Video: Orlando Pride a massive success of defiance in the face of DeSantis's bigotry

Apparently, it wasn't just South Carolina who brought the love and the crowds with its pride celebration. Orlando Pride also showed out and it was in the face of an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation.

 From Gaycities:

 The Sunshine State was beaming with pride over the weekend as the queer communities of Central Florida brightened the streets of Orlando. Aptly dubbed “Come Out with Pride Orlando,” over 200,000 members of the LGBTQ+ community showed up to the event’s festival and parade to celebrate COWPO’s values of “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.”

 The debauchery kicked off on Saturday at Eola Park with the annual Come Out with Pride Festival, featuring a marketplace and food vendors, such as Cosmos Ice Cream and La Orengette, to grab a nosh. Embracing their principle of inclusion, the fest offered family-friendly options such as a Youth Zone and the Rainbow Ranch Kids Zone, as well a Sober Space sponsored by Pineapple Health. 

 By the afternoon, RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Monet Exchange and Lala Ri cranked up the heat on the Club Pride Stage. Performances also included local talent such as Darcel Stevens, The Les Vixens, House of Cavalli, House of San Miguel, The Renaissance Theater, and more. One of the missions of COWPO is to champion resistance, which was showcased by members of Orlando’s trans community, who hosted a rally to promote awareness and radically express their fierceness. The centerpiece of the day was the “Most Colorful Parade” presented by AHF, capped off by a grand fireworks finale. 

 And the centerpiece of the celebration was 11-year-old transgender girl Dempsey Jara, the youngest grand marshal in the history of Orlando's pride celebration. 

According to The Orlando Sentinel: 

 “Being transgender is not about a choice,” Dempsey said while wearing a princess-style gown. “It’s about being true to myself. It’s about embracing who I am even when the world tries to tell me otherwise. It’s about standing tall in my identity even when it’s really hard.”

 Her mother Jaime Jara, 45, a schoolteacher, beamed beside her on stage. Off stage, she said her youngest child has always known who she was. “She’s just always gravitated toward girl things, girls’ toys. We didn’t have any of that stuff at home. She has two older brothers,” Jaime said. “She’d say, ‘I’m a girl in my heart and my brain.’ She’s been on this journey since she was 5 and she’s living her best life.”

 The moral of all of this is that the LGBTQ community does not back down. You may come for us with your lies and hate but we know how to fight and win the hard way. We've been doing it since day one and we are in for the long haul.

'California judge blocks school district's forced outing policy for trans and non-binary kids' & other Mon midday news briefs

California judge blocks school district’s forced outing policy for trans & enby kids​ - It's a policy coming from people who don't give a damn about kids. 

Republicans and Democrats Clash on Book Bans in Congressional Hearing - Republicans held a biased hearing, but our side held their own. 

First it was Covid. Now abortion bans and anti-LGBTQ laws are complicating business travel. - Hate and ignorance will always create problems.

The pope just opened the door to blessing same-sex couples. This nun secretly blessed one more than 15 years ago. - Batten down the hatches.

SC Pride 2023 festival photo gallery - Pageantry, perfection, & love - Reposting this. It was a fun time on Saturday.

SC Pride 2023 festival photo gallery - Pageantry, perfection, & love

SC Pride 2023 was wonderful.

Even after all of the lies you hear about Pride events, it only takes an afternoon spent at one to see the truth. These latest attacks on our culture and lives make us defensive. We get so scared at being accused of awful things that we give up ground when we should be standing firm.

So let me be clear about this - Being an LGBTQ is a blessing. It's not a lifestyle, it's not an abomination.

Kids are not too young to learn about LGBTQ people and families. They will not lose any innocence by simply being aware that we exist. And yes, it should be mentioned in schools. LGBTQ families raising kids exist. LGBTQ kids exist. Those are facts. Normal facts. Children being told these facts won't warp them. 

We are a diverse group of people. We come in different shades, forms, nationalities, backgrounds, social groups, etc. etc. We are not going to be confined into closets. We will not have our lives dissected, whittled down, or altered in any way to suit the comfortability of the ignorant. Folks who oppose our lives can believe whatever they want about us, but that does not give them the right to make us believe their lies or live our lives according to their false ideas of who we are. Name-calling will not harm us. Lying about us won't defeat us. Attempting to pass laws against our existence and dignity will only make us stronger.

'Right-wing influencers specifically targeting LGBTQ kids for harassment' & other Fri midday news briefs

Right-wing influencers fuel harassment against LGBTQ youth - This is a g@d@mn disgrace. They are deliberately and specifically targeting LGBTQ kids.

Matthew Shepard’s mom calls anti-LGBTQ bills a ‘vicious attack’ 25 years after his murder - And she's right. 

15 Quotes from the third hearing on HB 183 to ban trans individuals from bathrooms in Ohio schools and colleges​ - Ohio legislators are trying to put anti-trans laws on the books. And the attempt is a hot mess. 

