Anti-gay hate group American Family Association blocks me from correcting Fischer's homophobic lies

Bryan Fischer, AFA don't want their anti-gay lies exposed

 

Come on Bryan, you know that in 2001, the researchers of the study you cited complained that folks like you were distorting their work. The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association also said that homophobia is a cause of those negatives you mention and not the gay orientation itself.  Also, you played a trick regarding the condoms in porn directive. It was talking about all porn. Unlike you, it did not specifically mention gay porn while mentioning heterosexual porn as an afterthought.

The above is a short paragraph which was not derogatory or obscene in any way. And it is factual.

It's too bad that the American Family Association won't publish it as a comment to a ridiculous column written by Bryan Fischer.  The column, Liberals Inconsistent About Fining Behavior, is yet another tirade by Fischer against the lgbt community. The main gist is this part:

The justification for banning cigarette smoking in public places is that innocent bystanders will be forced to breathe in secondhand smoke. But that risk does not exist with smokeless tobacco. 

So liberals are banning chewing tobacco not because it’s bad for others but because it’s bad for you. City councils all across the fruited plain are fining people for engaging in legal behavior because that behavior, legal or not, is a risk to their own health. 

But using their own logic, the logic of moralistic liberals who fancy themselves the smartest people in the room, we should start fining people for engaging in homosexual sex. 

And as you can see by my above comment, Fischer lists several distortions to back up this ridiculous theory. In my blocked comments, I gave a brief correction of these distortions. However since AFA has chosen to block this correction, I will give more details regarding Fischer's distortions.

Lie 1 - According to the International Journal of Epidemiology, active participation in the homosexual lifestyle can knock 8-20 years off a man’s life expectancy, and reduce it to what it was in 1871. 

Truth - Fischer uses an old religious right lie. He distorted a 1997 study on HIV. We know this because in 2001, the authors of the study complained about how their work was being distorted to claim that gays have a short life span.

Lie 2 - According to the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association, there are at least 10 specific elevated health risks associated with sodomy that practitioners are urged to talk over with their health care provider. The dangers include depression and anxiety, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, alcoholism, eating disorders, hepatitis, various cancers (including anal cancer and colon cancer), and an alarming list of incurable sexually transmitted diseases. 

Truth -  Some of the topics listed in the GLMA link Fischer mentions aren't even health risks (such as Coming Out to Your Doctor and Fitness - Diet and Exercise) and in several places, GLMA does refer to homophobia and lack of a good support system for the health risks which may plague gays and lesbians (please note that the GLMA link talked about lesbian health, also. Fischer didn't mention that because he seemed to have been consumed with talking about "sodomy.") The important thing is the GLMA link is merely a guide to positive health for gays and lesbians and in no way attacks their orientation.

Lie 3 - A pro-homosexual activist organization in California, The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, persuaded the people of Los Angeles County in 2011 to institute fines for every porn producer who allows performers to engage in unprotected gay sex. (The ban extends to all porn shoots, heteroseuxal as well as homosexual.) Why the ban on unprotected gay sex? Because of the obvious risk to human health, particularly of contracting HIV/AIDS.

Truth - The law did not single out gay porn while adding heterosexual porn as an afterthought. It was a law talking about all porn in general.

This is not the first time Fischer and the AFA have been caught demonizing lgbts and I doubt that it will be the last.

Fischer's column and the blocking of my correction of his lies is something we should all remember because it is  the center of the anti-lgbt propaganda hate groups like the American Family Association and folks like Fischer use. This propaganda aids the religious right tremendously as they undermine lgbt equality by passing  awful statewide "religious liberty" laws or painting transgender men and women as predators. They spend a considerable amount of time branding us as the other, exploiting people's fears and ignorance about what we allegedly do sexually to each other or want to allegedly do to children. Then they play the victim when we make moves to exercise our rights, such as the one to marry.

We are targeting them, they say. We are trying to shut them down.

Okay Bryan Fischer and the American Family Association, if lgbts are the bad guys, then why are you the ones telling lies?

