Anti-gay activist: Gays have something unhuman inside of them

It's videos like this one which make it a no-brainer why anti-gay activist Dr. Gordon Klingenschmitt fight tooth-and-nail to keep Right Wing Watch from broadcasting his statements on youtube. The comedy here simply writes itself.

Well I guess that run for office he was planning is probably off.

'LGBT community shouldn't expect the media to slay our dragons' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

CNN Wonders If Decriminalizing Gay Sex Leads To Polygamy - I am posting this article but I totally disagree with its point of view. The lgbt community must stop crying foul when the media features anti-gay spokespeople and organizations. By doing so, it's as if we expect the media to do our work for us. What I mean is that instead of demanding that the media not feature these people and groups, we must work to refute them every time they appear on television even if we aren't in the studios. There are some who will say things like "well the media doesn't feature the Klan or white supremacists," but what they forget is that  the Klan and white supremacists have a history of violence that they can't run away from. That's where we make a mistake.  Anti-gay groups may be accused of creating circumstances of violence against lgbts but when compared with the Klan or white supremacists in terms of violent acts, their hands are pure as the driven snow. And they have an undeserved reputation of standing up for religious beliefs. So therefore when it comes to anti-gay groups, our weapon to defeat them lies in rhetoric. What's wrong with spirited debate with people like Tony Perkins when they are featured? What's wrong with someone pointing out that neither Perkins nor any other anti-gay spokesman doesn't represent Christianity in its true form, but a bastardized version?  So he may get a good soundbite off. Big deal. The point is to be able to create a chink in his armor of lies in which a little truth may shine through. Rip away the phony religious veneer and show him for the exploiter of Christians that he is. And even if we aren't invited, our groups should take advantage of Perkins' appearance on television by sending out press releases on his anti-gay statements. Instead of waiting for the media to our work for us in decrying anti-gay hate groups and spokespeople, we need to do it. Stop resting on our asses and complaining. Be more aggressive in controlling the message. And above all, don't wait for folks like Perkins to strike at us with lies. This is a war of rhetoric and talking points vs. truth. We have the truth and we should be battering these folks over the head with it every chance we get. Every. Chance. We. Get.

Cool examples, Peter Sprigg. Except none of them have anything to do with ENDA - THIS is what I'm talking about. We should ask ourselves why isn't information like this spread out far and wide. Us bloggers are on the ball when it comes to aggressively taking on the anti-gay right. But sometimes it's not enough to be just bloggers doing this.  

Don't Trust Louisiana Newspapers To Hold Anti-Gay Hate Group Leader Accountable- Another prime example. Now that we know about this, what are we prepared to do about it?  

CADC Needs $30,000 To Spread 'Incriminating Evidence' Against Judge In Scott Lively Case - The old game of "blame the activist judge." How strange. It's usually played after the trial is over.

The Most Powerful Quotes From LGBT Icons And Allies In 2013 - Let's end today's news briefs on a happy note. 

Photo courtesy of Equality Matters.

Politifact calls anti-gay claims about ENDA false

For years, the lgbt community have known that religious right claims regarding ENDA (i.e. it destroys "religious freedom) were bogus.

And now we have official notification to say so, thanks to Politifact.

Recently, Politifact labeled anti-gay claims about ENDA as false. The organization took a close look at the claim because of an email sent out by anti-gay group the Traditional Values Coalition which attacked Democratic Senator Mark Pryor because of his vote for ENDA:

The ENDA bill would prohibit private-sector employers and government employers on the local, state and federal levels from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity. That protects people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.

Under the law, employers can’t fire or refuse to hire people based on actual or perceived sexuality and gender identity (which need not align with a person’s biological identity).

Churches and other institutions with religious purposes (like schools and daycares) are exempt from the ENDA rules, just as they are from the religious discrimination portion of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s Title VII.

Under Title VII, and therefore under ENDA, religious organizations, which need not be church-run, would be exempt. Additionally, all businesses with fewer than 15 employees are exempt, whether they’re religious or not.

Nelson Tebbe, a professor at Brooklyn Law School who specializes in religious liberty, said ENDA’s religious exemption exceeds Title VII’s.

"It’s broader because the religious exemption in Title VII only allows religious organizations to discriminate on the basis of religion," he said. But it doesn’t allow religious groups to discriminate based on factors like an employee’s gender or race.

Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber praises foreign countries for their anti-gay persecution

Reasonable people would get alarmed when they hear about anti-gay persecution and violence in foreign countries such as Jamaica and Russia.