Georgia to Cover Gender-Affirming Care for State Workers Under Settlement of Lawsuit - Congratulations to all of those who put in the hard work to get this victory. 

LISTEN: This ’80s R&B jam about two men hooking up was somehow both ahead of its time & really homophobic - Well. This was . . . it was something.

Former FL legislator who authored 'Don't Say Gay' law sentenced to four months in prison for fraudulent COVID relief dollars scheme

Former Fl legislator Joe Harding

When Fl Gov Ron DeSantis began all of this nonsense with his 'Don't Say Gay' bill which later became law, it was an attempt to cast him as a strong conservative culture warrior in anticipation to his upcoming presidential campaign. Fast-forwarding to now, DeSantis' presidential campaign is miserably flailing because in spite of his bravdo, he comes across as a creepy phony.

But he is not the only Florida state official (in this case, former Florida state official) whose heavy push of the 'Don't Say Gay' bill hasn't garnered a happy ending.

From Florida Politics:

Former state Rep. Joe Harding will spend four months in prison and another two years of probation. A judge ordered the sentence nearly seven months after the Williston Republican pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and lying to investigators. Prosecutors sought charges in connection to Harding seeking COVID-19 relief dollars for businesses no longer operating. U.S. Attorney Jason Coody announced the sentence.

 . . . Prosecutors say Harding secured $150,000 in federal relief funds from the Small Business Administration. Bank records showed he immediately transferred money from an Economic Injury Disaster Loan to personal accounts and a credit card. U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor sentenced Harding to four months in federal prison for each of these criminal counts, and the former lawmaker will be allowed to serve those sentences concurrently. 

 Harding must surrender to authorities no later than noon on Jan. 24. Once he completes his prison sentence, Harding will remain on probation for another two years. 

 Harding was the author of the 'Don't Say Gay' law. 

 Harding drew national attention after he authored the much-maligned “don’t say gay” law in Florida, which initially forbade public school teachers from teaching about gender identity or sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade. Since Harding left the legislature, the Florida Board of Education extended the ban through high school, and the legislature grew the statutory ban through eighth grade. 

 He also pushed for an amendment in law which would make teachers out LGBTQ student to their parents. However, after public outcry, he withdrew the amendment.

So, yet another conservative 'pro-family,' 'pro-traditional values' lawmaker turns out to be a hypocrite, thereby ruining his career in an embarrassingly public fashion.  

And in other more pressing news, I'm making garlic fries tonight. With malt vinegar.

A word from your blog master - The future of Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

 

I'll make this as short as I can.

Unlike other writers, I have a problem with putting my business out there. I believe in certain elements of privacy, so I tend not to give details about my life as way to bind myself to the readers.

But  . . .

Some of you may have - or may have not noticed - that I am not posting as regularly as I used to. It's been deliberate on my part. There have been some changes. As a lot of you know, my mother passed last year. She was my heart and soul and things in my world just isn't the same without her. It hasn't been easy dealing with it.  It continues to be something which I can't put into words. . . 

Subsequently, this has affected my mindset about things. I'm a bit angrier, harsher, and somewhat more cynical. My threshold for politeness has been steadily receding and my outlook is a bit grimmer.

Granted, I still believe in the equality of LGBTQ people, and I know that no matter how difficult things get, we will win like we've always had in the past. But these days, I acknowledge how darker the roads are getting with the rise of social media wannabe superstars instigating crap against our community with their rage tweets and lies. Not to mention rise of attacks on our culture, the pushing of anti-LGBTQ legislation. or the attacks from within our community (the "LGB without the Q and T" and "Gays Against Groomers" astroturfed bullshit) all backed by dark money.

Mentally, while I am as ready to fight as I have always been, I have to acknowledge that I'm getting older and more measured with the things I say and do on this blog.  I'm probably not going to post as much, but I will be posting steadily. Also, I probably won't be as nice as I was in the past. When it comes to anti-LGBTQ lies and such, the reality is now no matter how much proof you put out there refuting them, there will always be an element of folks ignoring it.

And sometimes exposure alone don't mean shit.

So, if you have read this far, here what to expect from this blog in the future - steady commentary but with a little less posting. And above all, I'm going to be less polite in how I categorize certain people and groups. 

Because they deserve it.

'Ohio Supreme Court tosses drag ban initiative from ballot' & other Wed midday news briefs

Massive win: Ohio high court tosses drag ban from the ballot - Drag wins again. This also happened last week.

Ohio Supreme Court blocks Bellefontaine vote restricting drag shows, rules Secretary of State Frank LaRose ‘abused’ his discretion - More details. 

 ‘My dad isn’t scary’: Kids of trans parents are countering hate with family photos - I love this. Trans men and women are parents too. 

GOP school board candidate caught discussing “fire-breathing” lesbians, “grooming” - Well doesn't he sound nice?

 9 LGBTQ historic residences that you can visit now - You can also come to my house. I won't even charge.