'Religious leaders not happy with Missouri anti-gay bill' & other Thur. midday news briefs

Local clergy think Missouri "religious freedom" bill only protects a hijacked version of faith that's used for political grandstanding - In the talk of these vile religious freedom bills, you notice how clergy who oppose them are hardly ever interviewed. They should be because their voices are equally important. 

ATLANTA: Federal Hate Crime Charge Considered After Man Pours Boiling Water On Gay Couple [VIDEO]- As well it should be. The incident was hideous.  

Georgia's "religious liberty law" stirs backlash from business - Dear Georgia, you can't say that you weren't warned. 

 STUDY: Charlotte Media Peddle "Bathroom Predator" Myth In Coverage Of Nondiscrimination Ordinance - Here we go again. The media goes for the "attention-grabbing" angle and shortchanging their audience.  

Gay Utah Senator’s Sneezing ‘Mini-Filibuster’ Kills Anti-Gay Amendment - Not bad. Pretty darn clever.

Happy Birthday, Bayard Rustin!

Bayard Rustin

In this day and age when good leaders are hard to find and those we have chosen as leaders (and pundits) are grabbing for the money instead of emphasizing simple honesty, let's recognize a man who should remind us all what a good public servant once was. Leader, speaker, organizer, chief coordinator of the 1963 March on Washington, posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, Bayard Rustin.

Anti-gay right celebrating passage of useless Florida law

Florida Gov Rick Scott

The following takes the proverbial cake from the American Family Association's fake new site, One News Now:

Florida legislators passed a law protecting the rights of people of faith who won't violate their religious beliefs in order to accommodate homosexuals wanting to marry.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has signed the "Pastor Protection Act" into law, CBN News reported this week. 

Pastor Eddie DelValle of With Love Ministries says the movement in part relates to Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who was ordered to jail for refusing to issue same-gender marriage licenses.

"I think the agenda of the LGBT movement was to silence the church, silence Christians and make us powerless in the culture and society," he says. "But instead the states now have given us full protection where we cannot be taken to court or civilly sued if our conscience is violated religiously."

The law "protects" pastors from being forced to marry gay couples. But the law is useless and passing it was a waste of time. There are no laws, ordinances, provisos, etc which demand that pastors have to marry all couples who come before them. That sort of thing  would be illegal due to the First Amendment of the Constitution. 

Also, I find it ridiculous that DelValle and One News Now attempts to make the connection to Kentucky clerk Kim Davis. She is an elected official and not a pastor, therefore it was her job to provide marriage licenses to all couples whether they be gay or heterosexual.

Or, as FL State Rep Kevin Rader remarked recently to the Palm Beach Post:

“This is just unneeded regulation. It is just a crazy thing.”

He also compared the law to passing a bill against aliens from outer space landing in Florida.

It just goes to show how people can be manipulated by fear. Lgbts do not want to silence Christians. In fact, some of us ARE Christian. We just want our right to marry, just like everyone else. And now that we have won that right, we are going take full advantage of it.

We could care less which pastors don't want to marry us. We are too busy having weddings with the ones who do.

Anti-gay hate group despises ABC comedy about gay teen

Editor's note - I've got two announcements:

1. Because of a personal emergency, this will be the only post on my blog until late this afternoon.

2. Some folks have asked will I weigh in on the Democratic primary on this blog. Due to the extremely contentious nature of the primary - barring any unforseeable event which needs to be talked about - this blog is officially declared a NO "Hillary vs. Bernie"  Zone. This blog is about the lgbt community, fighting the religious right, and securing our equality and dignity. There will be no distractions. Any comments steering anything to a Hillary vs. Bernie situation will also not be posted.
 

Taking a break from calling us hateful if we boycott things, the anti-gay hate group American Family Association has declared war on the ABC sitcom The Real O'Neals:

If you didn't know who Dan Savage is, it's probably a good thing. But right now we need you to familiarize yourselves with one of the cruelest, most vile political activists in America.

Why? Because ABC and Disney is airing a sitcom Dan Savage developed loosely based on his life.
A perusal of Dan Savage's work reveals a career built on advocating violence — even murder — and spewing hatred against people of faith.

