Anti-LGBTQ hate group employee defends anti-gay adoption law with skillful evasion

I had a very nice twitter conversation today with Kellie Fiedorek of the Alliance Defending Freedom regarding the recent law passed in Oklahoma which allow adoption agencies to receive taxpayer funding while discriminating against the LGBTQ community.

For those who don't know, the Alliance Defending Freedom has been called a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center due to its diligent attention to undermining LGBTQ rights on many levels. From writing anti-transgender student bills to defending discrimination against the LGBTQ community to helping efforts to put gays in jail simply for their sexual orientation in countries like Belize and Jamaica, ADF is a one-stop shop for attempts to put bigotry and homophobia into laws.

And (surprise, surprise) ADF also has a hand in crafting bills like the one just passed in Oklahoma.

Of course ADF doesn't actually come out of the box screaming about the "homosexual agenda" like other folks we know, such as Peter LaBarbera or Linda Harvey. Instead, ADF is very passive-aggressive, sort of like a racist organization which says that "it's not anti-black, just pro-white."

The sad thing is, as you will read in photocopied Twitter thread below, ADF employees come across nice. So nice in fact that you almost forget what the organization is actually about  (Editor's note - please pardon the spelling errors and the typos on my part) :

'Pence addresses LGBTQ-unfriendly college, credits Trump with supposedly more people believing in God' & other Mon midday news briefs

Mike Pence addresses one of the most LGBTQ-unfriendly colleges in the country - And that's not the most shocking thing about the situation. Check out the news brief below.

WATCH: Mike Pence says more Americans believe in God now because Donald Trump is president - This right here is the most shocking. And he is probably right if he is talking about the number of Americans who have sank to their knees crying "Oh God! Why is this fool in charge!" 

Anti-gay adoption bills mask messages of old bigotry with false appeals to religious freedom - My post from earlier this morning because if you haven't read it yet, you really should. 

LGBTQ Groups Call New Oklahoma Adoption Law Discriminatory - THIS is what I'm talking about in the above news brief. 

Scott Lively Wants To Be The Champion Of ‘Authentic Conservative Homosexual’ Voters - He means self-hating, closeted gay voters.

Anti-gay adoption bills mask messages of old bigotry with false appeals to religious freedom

When we attempt to take advantage of our fairly won marriage victory by going through the  rituals and routines it encompasses, that same religious horde conjures up the argument that innocent inquiries into wedding shops and bakeries or desires to simply start a family via foster care or adoption are actually strategic plots to undermine and destroy Christianity. And that people and industries whose so-called religious beliefs would never be "protected" if they were exploited to deny service because of race, religion, or gender suddenly need a blanket of protection against the gay community because we are acting as if we are normal Americans.

Don't be fooled by the lies folks say regarding the law in Oklahoma, the soon-to-become law in Kansas, and several other similar laws which allow adoption and foster care agencies to discriminate against gays while receiving tax dollars.

The proponents of these contraptions masquerading as bills and laws will  claim that agencies doing a service shouldn't have to betray their "core beliefs." Then they will tell you exaggerated anecdotes and spin awful tales of how supposedly gays are targeting Christians for financial ruin and how that these laws are the only thing standing between having successful businesses and people losing their homes, livelihood, etc.

Their spin is so good that you tend to forget that behind it is a syndicate of religious zealots and organizations with lots of money, lots of media savvy, a lot of connections to government, and a self-righteous mindset which makes them immune to any type of self-examination that doesn't end with God coming down from Heaven and anointing them with crowns while  a host of angels sing their praises.

Let me speak for other side of the issue, i.e. the men, women, children, and families who are and will be damaged by these laws. No one is paying attention to us. No one seems to care about our core beliefs or our livelihoods while preening, precisely coiffed men and women ooze fake sincerity as they repeat rehearsed talking points about "religion being this nation's cornerstone," etc. etc.

'Homer's Phobia' was a groundbreaking episode of 'The Simpsons'

Editor's note - Enjoy tonight's fun post. I am currently working on a little something which has been on my mind due to these bills and laws allowing adoption agencies to receive taxpayer funds while discriminating against the LGBTQ community. And I will be taking the unusual step posting it early tomorrow morning.

