Evangelical conservatives are determined to go down in disgrace with Trump. Let them do it.

As the walls of impeachment are slowly but steadily closing in on Trump, one group of his supporters remain blissfully and probably deliberately unaware of what's happening and how Trump's behavior contributed to the state he's in.

We had a great day @WhiteHouse with faith leaders. We talked & prayed with President @realDonaldTrump in the Roosevelt Room. I’m thankful that we are given the opportunity to discuss important policy issues and always the President ask us to lay hands on him and pray. pic.twitter.com/Jua6jouqgp

— Jentezen Franklin (@Jentezen) October 29, 2019

  Here is a larger view of the photo on the left:

This "event" took place on the same day that Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman provided key evidence in the impeachment inquiry of Trump. The evidence has to do with Vindman listening in on a telephone call in which Trump allegedly was attempting to pressure Ukraine's president into investigating former VP and Democratic front runner Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

Apparently in between being prayed for, Trump took time out to viciously attack Vindman, an attack which seems to have been in coordination of right-wing Trump supporters. They have been implying that Vindman, a Purple Heart recipient, was lying to take Trump down. Needless to say, the attack backfired as many, including GOP Senators and Congressional leaders, came to Vindman's defense.

Of course I wouldn't ask any of these pastors in the photo about all of that because they would probably formulate an excuse for Trump's behavior.

Tony Perkins, of the Family Research Council, would most likely say that Trump should be given a "mulligan" because he supposedly stands up for Christianity. That was the excuse Perkins gave when confronted about Trump's past adultery with porn star Stormy Daniels.

'Ex-gays going to DC to lobby against LGBTQ equality' & other Tue midday news briefs

Ex-gays are going to D.C. to lobby against LGBTQ laws - Old lying trash in a new package. We need to find out who is funding this mess.

Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Seelbach calls for TriHealth boycott after nurse's anti-LGBTQ post - Some folks are defending her "free speech." I think it's garbage. 

Apple CEO Tim Cook: There's 'much more' to do to help LGBTQ youth - Thank you, Mr. Cook.

 Homophobia and cyberbullying: Strategies the Cuban government uses against LGBTI+ journalists - The struggle is real, y'all.

Religious right, conservative lies causes investigation in custody case of trans child

Exploiting a controversy to demonize the LGBTQ community is a tactic of conservatives and the religious right which doesn't get talked about much. Via an extensive network of "news sources" and tweets  they can twist a situation and use it to create a moral panic. And usually by the time the truth catches up to the story they spin, it really doesn't matter.

An example of this is the recent Texas custody case involving a seven-year-old transgender child.

From Media Matters:

Texas government officials are parroting right-wing media misinformation about trans youth, including during an appearance on Fox News, as the state is attempting to launch a “child abuse” investigation into a custody battle over a transgender child whose parents disagree about affirming her gender identity. Anti-trans figures have consistently portrayed the affirmation of trans youth as “child abuse.” 

Right-wing media outlets have dubiously framed the custody battle as a debate over medical intervention -- despite the fact that the child would not be undergoing any such procedures in the near future. They have also pushed misinformation about medical interventions that are widely supported by medical professionals, inaccurately calling them “chemical castration” -- a false claim which has also been repeated by the Texas attorney general office. 

The custody battle is between Anne Georgulas and Jeffrey Younger, two divorced Texas parents of a trans child who goes by Luna and uses female pronouns. Three mental health professionals have diagnosed Luna with gender dysphoria, and Georgulas has accepted her as trans. However, Younger has rejected Luna’s gender identity, insisting she is not trans and referring to her by her former name (commonly referred to as a deadname). According to court documents, Younger “has engaged in increasingly aggressive behavior, including physical force, toward” Georgulas and “emotionally abusive behavior toward the child.” He has also launched an online campaign, fundraiser, and petition all using the name Luna formerly used. 

On October 24, a judge ruled that the parents would share joint custody of Luna despite a jury ruling that Georgulas should have sole custody earlier this week. The judge’s decision came after major outcry from right-wing media figures and Texas elected officials, including Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) 

''Any day you can be taken': Gays live under harsh environment in Chechnya' & other Mon midday news briefs

'Any day you can be taken': Inside what it's like to be gay in Chechnya - THIS is harsh! 

After Her Historic 2017 Win, Can Danica Roem Keep Her Seat In The Virginia Assembly? - Keep your fingers crossed. I hope she can. 

Florida prosecutor who fought marriage equality may be Trump’s impeachment spokesperson - Yeah. Okay.

Anti-LGBTQ images belong in a museum

Besides the junk and cherry-picked science, images play a huge part in the anti-LGBTQ industry's tactic of demonizing our community. By images, I mean photos, graphics, and cartoons created to convey the lie that the LGBTQ community are harmful to society. We tend to overlook how these images  underscore the basic hate and homophobia thrown at us. Many a time, we fall for the anti-LGBTQ industry's false narrative of queer vs. religious beliefs. In doing so, we argue on their terms and give them the home field advantage.

Over the years, the anti-LGBTQ industry has successfully  morphed from "protecting children" to "protecting the public health" to "protecting marriage," to the newest lie - "protecting religious liberty." But no matter how sly their talking points were, the images used as a part of their angle always told the real story. They always exposed the real hatred.