Savage has spared no one with whom he disagrees from his vitriolic hate speech. We have examples, but be warned, they are extremely graphic and offensive.

 . . . Despite his extremism, vulgarity, and unabashed encouragement of dangerous sexual practices, ABC's newest sitcom with Savage as its executive producer is now airing on Tuesday evenings at 8:30/7:30 p.m. CT.

"The Real O'Neals" mocks Christianity and insults Catholicism. AFA recognizes this show ridicules people of faith, and Christians across America are offended by it.

It is almost impossible to describe the depth of depravity found in the sitcom "The Real O'Neals." It is impossible to list them all, so here are a few scene descriptions from the show:

• Jesus appears where only the gay son can see and talk to Him, and He is annoyed by the mom's strict guidelines for her family.
• The daughter steals money she is supposedly raising for charity.
• The daughter "attempts to prove" that there is no God in a science fair project.
• A statue of Mary is kept above the O'Neal's toilet to remind the boys to put the seat down.
• The first jab at Jesus comes only 52 seconds into the first episode.
• The mother encourages her 16-year-old gay son to "try s-x" with a girl. (A dash '-' is used to bypass internet filters.)
• Vulgar language (ex. V-gina).
• The mom makes pancakes shaped like the face of Jesus to guilt trip her anorexic son into eating.

AFA goes on to talk about contacting one of the companies which pays for advertising on this show to let them know that they supposedly support "bigotry and animosity" against Christians.

Personally, I'm jealous. I thought I was one of the cruelest, most vile political activists in America. Anyway, I find The Real O'Neals to be very comical and refreshing. But look at this short clip judge for yourself:

Meet the ' 10 Coolest Queers in Science'

A good part of this blog spreading knowledge about lgbt history. With that in mind, I bet you don't know this guy:

His name is Bruce Voller and according to Unicorn Booty:

Not only was Bruce a pioneering biologist in the field of HIV/AIDS medicine — he gave AIDS its name — he was also a founding member of the National Gay Task Force. In the laboratory, he helped identify new ways to prevent the spread of viruses during sex; he also persuaded President Jimmy Carter to become the first sitting president to meet with an LGBT civil rights group.

Voller is just one of the 10 Coolest Queers in Science. Check out Unicorn Booty for the biographies of those you already knew and probably didn't know.

'Oklahoma's 27 anti-lgbt bills are DEAD' & other Tue midday news briefs

Larry Kramer

Oklahoma’s 27 Anti-LGBT Bills Are All Dead - 27 anti-gay bills and all of them died this session. Which means of course they may be back, but let's do a very small, quick yippee! 

This Iconic Gay Activist Says Gay Men Should Take Responsibility For Their Sexual Behaviour - Buzzfeed conducts a wonderful with legendary lgbt activist Larry Kramer. My opinion has changed thoroughly over the years.  

Missouri Governor Condemns Pro-Discrimination Constitutional Amendment - The push for anti-gay "religious liberty" laws and such faces another bit of resistance.  

Seton Hall Makes March Madness History With First Openly Gay Player - Awesome bit of history.  

White House Appoints First Transgender Person As Primary LGBT Liaison - Sweeeeet!  

WATCH: LGBT Students, Allies Clash With Anti-Gay Protesters Outside Tennessee School Board Meeting - But the fight for equality is always on.

Video - ACT UP and the AIDS Crisis

With Nancy Reagan's death and the controversy brought about via inaccurate comments about her "starting the conversation about AIDS" and the correction of those comments, a lot of bad memories were brought up about the AIDS crisis in the 80s.

Let's not forget how members of the community took on the crisis head on, even though a lot of folks misunderstood and attacked them for their methods. ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) was a wonderful group whose loud and controversial protests brought attention to the crisis and the need to do something about it.

The following video is a 1990 episode of the Donahue talk show featuring ACT UP members Mark Harrington, Peter Staley, Ann Northrop, Robert Garcia and the legendary Larry Kramer. I am totally in awe of these folks:

'Anti-gay hate groups unite against Tenn. GSA' & other Mon. midday news briefs

National Anti-LGBT Hate Groups Join Fight Against Tennessee High Schoolers' Gay-Straight Alliance - Our usual character. However, they have already been caught lying and may face some resistance. 