I guess that would leave the Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber out:

Barber

. . . there has been, of late, great weeping and gnashing of teeth among mainstream media – and other circles of intolerant “tolerance” – over successful efforts by several foreign governments to stem the tide of “LGBT” propaganda within their own sovereign borders. Russia, India, Croatia, Peru, Jamaica and even Australia, for instance, along with other nations, are now moving to inoculate themselves from the fast-metastasizing cancer of sexual relativism. Having witnessed, from afar, the poisonous results of such propaganda here in the U.S. (the hyper-sexualization of children, the deconstruction of natural marriage and family, the rampant spread of sexually transmitted disease, religious persecution and the like), there seems an emerging global recognition that the radical “LGBT” agenda – a pet cause of Obama’s – is not about securing “human rights,” but, rather, is about promulgating moral wrongs.

 How ironically sad that Barber praises countries who persecute lgbts such as Russia days after Russian sitcom star Ivan Okhlobystin made the shocking comment of throwing gays in ovens:

“I would put all the gays alive into an oven,” the one-time Orthodox priest has been quoted as saying. “This is Sodom and Gomorrah! As a religious person, I cannot be indifferent about it because it is a real threat to my children!” Okhlobystin later tweeted to confirm his comments. “The meaning was rendered correctly,” he said. “Everyone has the right to express their opinions.”

I'm certainly not accusing Matt Barber of having the same genocidal desires of Okhlobystin when it comes to gays, but he does come across as extremely tone deaf. I would hope that he publicly opposes those awful comments with as much fervor as he supports the environment which would give someone the audacity to make such comments.

'The world protests India's ban on same-sex intercourse' and other Monday midday news briefs

Many Hurdles Ahead for Transgender Rights Movement - Good job Associated Press for awesome article on our transgender brothers and sisters. 

95 Incredible Images Of The World Raging Against India’s Ban On Same-Sex Intercourse - 96 reasons why the lgbt struggle for equality is multinational and multicultural. 

  No, The Court Victory For Polygamy Has Nothing To Do With Marriage Equality - Stop an anti-marriage equality factoid before it can start. Good job, Think Progress.  

Uganda national football manager arrested for gay sex - What our Ugandan brothers and sisters have to deal with. This is awful.

Mary Cheney speaks out against effort to hinder marriage equality in Indiana

Mary Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, seems to be stepping up her efforts in speaking out for marriage equality via a recent speech against a proposed anti-marriage equality amendment in Indiana.

The irony here? Her sister, Liz Cheney, is running for a Senate seat in Congress against incumbent Mike Enzi and she has made public her opposition to marriage equality.

The larger irony? Many, if not all political observers and pundits, credit the huge push against marriage equality as a major factor for Bush and Cheney's 2004 election victory.

Now some folks will commence with their negative talk. I say "better late than never" when it comes to Mary Cheney being a vocal ally for marriage equality. There is a time and a place for all things and right now, attacking Mary Cheney for her past silence simply isn't wise.

Pictures courtesy of Buzzfeed. To see the video of Cheney's speech, go to Buzzfeed.

Booklet on anti-gay propaganda nears its first anniversary after successful year

A year ago around this time, I was working hard to complete what I called my most ambitious project.

How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America was to be a controversial and distinctive booklet taking a graphics-intensive look at anti-gay rhetoric and dispel the notion that attacks on the lgbt community are merely of a religious nature.

It was to be completed by January 8th and thanks to the help of friends (thank you Joe Sudbay and Van Le), it met the deadline.

Subsequently, I spent the rest of 2013 promoting the booklet as best I could via press releases, constant tweets, reliance on good friends who also sent the word out, blogs who either wrote about it or embedded it on their sites, radio interviews,  passing out hard copies at pride events (thank you David Stewart, Joe Sudbay, Michael Carr, Charley Dodd, Sandra Elaine McGee Thomas, Eddie Thompson, and Jayson Myers), and whatever else I could think of.

Now as How They See Us nears its one year anniversary, I think it's safe to say that with 764 downloads, 726, 801 embedded reads and 64, 848 direct reads (making a grand total of 791, 649
reads), and close to 100 copies either given out or emailed to interested individuals, the booklet is a huge success.

Of course it was not without its problems. A major problem was  generating press from the the lgbt and mainstream press. I'm not exactly a Sue Mengers type press agent. Plus, to some people, the issue of anti-gay propaganda isn't exciting as other issues which dominated the lgbt media this year.