We make a mistake when we laugh at these images and express a desire that they be ignored. They shouldn't be ignored because, like it or not, they are a huge part of our history.  In fact, I think they belong in a museum so that no one forgets the truth they convey.

Conservatives, religious right go to the outer limits of audacity in exploiting case of transgender child

Leave it to the religious right and conservatives to twist this picture into an instrument of transphobia.

There is a custody case in Texas involving a seven-year-old transgender child in which conservatives  and the anti-LGBTQ industry are freely exploiting and lying about.

First check out these headlines. I refuse to link to them:

When a Court Forces Your Boy to Become a Girl

 Court Orders Father To Let Mom Put Their Son Through Gender Reassignment

Thousands Demand Texas Leaders Prevent Gender ‘Transition’ Of 7-Yr-Old Boy

WALSH: Court Rules That A Mom Can ‘Transition’ Son Into Girl Against His Dad’s Wishes. This Is Evil, Insane Child Abuse.  

Texas Jury: Father Cannot Stop Chemical Castration, Gender Change Of Seven-Year-Old Son

Here is the real story:

It involved a custody battle between Jeffrey Younger and Anne Georgulas over their children, one who is seven-years-old and has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria.  The father created a blog about the situation and ran to various conservative media groups and personalities claiming that the mother is forcing the child to transition. As you can see by the headlines above, various members of the conservative media, including the Family Research Council and The National Review, have run with the story, making sure to add (via by outright lying or sly inference) their own details.

The chief detail is accentuated by the last headline -Texas Jury: Father Cannot Stop Chemical Castration, Gender Change Of Seven-Year-Old Son. The lie that the little girl will be "castrated" or "mutilated" is the image various conservatives and religious right groups are pushing.

And of course,  it is wrong. According to Heavy.com

Since the start of the trial last week, a number of conservative media outlets have cried foul about the situation, claiming that Georgulas, a pediatrician with a private practice in a Dallas suburb, was going to have Luna “mutilated” or “chemically castrated.” The case even made its way to at least three Texas Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz, who called the child “a pawn in a left-wing political agenda.”

. . .But as Younger turned the parents’ fight into one over irreversible medical procedures, experts on health care for transgender children told The Washington Post that Georgulas’s approach to the child would not involve any kind of surgery or hormones for years. “Many people wrongly assume that prepubescent transgender or gender-diverse children will receive medical interventions,” Katherine Kuvalanka, a social work professor at Miami University in Ohio, said in an email to The Washington Post. “The only interventions for young children is affirmation and acceptance for who they are.”

However, because of the inferences and distortions, Georgulas has been receiving many threats. In addition, TX Governor Greg Abbott, the state's attorney general Ken Paxton,  TX Congressman Chip Roy, and TX Sen Ted Cruz  have either demanded investigations or have made charged comments about  "chemical castrations."

This is case  underscores how this country is lacking when it comes to caring for our transgender Americans. Issues involving the transgender issues are very complex. And especially when transgender children are the center. Yet there is so much misinformation out there and it is the fault of our media.

I've always been disturbed about the deliberate inability of some in our  media to have a discussion about the trans community which features trans people and medical experts.  Instead, we are forced to hear nonsense via inaccurately anointed experts from "morality" or "values" groups whose expertise have more to do with how smoothly they can make a talking point sound factual. These people and the entities which employ them are not interested in truth. They work to manipulate our fears, our false ideas of "common sense," and especially our religious beliefs.

The fact of the matter is that transgender men, women, and children exist. They are not diseased nor are they mentally ill. They are normal people.  Our media needs to do better when it comes to talking about their lives and issues. We all need to do better. And the one thing we should draw the line at is being emotionally manipulated by shysters with the ability to polish off lies told about gay men "molesting or recruiting children" and carve them to fit a transphobic narrative.

At the very least, can these folks mind their own damn business and let this particular private family issue play out.  Very few, if any at all, give a damn about this family. All they care about are the gasps, shocks, and hits generated by their hysterical story telling. And especially about the fundraising and media attention that also come with these things. To them, pouring on the pathos and appealing yet again to the lie that the LGBTQ community are hurting children is more important to their goal of obtaining attention, power, and money.

Editor's note - A few days ago, a jury ruled that the little girl's mother, Georgulas, would get sole custody of her. On Thursday, federal judge Kim Cooks ruled that both parents would have joint custody of the girl and her brother and that both parents also have joint decision making with regards to all medical care involving both children.

The good news - Judge Crooks placed a gag order on the father so no more interviews with an accommodating, but lying conservative media.

The bad news - The accommodating, but lying conservative media seem to be the only ones covering this case. This means they get to continue to twist the story.

But the Washington Post published a wonderful and concise article about the situation. It deserves a reading

'Comcast executive suing for anti-gay discrimination' & other Thur midday news briefs

One of Comcast’s top executives is suing for anti-gay discrimination - The repercussions of this could be huge.

Promoting Inclusivity, Always Nixes Female Symbol From Sanitary Pad Wrappers - SOME folks are upset over this. I, on the other hand, support it.

Matthew Shepard parents on exposing Trump era LGBTQ hypocrisy: Be indignant, but also calm - Amen!