'How Wonder Woman saved a gay boy's life' & other Mon midday news briefs

How Wonder Woman Saved A Gay Boy’s Life - WONDERFUL story which resonated with me because I played Wonder Woman as a child. Sue me already, but the male superheroes were so boring.

Chechnya has opened concentration camps for gay men - We've got a problem in Russia. A SERIOUS problem.

Hawaii LGBT couples seek equal access to fertility treatments - I agree with this and fortunately the religious right haven't gotten their grubby mitts of opposition on this . . . yet.

Marriage Equality May Provide “False Sense of Security” About Parental Rights - Unfortunately, it isn't just parental rights which receive the false sense of security.

Irrelevant anti-lgbt group takes credit for Gorsuch being confirmed

From the Department of "I Didn't Know They Were Still Around" comes an old adversary of the lgbt community taking credit for Neil Gorsuch becoming the latest Supreme Court justice:

While I've always been one to advise folks to never discount anything, I feel safe in saying that a refrigerator containing cobwebs and a bottle of gin  has more credibility AND relevancy than NOM right now. The organization really didn't do anything to get Gorsuch confirmed. NOM's gloating is merely a thinly disguised ask for donations:

Our push for the confirmation of Justice Gorsuch made a real difference, but has depleted our funds. Please make a financial contribution today to help us replenish our coffers. Thank You.

Pathetic.

'Gorsuch confirmed to SCOTUS' & other Fri midday news briefs

Gorsuch confirmed to SCOTUS

Neil Gorsuch confirmed to the Supreme Court - The end of this tale was already predetermined, but still expect some religious right gloating over this. They got their wish with the help of a stubborn GOP Senate majority and strange electorate. However, please spare me the handwringing. Now is not the time to throw up hands in defeat and whine. What's our next move? Every victory - and in this case - every loss yields a new battle. It's always about the next move. 

 OutFront: Medical Student Brings Health of LGBTQ Youth to Forefront - Gorsuch or no Gorsuch, this is why we cannot give up. Our kids need us.

Losing Employer Won’t Ask Supreme Court To Overturn Landmark Gay Rights Ruling - Sweet!

Finally, A Definition Of ‘Complicit’ Ivanka Trump Can Agree With - Vicious, but accurate. Now may be the time for more of us gay men to pull out our inner Truman Capotes.

Bryan Fischer Really, Really Wants The LGBTQ Community To Give The Rainbow Back To God - I've got something I can give him. Fischer, that is.

Anti-lgbt congressman tells religious right pastors that America is their 'turf'

Any other time, some you would probably take the following video and write up with comical annoyance. However, in this age of Trump and in light of today's news of the nuclear option being pulled in the Senate voting of Supreme Court justices, comical annoyance (and especially predictions about right-wingers being caught in gay trysts) are distractions from the actual trouble we are seeing.

From People for the American Ways's Right Wing Watch:

Republican Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia spoke yesterday at a “Congressional Pastors Briefing” in Washington, D.C., organized by Religious Right pseudo-historian David Barton, where he told the gathering of conservative Christian pastors that “this is our country.” After celebrating Republican plans to repeal the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship, from explicitly endorsing or opposing candidates for elected office, Hice told the pastors that God has given this country to Christians. “If there is anything I want to leave you [with] today, it is a genuine, heartfelt thank you for just the deep awareness that we are in this thing together,” Hice said. “This is our country, it’s our turf and God has placed us here to be stewards at such a time as this and to stand in the gap.”

 Hice, by the way, doesn't believe that there should be a line of separation between church and state.  He once said that the separation of church and state was a false belief and another time, he blamed Satan for it. And for all of his talk about God, he sees nothing wrong with eliminating The Johnson Amendment; an elimination which has the potential of making churches into conduits of political dark money and more political corruption.

Just in case you are wondering, Hice isn't necessarily fond of lgbts, either. In 2014 when he was a candidate for public office, Buzzfeed called him out for a 2012 book he published, It’s Now or Never: A Call to Reclaim America.

 Buzzfeed said that Hice represented a point of view based upon "pseudoscience" and "outdated views of the lgbt community"  His book ran the gamut from "gays want to recruit children" to "gays want to destroy society," making it practically a storehouse for all of the anti-lgbt propaganda and talking points this blog has repeatedly refuted.