Colorado fight to end ‘gay conversion therapy’ could carry national weight - The slow but steady eradication of the fraudulent "ex-gay" therapy would be wonderful.

  Even by Christopher Doyle standards this is spectacularly stupid - Meanwhile, possibly the last resistance against this welcomed development (the end of "ex-gay" therapy) makes an absolutely ridiculous move in filing a complaint with the FTC against the Human Rights Campaign? What's the charge? Put down anything you are drinking before reading this link.  

How Nancy Reagan Finally Started a Conversation About AIDS -- 35 Years Later - WITHOUT comment.  

Judge denies request to reconsider jail sentence for Kathryn Knott in assault conviction - So sorry honey. Go directly to jail.

Nine questions gays have for straight people

You may have already seen this video but I'm posting it anyway because I've always wanted to ask heterosexual folks a few of these questions:

'Barber cites 'religious liberty' to deny service to transgender veteran' & other Fri. midday news briefs

Some businesses are forsaking this attitude.

California Barber Cites Religious Beliefs to Refuse Transgender Army Veteran a Haircut - Barber using "religious liberty" excuse not to cut a transgender man's hair. And The New Civil Rights Movement lists other examples of the using religious liberty to discriminate which should scare you.

Caitlyn Jenner Just Might Be The Anti-Hero The Transgender Community Needs - Very plausible argument here. Maybe instead of telling bemoaning Caitlyn Jenner's obliviousness, we should look at her situation another way.  

Anti-Gay Texas AG Ken Paxton Just Went ‘All In’ On Anti-LGBT Discrimination – VIDEO - WOW! Paxton just flat don't like lgbts based upon who he chooses as staff members. 

 The Gay Agenda, Explained - WONDERFUL piece which simply eviscerates folks who think that black men should never show any affection to each other.

 How These Gay Men Went From Ex-Gay Therapy To Building Their Beautiful Family - BOOM!

Gay stereotypes in the media can be annoying, but also hilarious

This morning, let's focus on gay and lesbian stereotypes. With that in mind, this video is on how we are portrayed in some parts of the media is WICKEDLY hilarious:

'Hitler comparison could harm passage of anti-lgbt 'religious liberty' bill' & other Thur. midday news briefs

Lawmakers blast Georgia Baptist leader for Hitler comparison - A little tip of common sense - if you are trying to get a legislative body to pass an anti-lgbt "religious freedom" bill, it's best not to compare them to Hitler because you think they are moving too slow. Even the most conservative legislators get hot under the collar over it. 

Tony Perkins should open his own bakery - Tony Perkins is fundraising off the ridiculous Aaron and Melissa "Christian bakery" lie. It's been three years and the right continues to tell lies and raise money from it. They definitely get points for milking.  

ENOUGH with the game of lies being played on the lgbt community - The lgbt community has trounced the right when it comes to issues of our basic equality (sexual matters, family, marriage, adoption of children) time after time. Yet, we are still dancing to their tune when they attack us, i.e. us allowing them to control the narrative and language which makes it seem as if we are the persecutors when they are the ones attacking us. I am sick of it. I'm tired of having to explain why I as a gay man deserve basic dignity. The right needs to explain why I shouldn't be afforded that basic human dignity. Of course they will never have to unless we change the game. Will we?  

Tennessee Lawmakers Pursue Legislation Even More Transphobic Than South Dakota’s - Tennessee. Again. Like a lump in a pot of boiling oatmeal.  

Tony Perkins Wrongly Blames Shooting On LGBT Rights Ordinance - Perkins is working double duty on the B.S.