I haven't figured out what I am going to do to celebrate the anniversary of How They See Us, that is if I do any celebration at all. However, I hope to have very good news by the middle of January. I'm not at liberty to say what it is as of yet, but please keep your fingers crossed and pray for good news.

To the right is an embedded copy of How They See Us. Enjoy reading it, if you have a blog, feel free to embed it, and if you wish to download it,  please do so because it's free. However,  should you have any problems at all with the downloading, email me at charlekenghis@aol.com and I will email you an adobe acrobat copy.  Just put the words "anti-gay propaganda booklet" in the subject line.

And thank you all for your support. This project would not have been successful without you.

''You Down with LGBT' rap and video should be required viewing' and other Friday midday news briefs

This absolutely SWEET pro-lgbt rap song and video courtesy of the Planned Parenthood Los Angeles’ Peer Advocate program is the right panacea to the notion that rap and hip-hop are naturally homophobic genres. And it serves to remind us about a necessary point that many of us in the lgbt community tend to forget. Sometimes we give in to stereotypes when allies in the communities we stereotype have NO ONE listening to their voices. Let's pay attention to our invisible communities as much as we pay attention to our "appointed" communities. 

In other news:

YouTube Bans Teen Homophobe For Life - Just how homophobic do you have to be as a teenager to be banned from youtube for life? Talk about your double dubious "honors." 

 Bob Newhart, don't become the next Kirk Cameron! - Pay attention to this situation. It looks like it's going to blow up like a volcano any minute. 

 Indiana Bishops: Support Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment For The ‘Well-Being Of Children’ - And here we go again with the "won't someone think of the children" excuse. 

 India ‘goes gay for a day’ to protest gay sex ban - Way to go folks in India! 

 28 Heartwarming Photos Of Indians Being #GayForADay To Protest The Ban On Same-Sex Intercourse - More about this protest from Buzzfeed, including pictures.

Bryan Fischer forgets what the Bible says about pride

It seems to me that Bryan Fischer is so adept on the Biblical verses which speaks about the so-called sin of homosexuality that he forgot the one about pride going before a fall:



Now Bryan. How can you be the "truth detector" when you are already the bullshit artist?

'Pat Robertson: Lesbian friend may turn your children gay' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Robertson: Lesbian Friend Might Turn Your Kids Gay - I did NOT get that memo from National Headquarters. When did the Gay Mafia vote on this? 

 In other news: 

 Republican Senators Introduce ‘License To Discriminate’ Against Married Same-Sex Couples - Words fail me . . .

Fox's Favorite Right-Wing Legal Group Applauds India's Ban On Gay Sex - Oh those poor 
"persecuted" bigots on the right. 

Planting Peace Launches 'Uganda Underground' Safe-Housing Initative For LGBT Community - And you can help with this effort, too.

Peter LaBarbera blames Jamaican lgbts for their own persecution

Editor's note: It's a rare two post day on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters due to the fact that today's news briefs will be pre-empted. After reading this post, pan down to read how Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association undermine complaints about the Southern Poverty Law Center:

LaBarbera

Apparently the criticism due to his Jamaican trip is getting to Peter LaBarbera.  It was reported this week that LaBarbera recently attended a conference in that country in which he advised folks there to fight to retain the laws against sodomy (called "buggery laws). These laws form the building blocks of anti-gay oppression in Jamaica. In part, LaBarbera said:

I do not stand with my government. I’m a patriotic American, but I do not stand with the current United States government in its promotion of homosexuality and gender confusion. But I do stand with the Jamaican people … I pray that you will learn from our mistakes and from lessons of history and avoid the inevitable moral corruption and health hazards and the danger to young people that come from capitulating to this sin movement that calls itself gay. It is almost now can be predicted with 100 percent accuracy, if the law is a teacher: If you take down this law, it will only lead to more demands. Appeasement does not work.

LaBarbera received lots of deserved criticism, particularly from pro-lgbt sites and blogs, not only because of his rhetoric, but also how his rhetoric can be used to fuel anti-gay violence in Jamaica. Jamaica is unfortunately known for its homophobic violence. According to Truth Wins Out:

Just this year, a gay man was stabbed to death, after which his home was set on fire while the body was inside. The article also reports that the week prior, a mob tried to attack a man they perceived as gay. The month before, a gender-nonconforming teen was “chopped and stabbed” to death. Those are just incidents that happened between July and September of this year. In 2006, Time Magazine labeled Jamaica “the most homophobic place on earth,” and for good reason.

In a post on his Americans for Truth webpage, LaBarbera sought to minimize the idea that his rhetoric could cause further violence against Jamaican lgbts. 