Hice has no business being a dogcatcher, much less a Congressman. But he is in Congress and he is publicly advocating for making America a Christian theocracy; a place in which lgbts will no doubt be denied equality.

Spooky, isn't it?

'Johns Hopkins moving past shadow of transphobic psychiatrist' & other Thur midday news briefs

McHugh

Long shadow cast by psychiatrist on transgender issues finally recedes at Johns Hopkins - An issue which a lot of us aren't familiar with but is still important. It demonstrates how one physician with a personal anti-lgbt bias can cause problems and how the medical community needs to recognize and take action. Paul McHugh has more credibility than infamous junk scientist Paul Cameron. But he is OR WAS just as dangerous to the lives of lgbts. 

Young LGBTI People Are Invisible In Australia's Homelessness Crisis - Reminder that our fight for equality and safety is international.  

Trans Teen Gavin Grimm Slams Trump Policy at Congressional Meeting - "Out of the mouths of babes" indeed. 

 Federal Judge Rules Fair Housing Law Protects Colorado LGBT Couple - Hot damn! Another federal court victory!

  E.W. Jackson: LGBTQ Activists Are ‘Not Satisfied To Go To Hell, They Want To Take The Whole Country With ‘Em’ - Lawd, hammercy!!

Hate group furious that court says civil rights laws protect gays from job discrimination

The Family Research Council is furious at a recent court ruling.

Recently, the United States Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964:

Existing civil rights laws protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation, a federal appeals court ruled in a historic nationwide first on Tuesday. It is a "common-sense reality," the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held, "that it is actually impossible to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation without discriminating on the basis of sex." Specifically, the court held that the sex discrimination ban in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 includes a bar on discriminating against gay, lesbian, or bisexual people. 

 The 8-3 ruling represented a reversal of the court's past decisions on the topic, and makes it the first federal appeals court to rule in favor of protection for sexual orientation-based discrimination under existing federal law. "[A] person who alleges that she experienced employment discrimination on the basis of her sexual orientation has put forth a case of sex discrimination for Title VII purposes," Chief Judge Diane Wood wrote for the full court. The Seventh Circuit covers federal lawsuits out of Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. The ruling comes on the heels of two other federal appeals court rulings, in which three-judge panels held that prior rulings of the courts made clear that sexual orientation discrimination is not covered under Title VII. Tuesday's ruling, however, was the first time a court had sat en banc — meaning the full court — in hearing such a case. When an appeals court sits en banc, it can review — and reverse — its prior rulings.

It didn't take long after that before the anti-lgbt hate group Family Research Council issued a hysterical disagreement with the ruling, with the usual hurtling of wild accusations without any shred of proof.:

If Congress won't rewrite the law, liberals will find a court who will! That's been the M.O. of the Left for decades: packing the bench with wannabe legislators who'll impose the agendas they could never pass democratically. It worked on school prayer, abortion, and marriage, as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) bragged last year. Now, the Left is using the same playbook on the gender debate -- knowing full well that it's the only way they can force their vision on an unwilling America. Fortunately, there are some judges who agree with us that if the Left wants to change the definition of discrimination, it's asking the wrong branch of government. Unfortunately, those judges aren't in the majority on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. In a mind-boggling decision yesterday, the judges not only stole Congress's job -- they admitted they were doing it! 

For years, liberals have tried to pass legislation making "sexual orientation" a protected category under the Civil Rights Act -- first with ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act) and then with the "Equality Act." The House and Senate rejected them every time. They recognized, as we do, that sexual orientation wasn't on the minds of legislators 53 years ago when it was trying to weed out prejudice -- and more importantly, it wasn't in the text of the law that passed! No bother, liberals said. We'll just rewrite the policy through our activist courts. 

And Tuesday, the 7th Circuit was more than willing to comply. "For many years," Chief Judge Diane Wood admitted, "the courts of appeals of this country understood the prohibition against sex discrimination to exclude discrimination on the basis of a person's sexual orientation." So by her own admission, there's absolutely no justification for rewriting the law. Still, she goes on, it's the court's responsibility to take a "fresh look" at its position. And in doing so, she writes, "we conclude today that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination."

