'Statewide anti-LGBTQ measures part of religious right playbook' & other Mon midday news briefs

State legislatures are filled with anti-LGBTQ measures, thanks to a religious right playbook - FINALLY, some recognizes it and calls it out.

Project Blitz Is Producing Model Legislation For Christian Nationalists - The name of the group in the article above is Project Blitz and they have something especially nasty in store for us. It's an old anti-LGBTQ lie that we buried in our pursuits of marriage equality. But homophobic lies never die. That's why they are headless monsters. They are dead beliefs propped up by living hatred. 

Sanders campaign defends accepting Joe Rogan support amid LGBTQ backlash - Joe Rogan is a homophobic jerk and we shouldn't . . . well end of story. 

Who's the 'Q' in LGBTQ? Study shines light on 'queer' identities. - Definitely a needed discussion.


Graphic courtesy of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. The organization has extensive information on Project Blitz

How some gay conservatives attempt to exploit the LGBTQ community for personal gain.

Rob Smith

The guy on the right is Rob Smith. He was one of the activists who chained themselves to the White House fence almost 10 years ago in protest of the 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' policy. These days, he considers himself an openly gay conservative Trump supporter.  He is even affiliated with the group Turning Point USA  in spite of its racist history.

If you ask me, he's in it partly (probably mostly) for how the novelty of being a contrarian gay man (i.e. one who is openly gay and claims to have been once a liberal, but now sets up straw man arguments to attack the community) can reap lots of press and acclaim.  Just ask Brandon Straka or Chadwick Moore.

For the purpose of this post, I want to show how some gay conservatives attempt to work our community for their own benefit. See the tweet below by Smith:

It's both rude and seemingly innocuous, but let me add my perspective:

In other words, the purpose of  the tweet was to inflame emotions and push up a vicious war with the LGBTQ community. And if it's big enough, guess who gets articles in right-wing publications (such as The Federalist or The Daily Caller) and invites on Fox News (because the only LGBTQ people invited on that network are the ones who attack their own community)?

Rob Smith.

And the end is basically this - Smith's profile is raised in the conservative world and he is lauded as being "brave" and a "hero" for supposedly speaking against the "radical gay community" (that's us). He is anointed as a "free thinker" while we are portrayed as "intolerant of others in our community with different points of view."

Worst of all, some members of our community, who are either too egotistical or gullible to realize  how they are being manipulated, will take his side and attempt to generate a wrong-minded debate which will do nothing but divide and inflame us further while making Smith's profile grow and grow.

And that, brothers and sisters, is how the game is played on us. Our community may have differences, but we should all come together to recognize when someone is exploiting us to gain fame. Even if that person is "family."

'Virginia could become 20th state to ban 'ex-gay therapy' for minors' & other Fri midday news briefs

Virginia could become 20th state to ban 'ex-gay therapy' for minors - Go Virginia!!

Someone tried to destroy Nikkie de Jager’s life by outing her as trans. Now she’s on Ellen and more famous than ever. - Eat it, haters.

Hallmark Media CEO Bill Abbott Resigns After Lesbian Ad Backlash - Hmmmm 

How This Acting Coach Turned His Studio Into An LGBTQ Star Factory - This is a fascinating article.

Latest attack on Target's trans inclusive policy means the American Family Association is getting mighty desperate

For the past few years, hate group the American Family Association has been trying to initiate a boycott of  Target because of its policy of allowing customers to use dressing rooms and restrooms which match their gender identities. AFA claims (without proof) that this policy allows predators to harm women while they are in dressing rooms and restrooms. The boycott began with a petition and it got lots of traction. It even encouraged some people to march into Target and make complete asses of themselves.

As the years passed, attention and support for AFA's fight have petered down because basically people saw that the group was doing nothing more than lying and causing hysteria. Of course that doesn't stop AFA from attempting to "stir up the troops," so the speak.

Even if it has to be creative when attacking Target and the transgender community, such as this recent article in its affiliate "news site" One News Now demonstrates.

The American Family Association continues to sound the alarm about Target's policy that allows men in women's restrooms and changing areas. 

Target says the policy is meant to be inclusive and benefit transgender customers and employees, but the American Family Association (AFA) has long warned it will result in sexual predators taking advantage of the policy, thereby putting women and children at risk. 

In an Action Alert this week, AFA points to an incident at a Target store in Harris County, Texas, where a woman told law enforcement that a man was taking pictures of her in a fitting room while she was changing clothes. 

"It's an invasion of privacy," she told news station KTRK. "No one should go through that. It was horrifying." "Because nobody will stop a man from entering these areas, what these sexual predators do is they watch for a woman or girl to go into a fitting room, for example, and they go into the one next to it and then put their phone camera either up above the partition or below it," Ed Vitagliano, AFA executive vice president, told on American Family Radio's "Today's Issues" program. "That is what happened in this case in Harris County, Texas."

'New bills in over 12 states are targeting our transgender children' & other Thur midday news briefs

LGBT Activists Say New Bills in Over 12 States Target Transgender Youth - And I'm betting that a certain group (the Alliance Defending Freedom) is behind this mess.

Miss USA competition to include first openly bisexual contestant - History is made! 

Indiana's Discrimination Against LGBTQ Families Must Stop, Court Rules - We win an important victory in Indiana. 

Most of Trump’s impeachment lawyers have strong résumés (of anti-LGBTQ advocacy) - Looks like Jay Sekulow isn't the only one.

Anti-LGBTQ activist doesn't realize that she made a spectacle of herself

Anti-LGBTQ activist 'Lorena' of the group MassResistance thinks it was unfair that a councilman tried to kick her out of his office even though she outright accused him of working to legalize pedophilia.

I'm often asked why do I give attention to anti-LGBTQ groups and individuals. One reason is that when some of them are given the spotlight, they make colossal fools of themselves and thereby prove our point about them and their tactics.

A recent incident underscores this fact. MassResistance, a Massachusetts anti-LGBTQ hate group have been on a tear for months about Drag Queen Story Hour. An affiliate of the California chapter recently told the story about meeting with Chula Vista city openly gay councilman, Stephen Padilla. She wanted the city council to pass an ordinance against Drag Queen Story Hour.

The woman, Lorena, and MassResistance would have you to believe that she bravely stood up against a rude bully to the point that he got angry and called the police on her:

One MassResistance mother in Chula Vista, Lorena, a calm but strong-willed woman, has been really taking action. She has testified at just about every City Council meeting, often bringing up the fact that the library has cut reading and literacy programs, yet had the money for Drag Queen Story Hour. She has passed out flyers across town.

. . . this past week Stephen Padilla, who had refused to meet with anyone, agreed to meet with Lorena in his City Hall office. She came, and calmly told him the truth about the Drag Queen Story event. His behavior toward her was disgraceful. He ultimately threw her out of his office and tried to have her removed from City Hall.

'Trump's impeachment lawyer has long history of homophobic, religious-based shysterism' & other Wed midday new briefs

Jay Sekulow

Jay Sekulow Heads Trump’s Legal Team, Shares His Dubious Relationship with the Truth - I've know about Jay Sekulow for YEARS.

Trump's Latest Legal Hire Has Extensive Anti-LGBT History - A 2017 article which nicely breaks down Sekulow's history of homophobia.

Va. Senate votes to prohibit conversion therapy, create transgender school policy, repeal gay marriage ban - Dear LGBTQ community, this is why voting matters.

The last Chick-fil-A in the UK is shutting down after months of nonstop protest - Bye! Bye! Bye!

'Out on Television' tracks evolution of LGBTQ portrayals - I definitely want to see this.