Bryan Fischer, India, the SPLC, and the big irony of homophobia

Define irony:

At the same time several groups, including the American Family Association complain to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel attacking the Southern Poverty Law Center for declaring various anti-gay organizations as hate groups,  Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association is praising India Supreme Court for its ruling criminalizing "gay sex"



Someone is obviously trying to have it both ways.

When funny anti-gay statements become tools for oppression

Anti-gay pastor from Uganda, Solomon Male

"Homosexuality is dangerous . . .I have counseled young men who's rectums have protruded, and young women who have lost uteruses because of indulging in lesbianism. There are no facilities to treat them since they would have ruptured anus. I have counselled so many people who say they are homosexuals and they have since changed their ways of living. I don't hate homosexuals but the acts of homosexuality. I will fight homosexuality, not the people." - Solomon Male, Ugandan pastor

If this a statement by an American pastor said in this country, it would be "ha! ha! homophobic." However, seeing that Male is a pastor in Uganda, a country which persecutes lgbts and is still considering passing a bill which would penalize lgbts for being who they are, things aren't so funny.

For the record, I have never heard of any woman losing her uterus because of lesbian sex. And I have never heard of protruding rectums. I have unfortunately been the recipient of a vile picture of a gay man with his alleged intestines wrapped around him with the sender claiming that it was the result of gay sex, but the picture was an obvious fake. Nauseating but fake.

Male is very influential in Uganda and has sworn to eradicate homosexuality out of the country. And he is catching a lot of attention due to a trial involving Bernard Randall, a retired British gay man on trial in Uganda after two men stole his computer, which contained images of him having sex, and gave the images to Male.

If convicted, Randall could serve two years behind bars while the other man in the video faces a worse sentence.

'Lgbt heroine Edie Windsor receives Time Magazine honor' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Edie Windsor

Edie Windsor Is Time Magazine's 'Person Of The Year' Runner Up - The woman behind the end of DOMA. She should have gotten Time's 'Person of the Year,' but runner up ain't no slouch. 

Gov. Snyder: Dave Agema's antigay remarks 'extreme and discriminatory' - Yes, a Republican official said something so homophobically NASTY that a Republican governor had to call him out. It's about time because Dave Agema needs a time out. I mean I can't stand someone who will cite anti-gay junk science, but I "hates" someone who will cite anti-gay junk science as it was written over 20 years ago. More on the Dave Agema mess. He has quite a history of using junk science:

 Anti-gay legislation rooted in lies, not Scripture

  Dave Agema saga exposes the lies of the anti-gay right 

 Dave Agema controversy gets worse for lgbt community  

India’s Supreme Court: It’s Still Illegal To Be Gay - Just a reminder. The lgbt struggle for equality is worldwide and multicultural.  

“A Great Day for Prejudice and Inhumanity” - More on the situation in India from Box Turtle Bulletin.  

Obamacare Success Story: Man With HIV Thought He'd Be 'Dead Within 6 Months,' Now Has Awesome, Cheaper Insurance - An Obamacare success story that you probably won't hear about in certain places of the media.

The 'War on Christmas' is real . . . dumb

Mrs. Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian, gives us her view about the 'War on Christmas'

Family Research Council smears judge for decision in bakery lawsuit

I could have sworn that one of the 10 commandments was "thou shalt not bear false witness."

Perhaps the Family Research Council has special permission from God to ignore this commandment. Today in an email, the organization smeared Colorado judge, Robert Spencer, simply because he ruled against Masterpiece Cakes owner Jack Philips. Philips was sued by a gay couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins, when he wouldn't sell them a cake. Craig and Mullins were going to use the cake to celebrate the wedding they had in Massachusetts since gay marriage is illegal in Colorado.

In his decision, Spencer outlined several very good reasons why Philips broke Colorado's non-discrimination law, including the fact that baking a cake does not constitute religious conduct and selling cakes does not constitute speech.

However, the Family Research Council has pushed all of these reasons aside because apparently the real reason why Spencer ruled against Philips was because he is an "activist judge" :

 Like most activist judges, Spencer tries to equate sexual behavior with skin color, a comparison with no basis in science -- or logic. What's more, he tied the case to a Supreme Court suit involving Bob Jones University, in which the justices stripped the college's tax status over its rule against biracial relationships.

I don't have to tell anyone that FRC offered no proof of its charges against Spencer. That goes without saying. Right now, the organization is simultaneously playing defense while exploiting its followers' fears and sense of entitlement via buzzwords. And the phrase "activist judge" is a powerful one to those on the right.