FRC is attempting to argue that it disagrees with the court making this decision rather than leaving it up to legislators and Congress. The organization probably is angry over this fact. The rule has the potential to circumvent legislative bodies - places where religious right groups like FRC have success in hindering pro-lgbt laws.

And to me, that's what makes this victory even sweeter. It proves what I said yesterday about why anti-lgbt laws generally fail to get sanction by the courts. Courts are all about fairness and logic, not lies, horror stories, junk science or religious entitlement.

If you can't use logic to sway courts, you generally fail.

'Can childcare welfare system handle trans kids?' & other Wed midday news briefs

Can the Child Welfare System Handle Trans Children? - The first part in a series by Windy City Times and it illustrates that we have enough issues to deal with in our community without interjections from the religious right. Some transgender children may be getting removed from their homes by child welfare agencies simply because their parents are supporting their identities.

North Carolina’s Debacle Reveals How Easily LGBTQ People Can Be Abandoned By Everyone - A cautionary tale for the lgbt community. Don't assume that folks are joining your side simply because they believe in fairness. A little cynicism never hurts and it steels your mind for possible negative futures outcomes.

 STUDY: LGBT Youth Are Disproportionately in Jail - Our kids have a problem, folks.

 LGBT Job Discrimination Is Prohibited by Civil Rights Law, Federal Appeals Court Rules - Sweet! And as an added degree of happiness - IN YOUR FACE, RELIGIOUS RIGHT!!!! 

 Bryan Fischer: ‘The Worst Example Of Cultural Appropriation In History Is The LGBT Community Stealing The Rainbow From God’ - What Bryan Fischer is reduced to . . .

Mississippi attorneys discover difficulty of defending anti-lgbt law

Miss. Gov Phil Bryant

From one of my favorite journalists, Mark Joseph Stern of The Slate, comes an article which accentuates how difficult it is to defend an anti-lgbt law. Stern's article, Mississippi’s Anti-LGBTQ Lawyers Are Gaslighting Their Opponents in Court, looks at the difficulties the attorneys are having defending that state's anti-lgbt 'religious liberty' law in front of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals:

Have the lawyers defending Mississippi’s anti-LGBTQ bill actually read their own statute? 

This question loomed large over hearings here on Monday at the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Civil rights attorneys challenging the Mississippi statute, HB 1523, argue that it promotes certain religious beliefs over others and legalizes discrimination against LGBTQ people. That reading would seem to be reasonable, since the bill explicitly states that anti-gay and anti-trans beliefs receive special legal protection, and allows anti-LGBTQ discrimination in employment, housing, medical treatment, public accommodations, adoption, and marriage licensing. But when Roberta Kaplan, a Paul, Weiss attorney arguing against the law, raised this point in court, her opponent, Jonathan Mitchell, contested it. 

“This statute has been mischaracterized so many times,” Mitchell told the court with a weary sigh. He insisted that a public school teacher who promotes anti-gay beliefs in a second-grade classroom could be re-assigned under HB 1523. Judge Catharina Haynes, one of the 5th Circuit’s sharpest judges, looked puzzled. 

“Why?” she asked. After all, the law bars the government from taking any “adverse employment action” against state employees for promoting anti-LGBTQ beliefs. Mitchell responded that the school could create a “neutral policy” barring schoolteachers from espousing political views in school. But that would not solve the problem at all. Even if a school passed such a policy, it would be barred under HB 1523 for punishing a teacher who violated it so long as they did so by endorsing anti-LGBTQ views. The text of the law is absolute: There are no exceptions and no balancing of interests.

Here is a more interesting exchange:

Haynes raised another concern: that HB 1523 allows restaurants to eject same-sex couples. Mitchell responded that serving these couples wouldn’t constitute a “recognition” of their marriage under the law. “What about a rehearsal dinner for a same-sex couple?” Haynes asked. Mitchell scoffed. 

A rehearsal dinner? At a restaurant?” he responded incredulously. Yes, Haynes said, informing Mitchell, perhaps for the first time in his life, that not all couples conduct rehearsal dinners in swanky hotel ballrooms. Mitchell hedged, equivocated, and dodged, informing Haynes that the court had to “defer to the state’s reasonable construction.” 