ENOUGH with the game of lies being played on the lgbt community

I. AM. FURIOUS.

Rather than go into detail about the one specific incident which set me off, allow me to post an excerpt from this wonderful piece from Five Thirty Eight. It gets to the center of my anger. The piece is called 'Religious Liberty' Has Replaced Gay Marriage in GOP Talking Points and it says that the GOP has, for the most part, given up on talking about gay marriage because much of their base isn't into that fight anymore. Instead, they are talking about "religious liberty":

Russell D. Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, a unit of the Southern Baptist Convention that advocates Christian values to government leaders, acknowledges that the conversation has shifted.

Whatever their definition of marriage, he says, Americans should be concerned by the Supreme Court’s decisions, “both in terms of the power of the government” and “the reasons given for the redefinition.”

“I think that’s where the conversation is now,” he went on. “What sort of justices and judges would a president appoint, and how would they be restricted by a constitution itself?”

The shift from talking directly about same-sex marriage to more glancing references is also reflected in the GOP debate rhetoric. Mentions of “religious,” “religious liberty” and “religious freedom” appeared more than ever in this year’s debates when referring to the rights of business owners to refuse services to gay customers. It’s code, Dennard says, for “gay marriage.”

 
Talking about "religious liberty" is rather easy. It elevates the false idea of a person from persecution because of their religious beliefs. It makes folks who discriminate in secular business dealings seem like they are being "persecuted" for their religious beliefs, when in reality they are only being asked to treat all customers - whose taxes help with the safety and upkeep of their businesses - fairly.

One would never know that the phrase "religious liberty"  is yet another clever shift of semantics in the 30 year plus war on lgbts propagated by the religious right.

In the 70s, they said the children must be protected from "recruitment" since gays supposedly can't reproduce.

In the 80s, they exploited the ignorance regarding the AIDS crisis to make lgbts seem like deserving pariahs.

In the 90s. it was all about keeping us from receiving unfair "special rights."

And in the early 2000's, it was all about "protecting marriage."

So now we are in the middle of yet another con job propagated by slick verbiage, straw man arguments, junk science, and anecdotal stories taken out of context - i.e. "religious liberty."

And just like every other example above before it, the "religious liberty" argument puts  the lgbt community on the defensive as if we are the bad guys trying to corrupt all that is good and pure. Part of the reason for this is that hardly anyone has pointed out how "religious liberty" is a new bit of paint on the same old engine of homophobia and fear. Oh sure, some of us gave Sam Smith hell for his inaccurate statement about openly gay men winning Oscars, but very few of us have bothered to demonstrate that same degree of outrage when it comes to the connection between  "religious liberty," "protecting marriage," "special rights," and all other cutesy phrases used over the years to bamboozle us into playing catch up while the religious right channels "The Passion of Joan of Arc."

That's why I'm mad. Again, never mind the specific incident because the generalities are more important. After over 30 years of being branded and having to fight tooth and nail for our dignity, the lgbt community finds itself in the same situation again.

"Religious liberty" is not about protecting religious people from persecution anymore than "protecting marriage" was about safeguarding matrimony. It's about what it has always been about - homophobia and keeping lgbts under heel.

We rip open a door closed to us, but allow the opposition to control how quickly we can come through to the other side with their clever organization and deceptive phrases. We find ourselves hustled into having to explain why we should have the same right to come through the door at the same speed in which heterosexuals do, even though we shouldn't have to.

They tried to keep penalize our private sexual behavior. We beat them in the courts.

They tried to keep us from adopting. We beat them again.

They tried to brand simple talk of our families into that of sexual education. Again we beat them.

They tried to keep us from marrying. After a long battle, we annihilated them.

They are trying to demonize our transgender brothers and sisters. It's happening slowly but with our track record, I expect a victory.  But the point is after so many victories, why are we having to explain our right to be treated like everyone else?

Maybe it's time for the other side to explain why they feel we shouldn't.


Photo of Angela Bassett taken from the 'Waiting to Exhale.'

'Ted Cruz creates a 'Council of Homophobia'' other Wed. midday news briefs

Ryan Anderson, a member of Cruz's 'Council of Homophobia'

Presidential Candidates Cruz and Rubio Continue to Court Anti-LGBT Groups - Rubio is as good as dust right now, but with Trump scaring so many Republicans, a lot of them are "settling" for Cruz. And IF that happens, Cruz has definite plans to create a "religious liberty advisory council" or as I call it, a "council of homophobia" featuring some of the worst of the worst amongst anti-lgbt activists. It's something we shouldn't take lightly. 