It's a phrase they use when they lose court cases.  It's akin to a football team blaming the referee after it loses the game. And in this case, it sends a message to FRC's supporters to not consider the fact that perhaps their positions are wrong. God forbid that these folks would do a little introspection. No, they are not wrong. The entire system is rigged against them because the system is evil and supposedly against Christians.

While FRC's caterwauling doesn't change Spencer's decision, it still makes me sad because it has the potential of changing many people's idea of Christianity. I know many Christians and they consider their faith as one of love and hope. The Family Research Council reduces Christianity to paranoia, fear, lies and a false sense of superiority.  Perhaps those who truly consider themselves followers of the Christian faith should ask themselves just who is their friend. And their enemy.

Open letter to Christians who claim that they are being 'persecuted'

Dear  Christians who think they are being persecuted,

I don't expect you to be swayed by my open letter. I don't expect to change your mind with my words. But certain things have to be said.

Now I understand how some of you don't agree with marriage equality (some of you call it gay marriage, I call it marriage equality) and I respect your opinion. I have tolerance for your opinion.  I even have tolerance for your opinion that homosexuality is a sin.

However, please note - and don't take this the wrong way -  that every time you gripe about being persecuted for simply for being ordered to treat gay couples like you would heterosexual couples by the rule of law, you make damn fools of yourself.

I'm serious. I don't say this to be mean or nasty. I mean no malice intended.

But don't you think that automatically seizing the "persecution card"  simply because you have to treat gays the same as heterosexuals in accordance to the law is just a bit too much? Don't you think that you are taking dramatic license a little too far?  Or at least overacting just a little?

Let's talk about this. When I think about "religious persecution," I think about the Spanish Inquisition, the Salem Witchcraft Trials, how Mary I of England had over 280 people burned at the stake for supposed heresy, the mass slaughter of the Huguenots.

When I think of persecution in general, I think of mutilated corpses littering the streets, screaming victims being dragged away by brutal soldiers to suffer harsher fates.  I think about vandalized places of business, burning homes, mobs throwing rocks at innocent folks, the smell of death, violence, and anarchy in the air.

I fail to see how having your day in court and losing your case fairly as a result of due process and then being interviewed on the most watched news programs in the country by a leggy - if slightly scatterbrained - blonde in a tight dress fits amongst the images of violence, death, and the general mayhem which comes with religious persecution.

I fail to see how being the cause celebre of various multi-million dollared morality groups (and getting a decent income with a speaking gig if you can get a good "Christian" agent) ranks up there with being slaughtered.

Come on guys. In the early days of your faith, the Romans fed you to lions. They crucified several of you. They dipped you in tar and set you on fire. They even distorted the words of the Holy Communion to claim that you practiced cannibalism (which kinda reminds me to later mention how some of you distort science to demonize gays, but that's for another time.)

Do you think God will punish you for simply making a cake for a gay wedding or even marrying a gay couple if you are elected to do such a job?

After all, it is gay tax dollars who is paying the police force to keep your business safe or the fire department to save your business if it should catch on fire.

And it is gay dollars which is paying your salary as an elected official who oversees weddings.

So it seems to me that you are already deep with us as it is. Do you hear any voices above asking you to cease?  Have you been struck by lightning yet?

Well then that should tell you something.

Lgbts aren't out to persecute you. We aren't asking that you like us or that you "endorse" us. All we ask is fairness in accordance to the law.  After all, this is our country too. And when we appear in public with partners or families or when we talk about issues that affect us, we certainly aren't shoving anything in your faces. We are merely acting like normal human beings going through the regular process of existing on this Earth. You know that process, don't you? It's called having a life.

I hope I haven't bored you or gotten you so upset that you don't consider what I'm saying.

Because next time, I want to talk to you about this "War on Christmas" thing.

Yours truly,

Alvin McEwen

'Fairness vs. so-called religious liberty' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Presenting both sides of the religious liberty argument. In one corner we have:

Discriminatory cake baker posts editorial on bakery's website; goes after 'illegal' weddings that are 'contrary to biblical teachings' - A bakery owner who thinks he has the to discriminate in accordance to his personal religious beliefs. 

And in the other corner:

It Was Never About the Cake - The mother of the man who sued a bakery who points out that it's not about a cake, but about dignity and fairness. 