Before we continue, a brief word about this line of argument. Federal courts are, indeed, required to defer to a state’s interpretation of its statutes. But the state’s attorneys aren’t the ones who do the interpreting. It’s the state’s courts. If a state court rules that HB 1523 doesn’t allow discrimination, the federal courts must rely upon that interpretation. But if a state’s lawyer says so on the fly with absolutely no evidence or legal authority, the federal courts owe him no deference. Haynes pointed this out to Mitchell, reminding him, “Your interpretation of the law is not binding on a judge. A judge isn’t bound by what you told me.” Mitchell responded with the most jarring line of the day, telling Haynes that if a state judge interprets HB 1523 incorrectly, he should be “impeached.” Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod leaned forward with a shocked expression. “If a judge interprets something incorrectly,” she asked with evident alarm, “we should impeach them?” 

Mitchell broke into a laugh, realizing how badly he had erred. “No!” he said. “Not you!” Then he reiterated his main point: HB 1523 is not “a license to discriminate.”

The religious right, while being successful in getting the public to vote the way they want or getting lawmakers to create certain bills,  have failed time and time again to get the courts to ratify their mess with a favorable ruling.

And why is that? Simply because, to paraphrase the words of David Boies, the attorney who successfully argued against Prop 8, the courts are places of logic. You can't sway judges with lies, junk science, or anecdotal horror stories like you can with the public. You can't work with judges like you can with politicians. Judges aren't your friends or allies. You can't make public appearances with them or give them cheesy awards praising their "values."

Judges are supposed to uphold the Constitution and impartially rule for fairness. And in cases such as with sodomy laws, gay adoption, and even marriage equality, the best lies of the religious right fell because they didn't pass the muster of truth.

And in the end, that line, however seemingly thin, may continue to be strong enough to hold the religious right at bay.

'Trump ally has homophobic meltdown at Congressman focusing on Russia connection' & other Tue. midday news briefs

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How Mike Pence mistreats the lgbt community more important conversation than relationship with wife

Last week, it was revealed that Mike Pence won't dine alone with a woman other than his wife. Naturally this led to a lot of speculation in the mainstream press or praise from the religious right about either Pence's supposed extreme ideas about marriage and women or his "piety" and "fidelity."

I simply don't care. Maybe there can be some type of discussion pulled from  Pence's relationship with his wife, However, I think people should be talking about his  mistreatment of the lgbt community throughout his political career -  from supporting a constitutional amendment which would bar us from marrying to opposing a law which would keep us from being discriminated against in the workplace.

There are so many examples of how Pence has attacked or demonized the lgbt community in the past. Probably one of the most memorable incidents happened in 2015 when he, as governor of Indiana, wouldn't say if he opposed discrimination against the lgbt community. A simple "yes" or "no" shouldn't have been difficult.

But it was for Pence:



 I don't care how Pence treats his wife. But I do care that he doesn't treat the lgbt community like we are worthy of equality.  That should be where the concern lies. And what the conversation should be about.

''Moonlight' big winner, Trump big loser at GLAAD Media Awards' & other Mon. midday news briefs

The first half ceremony of the 28th annual GLAAD Media Awards was held Saturday in Los Angeles. The big winners included Oscar winning movie 'Moonlight,' while another Oscar winner, Patricia Arquette and singer-songwriter, actor, and Youtube sensation Troye Sivan received the Vanguard and Stephen F. Kolzak awards.  And Trump got properly "read." The second half ceremony of the GLAAD Media Awards will be held on May 6 in New York.  Will the third time be the charm for this blog as it vies for 'Outstanding Blog?' Hopefully so:

GLAAD Awards to Trump: 'Meryl Was Too Easy on You' - Don't act shocked. Lgbtqs and allies getting together for a huge awards ceremony. You know Trump was going to be in our sights. 

 In other news:  

Young People Are More Likely To Be Openly LGBT, But They're Leaving Traditional Labels Behind - I LOVE this!

 Beyond the bathroom bill, more legislation raises worries - Alright, Texas. Stop acting up. 

What You Need to Know About Mississippi’s HB1523, Considered by the 5th Circuit on April 3rd - Siiiigh! Keep your fingers crossed.

And now a word about 'Identity Politics'

Personally, I think "identity politics" is a phrase which demonstrates how too much of the American media is white, heterosexual, and male oriented.  If there is no diversity in the faces we see telling us the news, naturally the important issues affecting those who don't fit in the above categories are shuffled off into some box of "odds and ends," as if they are trifles instead of pertinent problems.