Missouri Republicans Break Democrats’ 39-Hour Filibuster, Advancing Anti-Gay Bill - The filibuster is over, but NOT the battle.  

Federal Judge: No Marriage Equality In Puerto Rico - Well that sucks in a MAJOR way. 

 Texas Rep Still Thinks Gays Will Die Out If Put On A Desert Island - Louie Gohmert is a super moron.  

Rafael Cruz: Gay Marriage Will Destroy Society - Folks, if the thought of Ted Cruz as president doesn't scare you enough, imagine his father there also because you just KNOW he will take advantage . . .

This McDonalds commercial about coming out is EVERYTHING!

This McDonalds commercial from Taiwan featuring a young man coming out to his father nails it completely. In spite of nonsense thrown at lgbts, we are not freaks nor people embroiled in some ridiculous plot. We are just ordinary folks who, in the long run, would love the support of our family because coming out is no joke, so to speak:

This commercial is so good that naturally some folks in Taiwan are complaining about a supposed "sexual agenda."   It's always about sex with these anti-gay types. Geez!

'Missouri Democrats filibustering anti-lgbt amendment' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Missouri Democrats Wage Wendy Davis-Style Filibuster Against Anti-Gay Religious Amendment - These anti-lgbt "religious liberty" laws and amendments aren't being easy to pass as the religious right thought they would be. 

Boykin's Defense of 'Religious Freedom' Includes Violent Anti-Trans Rhetoric - You know they have to work a degree of transphobia in there.  

The caliber of homophobia in a Ted Cruz supporter - Reposting this from morning. The big joke of the 2016 presidential election may be that Republicans are fighting so hard against Donald Trump that they are hooking themselves on to an equal or bigger disaster with Ted Cruz. This post is a 2010 conversation I had with Gary Glenn, the present chair of Cruz's Michigan campaign when he defends his call to "outlaw" homosexuality. 

 Scott Walker’s Favorite Judge Was A Real Queer-Hatin’ Hoot In College - Food for thought about judges. And that apology ain't cutting it as far as I'm concerned. Girlfriend, I hope you know the entire score to "Hello Dolly."  

MISSISSIPPI: Ted Cruz Says He’s Too Sick To Attend Rally With Hate Group Crackpot Bryan Fischer - SPEAKING of Teddy, he averted one anti-gay crisis yesterday but being "too sick" to appear with Bryan Fischer at a rally.

The caliber of homophobia in a Ted Cruz supporter

It has been reported that Ted Cruz has made alliances with several religious right and anti-gay figures during his presidential campaign. The latest should be a real attention-getter:

From Right Wing Watch:

As we have noted before, people who hate gays sure do seem to love Ted Cruz, and that trend continues as his presidential campaign continues to rack up support and endorsements from a variety of extremist anti-gay activists. To this ever-growing list we can now add Michigan state lawmaker Gary Glenn, who has been tapped to serve as one of the campaign's state legislative co-chairs. Prior to winning his seat in the state legislature, Glenn served as president of the American Family Association of Michigan, the state arm of the anti-gay hate group the American Family Association, where he promoted a variety of anti-gay positions and even called for the criminalization of homosexuality:

 Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan, has added his voice to a growing chorus of American leaders calling for the re-criminalization of homosexuality in the U.S. In an e-mail to Michigan Messenger, here’s how Glenn responded when asked if he supported the criminalization move proposed by the Family Research Council’s Peter Sprigg’s comments last week on Hardball: “The short answer to your question is yes, we believe that states should be free to regulate and prohibit behavior that’s a violation of community standards and a proven threat to public health and safety — including, as most of the United States did throughout its history, homosexual behavior.”