Fox News: It’s ‘The Death Of Free Enterprise’ If Bakery Can’t Discriminate Against Gay Couples -  And speaking of  the 'Christian' baker, he is now on his 'I'm being persecuted' tour with the first stop being 'Fox and Friends.' Maybe it's just me but baking a cake for a gay couple doesn't exactly rank up on the persecution chart next to being burned at the stake by Mary I of England.
 
Georgia Falls In Line With Providing National Guard Same-Sex Benefits - And Mississippi is all alone in NOT doing the right thing for our fighting men and women.  

Klingenschmitt Kindly Informs Us That He Recently Obtained A Concealed Carry Permit - After losing in his attempts to ban Right Wing Watch's videos of him acting like a fool from youtube, anti-gay activist Gordon Klingenschmitt (forgive me but I just can't get the desire to call him Klingenshitt out of my head) now informs us all that he recently obtained a concealed carry permit. In street terms Mr. Klingenschmitt, allow me to put it this way - "ain't nobody want you."

Elton John denounces Russia's anti-gay laws during Moscow concert

I'll be honest.

 I have on many, many occasions railed against the extensive fascination of celebrities in the lgbt community. I have called out how many of us don't seem about important issues until someone like Lady Gaga or Ellen DeGeneres talks about it. And there is a reason why this blog will not talk about the alleged relationship between a certain young Olympic athlete and an older, Oscar-winning screenwriter.

But I also believe in giving credit where its due and for Elton John to speak out against Russia's anti-gay laws during concert in Moscow took a lot of chutzpah.

Why I Get a Nagging Feeling Every Time I Hear the Phrase 'Religious Liberty'

Editor's note - From time to time whenever the opportunity presents itself, I like to repost pieces I published. In light of the discussion regarding those who feel that discrimination against lgbts should be allowed on the grounds of "religious liberty," I am resposting this piece from 2011:

Those who are my friends know that I am a serious fan of the 1970s detective drama Columbo. The thing I really love about this show is how police detective Columbo never considers a murder case completely simple. He never buys into the idea of an "open-and-shut" case if he has a nagging feeling, no matter how insignificant it is.

That nagging feeling is what I get when I hear about marriage clerks, hotel owners, Catholic adoption agencies, and, recently, cake bakers who refuse to serve gay couples. No doubt you have heard about them and will probably hear a lot more as religious right groups trying to hinder marriage equality canonize these folks as "saints and martyrs" besieged by so-called radical gay activists supposedly trying to force them to choose between their livelihood and religious freedom.

In fact, they have a term for this sort of thing. They call it "religious liberty."

There is a certain simplicity to these cases, which garners them a degree of support. Some of these folks (excluding Catholic charities, who have no right to taxpayer money if they discriminate, and marriage clerks, who should put the needs of constituents over their own desires) seems to have a right to serve whomever they wish. And one could even make the case that they are in fact forced to choose between their livelihoods and their "religious liberty."

But then there goes that nagging feeling again. These cases aren't as simple as they are made out to be. What about the rights of couples refused service? No matter how you attempt to soften the blow, the idea that someone will not serve you because of how they inaccurately view you still hurts. It's dehumanizing, it's cruel, and it's embarrassing.

In a recent situation in Iowa, a cake baker scheduled an appointment with a lesbian couple who desired her services, only to use that time to not only tell them "no" but also criticize their sexual orientation.

Then that same cake baker made several news appearances to complain about how she was a victim, backed by several religious right groups spinning the same talking points.

And I haven't even talked about what a message of "I will not serve you" would send to a child in a same-sex family who may be present at the time. Nor have I mentioned the unnecessary inconvenience same-sex couples will have to endure if they live in an area where the so-called religious martyr is the only one who can address their needs.

Then you have to consider just how gay couples will tell who will or won't serve them. How would they be able to tell without the courtesy of signs saying, "We don't serve gays." Of course, if such signs did exist, I'm sure those who put them up wouldn't think that they were being cruel -- just like folks who put up "No Irish Need Apply" signs didn't think they were being cruel.

And then you have to ask yourself just how far the argument of "religious liberty" will go. Today it's hotels and cake shops. Tomorrow it may be restaurants or apartment rentals.

So I almost understand the "religious liberty" argument, but then comes that nagging feeling in the back of my mind that just won't go away, the feeling that "religious liberty" is just another way of saying "allowed discrimination," and that some folks will use the phrase "religious liberty" to deflect attention from the victims of this "allowed discrimination."

Lastly, the thing that bothers me the most is the sad fact that the phrase "religious liberty" has less to do with religion or liberty and more to do with telling gay couples that they are inferior.