That's my take on it, but Boris Dittrich in The Advocate has an equally wonderful look on the difficulty of us so-called minorities (African-American, lgbtq, etc.) have in getting our concerns looked at seriously instead of sidebars. There is an excerpt from his piece, Identity Politics Forever:

LGBT activists advocate for equal rights and nondiscrimination. They do not claim special or extra rights. They aspire to a society where LGBT people are not bullied at work or in school and have the same relationship rights as others do. Equality and nondiscrimination are values that concern everyone in society. They require a robust defense. Because the values of human rights depend foremost on the ability to empathize with others — to recognize the importance of treating others the way we would want to be treated — they are especially vulnerable when the argument of the majority versus minorities is invoked.  

 Politics that stops talking about minority rights on the theory that upholding them is “divisive” or makes it harder to win over majority voting blocs, will only lead to a more fragmented society, not bring people together. Instead political leaders should make clear that rights are not a zero-sum game — protecting my rights does not undermine yours. On the contrary, it creates a framework we can all rely on if our rights come under threat.

'92 reasons to celebrate Trans Day of Visibility' & other Fri midday news briefs

92 Gorgeous Photos That Show What It Really Means To Be Trans - Ninety-two reasons to celebrate Trans Day of Visibility (with the proviso that there are so many more reasons.)  

"Never Give Up": Trans People Share Messages Of Love And Support For Trans Day Of Visibility - Never forget your value and never allow other people to reduce your worth.  

N.C. governor ‘threw the LGBT community under the bus’- Yes he did. No one is happy with that jacked up, screwed up HB2 "repeal." 

The decades-old anti-gay illogic used to demonize transgender people - What I have been saying consistently. The same crap used to demonize gay men is now being using to demonize transgender men and women. The same technique, the same reliance on easily debunked anecdotal stories, the same appeal to people's basic prejudicial ignorance. . .  

Arkansas 'bathroom bill' dead for session, to be studied - For now. Let's not celebrate yet.  

These Photos Posted By People Of Color In Love Make A Beautiful Point - Let's end today's news briefs on a positive note.

Lies about elderly transgender men & women a new, but not unexpected low for religious right

One fact which is consistent with religious right attacks on the lgbtq community is their reliance on boogeymen and horror stories. Anti-lgbtq groups and personalities are always invoking horrible semantics and ugly images of anecdotal stories (usually lies) about what would happen if any bill or action helping our community is advanced.

Anita Bryant was really the first to do this when she claimed in the 70s that a pro-gay law would allow gay men to "recruit" children. This claim was the root of her successful campaign to overturn a pro-gay law in Florida. Since then, this line of attack has been used by the religious right in opposing everything pro-lgbtq from non-discrimination ordinances to marriage equality.

But there is another boogeyman they are using. Via the hate group American Family Association's fake news service One News Now:

Some California legislators are taking another step to make sure transgendered individuals are accommodated by young and old – this time affecting nursing homes. California Senator Scott Wiener (D) has introduced SB 219, the California LGBT Seniors Long-Term Care Bill of Rights, for members of the LGBT community in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes. Karen England, head of Capitol Resource Institute in Sacramento, tells OneNewsNow the bill would invade the privacy of everyone in retirement communities "when a transgender wants to come and room with them or shower with them." 

 Columnist John Stewart describes SB 219 as "buffoonery" and says while it contains several provisions most evangelicals wouldn't consider objectionable, it does contain a "glaring" provision that forces employees of long-term care facilities to "use the resident's preferred pronoun." Stewart also points out it's not the first time California has forced the ideology on a vulnerable group. England agrees. England "They [promoted] mandating it in schools, kindergarten through 12th grade," she says. "Now they're mandating it with the elderly who are having to be cared for and who were trusting these facilities to make sure our grandparents and older siblings are taken care of."

Seriously, folks? Spinning tales about horror stories about elderly transgender  men and women? That's  beyond low.

