been steadily making the case that faith-based foster care and adoption agencies which refuse to work with gay couples should still receive tax dollars. A few states, such Oklahoma and Kansas, have passed legislation saying so. Other municipalities, such as Philadelphia, however have made it clear that tax dollars shouldn't go to entities which discriminate for any reason. And Philadelphia won in court on that premise.

Apparently there is now a website sponsored by the aforementioned groups which makes the case for tax dollars going to discriminatory agencies. The website (keepkidsfirst.com  and the hashtag #keepkidsfirst ) claims that children will suffer greatly if faith-based adoption and foster care agencies are made to follow the rules:

Hundreds of adoption agencies and foster care providers across the country are founded on Christian beliefs and operate according to those beliefs. But a current effort is underway to target these faith-based providers and force them to abandon their beliefs or shut them down. Why? Because these faith-based adoption and foster care providers believe that every child deserves the chance to be raised by a father and mother.

'Homophobe claims that 'demons of hell' opposing Trump's SCOTUS nominee Kavanaugh' & other Tue midday news briefs

Bryan Fischer

Bryan Fischer Wages ‘Major League Spiritual Warfare’ Against the ‘Demons of Hell’ Attacking Kavanaugh - Bryan Fischer takes a moment away from his usual spewing of homophobia to spew other things. 

19 TV And Movie Characters You Didn’t Realize Were Bisexual - In honor of Bisexual Awareness week - #BiWeek 

Two federal judges rule insurance companies must cover transgender health procedures - Love those sweet victories.

These four transgender political candidates want to shake up the status quo - Danica Roem set the standard. Can these four follow up? I hope so. 

Finally - 

In the 12 years, in which I have worked this blog, I have been blocked on Twitter by many folks on the right, some because I engaged them, others because I have written about them, and a few because they probably heard of me.

But I will say that the following block is one I will be most proud of (click on picture to enlarge):

Mr. Cain, my guess is that you didn't care for our twitter conversation nor the fact that I publicized it. I could care less. It's like I said in the post:

"Mr. Cain, you don't get to treat us like we are your "side chick." You don't get to jump on our side and then to the side of those who stand in the way of our rights. In other words, we don't need you and we certainly don't need your sorry-ass support. We have gotten this far without you, so we certainly aren't going to miss you."

When defending Kavanaugh fails, attack Obama and his alleged girlfriends (and boyfriends)

While defending Trump's SCOTUS pick and accused assaulter of women Brett Kavanaugh, high and low profile Trump supporters are doing what they do best:

Pointing the finger at Obama.

Wayne Allyn Root, conservative radio and television personality and extreme Trump supporter who was recently the opening speaker for one of his rallies, sent out the following tweet today:

The vast majority of those who tweeted back rightfully poked fun at Allyn's silly whataboutism and attempt to drag Obama into this mess.  Generally, folks pointed out that the situation had nothing to do with Obama and that the former president is a decent person who respects women.

Then there were those who agreed with Root's tweet.

'Bigotry is causing our LGBTQ kids to harm themselves' & other Mon midday news briefs

LGB Youth at ‘Increased Risk’ of Substance Abuse. Blame Homophobia. - We keep telling folks this and the religious right & conservative groups keep pushing this aside.

We could have used a trans survival guide growing up: By writing one we hope to make today’s teens feel proud of who they are - And we will not forget out transgender children either. ALL of our LGBTQ kids must be protected and lifted up.

Thousands of students walked out of school to protest sex ed classes that don’t include gays - A step in the right direction of alleviating the problem in the above news brief.

Bisexual People Aren’t Confused Or Closeted. We’re Tired Of Being Invisible. - Amen.

Sandy Rios: Marriage Equality Is A ‘Fist Of Defiance’ In God’s Face - Can't these folks think of a more original insult?

The LGBTQ community doesn't need Dean Cain's weak tea support

The LGBTQ community don't need Dean Cain's weak tea support.

As with every year, the LGBTQ community has to deal with the anti-gay hate group Family Research Council's 'Values Voter Summit.' The event never ceases to shine a huge spotlight on the hypocrisy of FRC and other conservative groups who claim to be fighting for morality, while having no problems using underhanded tactics to do so.

This year involved a controversy of a different sort. Dean Cain, who portrayed Superman on the series Lois and Clark (1993-1997)  made an appearance to promote his film, Gosnell.

According to The Advocate:

 Prior to Cain’s appearance at the event, where he was promoting his film Gosnell, in which he plays the detective who put abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell behind bars, GLAAD and other LGBTQ activists and allies called him out for appearing at the event along with the likes of anti-LGBTQ people including Mike Pence, Michele Bachmann, Tony Perkins, Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips, and so many more.

Since Cain has in the past been vocal about his support of LGBTQ rights, he was called to the carpet for appearing at a conference sponsored by the Family Research Council, whose has worked steadily to undermine LGBTQ rights since its founding. In fact the Southern Poverty Law Center designated FRC to be a hate group due to the inaccurate claims it has made about gays, including how we supposedly recruit children.