Glenn made the statement  in 2010. I know this well because Glenn and I had a "discussion" on my blog - which he initiated - after I posted a story about his statement.  The following is a repost of that discussion and it should give you clue regarding the mentality of religious right supporters of Ted Cruz:

Study proves anti-gay laws have negative impact on businesses

One of my favorite sites, Unicorn Booty has posted some information regarding the negative effects of anti-gay laws on businesses and their employees. And it think it would do the community some good to drill this information constantly until we can repeat it by heart:

Right now, Georgia is eyeing two anti-LGBT “religious exemption” bills: the “Pastor Protection Act” ensuring that pastors won’t being sued for refusing to perform same-sex marriages, and the “First Amendment Defense Act” which would let religious nonprofits deny services to same-sex couples. In response, a group of more than 400 businesses calling themselves Georgia Prospers has come out against the bill reasoning it runs counter to Georgia’s friendly culture. But there’s another reason that people should oppose it: namely, such bills are financially harmful to everyone whether you’re a employed person, an LGBT-person or just an average citizen.

In January of 2016, The Center for Talent and Innovation — a project stemming from 80 global corporations and organizations representing nearly 6 million employees in 192 countries — published “Out in the World: Securing LGBT Rights in the Global Marketplace”, study of 1,964 LGBT professionals and 10,242 non-LGBT professionals in 10 countries around the world. The study revealed the negative impact that anti-LGBT laws can have on businesses, their employees and the world economy.

They also released an infographic about those harms, and also illustrated what businesses can do to help make countries more LGBT-friendly, benefitting employees and citizens both.

Here’s some of the study’s findings, as outlined in The Economist:

- One in five closeted LGBT employees said staying closeted at work “reduced their ambition and caused them to work less.

– Almost 30 percent of closeted employees said “hiding their identity kept them from speaking up or sharing innovative ideas at work.”

– Closeted employees are three times more likely to leave their companies in the next year, compared to their openly LGBT colleagues

– Forty-two percent of LGBT employees around the world reported that they had experienced discrimination in the last five years because of their identity.”

For more information, particularly the detailed infographic, see Unicorn Booty. 

'AL court twice smacked down by lgbt progress, equality' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Roy Moore can't stop the progress of lgbt equality

Supreme Court Slaps Down Anti-Gay Alabama Justices In Adoption Case - Alabama's anti-gay justices have to get over themselves for the second time in the face of progress. This time in an adoption case. 

Ala. Supreme Court dismisses petitions opposing same-sex marriage - This the first time and they WERE not happy about it, particularly Justice Roy Moore.

 S.D. anti-trans bill inspires mixed reaction at CPAC - The recent veto by South Dakota's governor of an anti-transgender bill did not provoke a uniformity of negative opinion at a recent Republican conference, CPAC. People tend to understand lgbt issues when they are personally involved. 

 Gay Fox News Contributor Guy Benson: Gay People Should Be More Tolerant of Discrimination - This article sticks in my craw and burns me for so many reasons. For one thing, the angle of these folks at CPAC is so full of crap. I will not tolerate the false right of someone to treat me like a second class citizen and I shouldn't. Secondly, while I have no problem with any coverage of Guy Benson, there are times when he invokes so much anger in me due to the fact that part of me thinks that he gets coverage because he is the typical twinkish looking, skinny gay white man who gets all sorts of coverage while the rest of us folks who don't fit the pattern get left out. Yes, he has a major role in conservative politics, but I know there are people of color out there who have leadership positions in organizations or are activists (HELLO!) who deserve as much or even more coverage and NOT just when the article talks about lgbts of coverage. African-American lgbt leaders and potential leaders have a say in the mainstream lgbt fight for equality. Don't mistake our desire to be heard as a way to box us up in a category. If you can focus (and in some cases) interview a skinny twinkish looking thing who is fighting against his community's own interest, you should invest as much energy in finding and focusing on lgbts of color who are fighting for our equality, and not just in an article talking about lgbts of color. Okay, enough of my rant.  I hope it made sense.

Anti-Gay Indiana Lawmakers Have Inspired Cities Across State to Add LGBT Protections - Classic case of when plans for evil backfire and create good.

  5 Gay And Lesbian Parenting Myths Debunked - MUCH NEEDED information.