The problem with refuting this is the same as refuting  horror stories about gay men and children. The difficulty lies with the execution of refutation. We have got to start calling these groups, personalities, and lies out in a wider form instead of fighting singular battles. Isn't always convenient that they have an excuse to oppose every pro-lgbtq law, ordinance, and action? And isn't it always convenient that their "reasons" involve horror stories and anecdotal evidence of mayhem, which often doesn't become reality.

So why do we fight every time they come at us with this mess as a singular battle? How often do we call general attention to the tactic they are using?

How often does anyone of us or our spokespeople who have great media exposure say something like, "Look, these groups and people are always bringing up stories about gay or transgender boogeymen. They know that a religious argument alone won't win it for them so they constantly conjure up these lies designed to mess with people's heads, appeal to their egos, or give them false reasons to oppose pro-lgbtq legislation so they don't have to admit to their own homophobia. It's all they got and they know it. They also know that what they say are lies. It's no different than racists claiming that black men live for ravishing white women. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if they hide behind religion, it doesn't matter if it's  about schools, nursing homes, bathrooms, or anything else. We are dealing with organizations and people who are out to hinder the lgbtq community and have no problem with lying to do it because they've have lied so many times in the past with a straight face and clutching the mantle of their so-called religious beliefs."

Now how hard is it to say that and to consistently push that argument until we have a grounds for a fair conversation (for a change) when it comes to this so-called culture battle?
 . . .

'HB2 'repeal' bill not genuine repeal' & other Thur midday news briefs

North Carolina Senate Approves Bill To Repeal HB2, Despite Objections From LGBTQ Groups - There are objections because it is actually no deal. It's not worth the paper it would be written on. Hold firm for full repeal. No deal. 

North Carolina attempts bait-and-switch with NCAA, pushes new anti-LGBT bill - Zack Ford of Think Progress nails it.  

It’s a first: Johns Hopkins loses points with HRC for anti-LGBTQ stance - Meanwhile, doing what needs to be done to stop the flow of anti-lgbq junk science.  

Wolves in the hen house: Look who Texas recruited to promote its bathroom bill - The trillionth and one reason why it is NEVER a good idea to ignore anti-lgbtq groups. They can sneak alliances with your state legislators. 

 Numerous Anti-LGBT Adoption Laws Are Popping Up Across The Country - Tell me how this isn't about hate. I double dog dare you!

'Gays for Trump' depresses the 'gay' out of me

Not every gay person is upset that the Trump Administration won't include questions of sexual orientation and gender identity from the 2020 census, and thereby rendering the lgbtq community somewhat invisible.

A group on Twitter, 'Gays for Trump', is ecstatic.

First of all, is this even an actual group? If so, I apologize in advance for how angry or depressed the following twitter exchange between me and them will make you feel:

I didn't receive an answer back from the group. I would like to think that whoever is in charge of their twitter feed  read what I had to say and had an epiphany of shame. That epiphany of shame subsequently will lead him to resign his membership in such an ugly self-defeating group and he will be  dedicating his life to the advancement of all lgbtq people.

Of course I would also like to think that Rob Kardashian is my love slave and I have a feeling that I have a better chance of Rob calling me "big daddy" than anyone in the 'Gays for Trump' group recognizing their own ignorance.

'Trump creating subtle but disastrous policies against lgbt community' & other Wed midday news briefs

Anyone believing that Trump is pro-lgbt is a SERIOUS dunce.

It would seem that over the past day and a half, the Trump Administration has been making quiet, albeit, disastrous policy decisions against the lgbt community. Do you think it's to distract from the ever growing Russia controversy? There is no telling but if it is, distracting everyone's attention by attacking the lgbt community is a stupid move. You know how we are. We'll screw with Trump so bad that he will be confessing about Russian interference on twitter JUST to get us off of his ass.

Trump Signs Executive Order Giving Federal Contractors License to Discriminate Against LGBT Workers - UGH! 

Trump revokes executive order, weakens protections for LGBT workers - Why the above move is dangerous to the lgbt community. 

 The U.S. Won’t Tally LGBT People In 2020 Census - He did this yesterday . . .  

Trump and Pence want to slash $350 million from HIV/AIDS prevention budgets - Meanwhile, he and Pence wants to gut HIV/AIDS funding.  

Christians are angry Vimeo took down a 'gay cure therapy' channel - My heart BLEEDS for these fake ass Christians.  