However, nothing said to Cain could convince him that his appearance at this summit was wrong. Not even when GLAAD  and LGBTQ activists engaged him in Twitter. And to top it off, while he was at the summit, he labeled those calling him out as intolerant.

When the moderator of his Cain’s panel asked him if he’d “taken pressure” on social media for appearing with the hate group, Cain replied: “Yes. Certainly. I take that sort of heat and abuse every single day but it doesn’t bother me in the least…it doesn’t make me mad, it just shows people’s intolerance towards listening to another opinion. Just the fact that I’m here, just the fact that I’m here people were blowing me up all day long with the most ridiculous things that you could ever here. Talk about intolerance. It’s ridiculous. I take heat. It doesn’t bother me, I welcome it because I sleep well at night. I know I’m doing something that matches my convictions and my heart and I’ll happily defend the things I say and I stand for.”

To put it nicely, that pissed me off to the "highest levels of pissivity" and led me to challenge Cain on Twitter. What you are about to read is our exchange (errors included). To be fair, I started the engage by referencing FRC's past citation of the junk science of discredited researcher Paul Cameron.

When he tweeted me back, it was on:

'Lie told by Mike Pence about Indiana 'religious freedom' bill in 2015 highlights hypocrisy of 'Values Voter' Summit'

Ah yes. Today is the beginning of the annual Family Research Council 'Values Voter' Summit in which right-wing evangelicals throw off all pretenses of humility (the little they have) and show themselves to be power-hungry, self-righteous hypocrites  And it's a lovely day for those of us who decry their lies and basic homophobia to pull out all of the receipts we have collected over the years of their true faces. 

Since this year, Vice President Mike Pence will be a guest speaker, here is one of my favorites, i.e. when he lied in 2015 about the intent of a bill he signed while governor of Indiana, but was done in by a photo of him signing it.  It not only demonstrates just how low Pence has gone to lie (for his "religious beliefs" of course) but also epitomizes what a lot of us find so darn distasteful about these phony gatherings. FRC and its supporters claim that this "summit" is all about values and bringing the nation back to God, but if this is the case, why do they have to stoop to lies, grubby power grabs, and cynical alliances to do it?

In 2015, when Pence was governor of Indiana, he signed a "Religious Freedom Restoration Act," which he insisted had absolutely nothing to do with discriminating against the LGBTQ community. However, the photo above sunk that lie. If the bill had nothing to do with discriminating against the LGBTQ community, then why did Pence pose with  three of the leading anti-LGBTQ activists in the state?

For more on Pence's blatant lie, see this article via GLAAD.

In other news:

Conservative journalist tries to humiliate 11-year-old drag kid, but it blows up in his face - Our kids are awesome.

Living In An Unparalleled Golden Time’ Under Trump - If you ignore the corruption, the attacks on women's health and the LGBTQ community, the investigations, and the caging of immigrant children, sure. Love the Christianity some people like to practice.

Anti-transgender bigots sink to new low with latest ad - Old religious right tactic of exploiting ignorance and fear shifted from gay men to transgender women. Depresses the hell out of me. 

Here’s what is at stake for transgender people in the midterm election - Speaking of which, take notes folks.

Family Research Council, Breitbart exploit hysteria to warp legitimate study about transgender children

One of the reasons why I began this blog and my work calling out anti-LGBTQ propaganda was because of how groups like the Family Research Council would cherry-pick legitimate science or cite junk science to create a false and negative narrative about the LGBTQ community.

Today, FRC, with the help of extreme right-wing crap sheet Breitbart, is taking a different path. The group is calling out legitimate science:

For progressive activists, nothing can stand in the way of their agenda -- not even the health and well-being of children. 

In a disturbing report from Breitbart, it was revealed that liberal activists embedded within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are currently carrying out a taxpayer-funded study to the tune of $5.7 million that is designed to result in a pre-determined conclusion: that children with gender dysphoria should be "affirmed" in their chosen gender identity through the use of puberty-blocking drugs and sterilizations. 

A source with detailed knowledge of the as yet unreleased study which began in the Obama era said that it is: 

...affirming gender change with family and environmental support in children as young as five years, and using puberty blockers and cross sex hormone treatment in children at the initial onset of puberty which could be as young age 8-9 years, and then following them for only five years. 

In a blatantly obvious example of conflict of interest, the four researchers who are conducting the NIH study each run their own private practices that encourage "affirmation therapy" for children who are experiencing gender dysphoria. What's more, the children who are participating in the study are the same ones who are receiving "therapy" from the four researchers! 

The dangers of undergoing a "gender transition" have already been well documented by FRC and many other organizations. For children in particular, the physical effects of hormone blockers are heartbreaking, as confirmed by doctors at Johns Hopkins University.

Neither Breitbart nor the Family Research Council have a reputation for honesty and accuracy, particularly when it comes to both science and the LGBTQ community. Neither employs anyone with an iota of expertise in this issue they are screeching about. And this lack of credibility shows. The supposed documentation by FRC is nothing more than ridiculous talking points from staff members.