Texans' Bob McNair against Texas bathroom bill - All eyes are on Texas where a powerful man can help to sink a very transphobic bill.

Hate group humiliates itself with 'Disney and gay agenda' article

Peter LaBarbera thinks Disney is pushing a 'gay' conspiracy

Angry at the runaway success of the live-action 'Beauty and the Beast' movie in spite of a religious right boycott over the introduction of a gay character, anti-lgbt hate group American Family Association, via its fake news publication One News Now, has published an "expose" on the Disney corporation in general.

According to One News Now, Disney is part of a conspiracy to push the (cue the solemnly dreadful music) "gay agenda."

As the “gay moment” in Disney’s current box office hit Beauty and the Beast continues to shock evangelicals and social conservatives across America who have boycotted the film – believing it is kicking off an LGBT propaganda campaign – many do not realize that Disney has been aggressively promoting homosexuality for nearly two decades. From The Little Mermaid animated sensation that hit theaters decades ago to the more recent Finding Dory and popular animated TV series Stars vs. the Forces of Evil, Disney has been promoting forms of homosexuality on the big and small screen – and even off the screen.

One News Now's "expose" doesn't say as to how 'The Little Mermaid' or 'Finding Dory' is pushing any "gay agenda." The piece seems to be obsessed with focusing on a 1998 incident in which former CEO Michael Eisner allegedly claimed that 40 percent of Disney employees were gay.

'Hate group accuses Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Tom Hanks, & Alec Baldwin of pushing 'aggressive gay agenda'' & other Tue midday news briefs

Anti-lgbt hate group accusing Amy Poehler and Tina Fey of pushing 'gay agenda.'

Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler accused of pushing an ‘aggressive gay agenda’ - The anti-lgbt hate group Liberty Counsel have accused Tom Hanks, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Alec Baldwin of pushing an "aggressive gay agenda" because they are supporting a telethon for the American Civil Liberties Union. I have one question - why can't gay men keep their mouths shut. I mean that's four spies whose covers are blown! #snark 

School Pulls Book About Gender Non-Conforming Kid After Backlash - Meanwhile, those books about a wolf eating a little girl with interesting fashion sense, a blondie breaking and entering a house owned by three bears, and the juvenile living in sin in the forest with seven coal miners will remain. Come on folks. The child is simply wearing a dress. I mean is that so bad?! 

How a Gay Employee Fought Horrific Discrimination and Won a Major Legal Victory - Good for him! I hope he wins.

 Debunking the New Atlantis Article On Sexuality And Gender - Siiiigh! As usual, the anti-lgbtq right is always trying to sneak in a fake study on us.

Franklin Graham called out for homophobia & Trump hypocrisy

Charlotte Observer writer calls out Franklin's hypocrisy.

I hate it when I nearly miss good posts calling out the religious right, such as this one. Over a month ago, Issac Bailey of The Charlotte Observer called out Franklin Graham in a wonderful column Franklin Graham's God isn't mine; is he yours? 

The column blasted Franklin's hypocrisy  about Donald Trump and manic devotion to linking Christianity to conservative politics. Over a month later, it's still causing a buzz.  Check out this snippet:

I am a Christian, born and raised in a Christian family, a man who attended a conservative Christian church for nearly two decades and had my kids dedicated there. But I do not serve the God Graham serves. His God is vengeful and petty. His God favors the already-privileged and doesn’t mind condemning the already-marginalized. His God prefers preserving tradition to saving lives, or even souls. His God wouldn’t care much about the findings in a new study from Johns Hopkins’ School of Public Health, which showed that gay, lesbian and bisexual teenagers have been less likely to try to kill themselves in states that embraced gay marriage.  

.  . . It has always fascinated me that a God who Graham says is never-changing always finds a way to morph in ways that seem to parallel shifts in the Republican Party. The GOP targeted abortion in the 1970s; Graham’s God has been condemning abortion since. The GOP decided to view transgendered Americans as a grave threat to the social order; lo and behold, now so does Graham’s God. After the GOP says a thrice-married adulterous man caught on video bragging about casually sexually assaulting women – after spending years elevating a bigoted conspiracy about the nation’s first black president – is the perfect standard bearer for the party of values voters, Graham’s God miraculously sees past sins for which Donald Trump never repented and elevates him to the highest office in the land.