 In 1997, The Simpsons looked at homophobia in an Emmy-award winning episode entitled 'Homer's Phobia.' I'm guessing that a lot of folks reading this post saw the episode and found it as hilarious as I did. Over 20 years later, the episode still holds up as one of the funniest ones in television history. With the right level of comedy and education, it never comes across as trying too hard to be comedic or PC. In this video, my friend Matt Baume gives more details about how groundbreaking 'Homer's Phobia' was.

'Another anti-gay evangelical willing to ignore Stormy Daniels hush money payment' & other Fri midday news briefs

Matt Barber

Matt Barber Covers For Trump On Stormy Daniels, Says Hush Money Payment Was ‘Just The Regular Course Of Business’ - Late to the party, but just as hypocritical as those already present. Super Christian Matt "we need to start talking more an in graphic detail about gay sex to disgust people enough to not support gay equality" Barber claims that the hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels was "ordinary legal settlement."

Editor's note - according to GLAAD, Barber just loves talking about the LGBTQ community in ugly tones. Maybe he would love us more if we started paying off heterosexual porn stars . . .

House Dems demand answers on LGBT removal from SBA website - As the Trump Administration eliminates mentions of the LGBTQ community from another government website, Congressional Democrats want answers. I want answers, too. Who specifically is behind this mess? 

A teacher claims he was fired for his sexuality in federal discrimination lawsuit - That's right! Sue and take all the money! 

Georgia Democrat ‘loves homosexuals,’ but not equality - Girlfriend, we need to have a SERIOUS talk . . .

Alex Jones, Infowars verbal attacks on lesbian community reveal sad inadequacies

I apologize for exposing you to this awful video. From Media Matters:

Anyone watching Infowars long enough would notice host Alex Jones’ remarkable obsession with a very specific subset of the global population: lesbians. Jones’ unhinged tirades about innumerable topics have rightfully made him a target for online mockery and the protagonist of numerous internet memes. But there’s something more sinister than funny in the way that Jones and some of his guest co-hosts depict, mock, and dissociate from lesbians to Infowars’ hundreds of thousands of viewers. ones’ guest co-hosts -- including Gavin McInnes, founder of the chauvinistic fraternal organization Proud Boys, Infowars contributor Owen Shroyer, and anti-feminist troll Milo Yiannopoulos -- mimic his hateful rhetoric. That treatment ranges from sexist, sophomoric mocking of lesbians for their supposed appearance to the dangerous perpetuation of the absurd idea that lesbians are depressed because they need a man or have turned to women after having a “bad experience with men in their life.”

This is disgusting, it's nasty, it's grotesque. But it is part of the mindset which has put this country in the state it's in today, i.e. being led by incompetent dumbass who is supported by a  right-wing media obsessed with gaining money and ratings, conservative evangelicals abandoning their supposed integrity in a quest for secular power, and online moronic trolls who don't care about anything else other than "triggering liberals."

On the other hand, a bunch of pathetic wannabe alpha males attacking the "dreaded other," in this case the lesbian community, to cover up for their own obvious inadequacies is probably the best definition of what's going on these days.

NC GOP Congressional candidate Mark Harris has long history of opposing LGBT rights

Mark Harris

A primary win by a  pastor in North Carolina should catch the attention of the LGBTQ community.

According to Patheos:

Incumbents are typically favored in American elections, but that didn’t save GOP politician Rep. Robert Pittenger from his primary challenger, the anti-gay pastor Mark Harris last night. The surprise upset puts Harris, who helped lead the fight to ban same-sex marriage in North Carolina, against Democrat and Marine Corps veteran Dan McCready. It also puts a somewhat reliable Republican seat into a toss-up.

. . . Harris isn’t just a pastor; he is a fiercely anti-LGBTQ activist known for opposing civil rights and claiming that being gay is a choice. He is best known as a point man for a state amendment to ban same-sex marriages that was ultimately found unconstitutional. More recently, he led forces to repeal protections in Charlotte for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals.

And don't think for a second that marriage equality being legalized by SCOTUS will cause Harris to respect it should he get elected to Congress. On his campaign webpage, Harris said he would support conservative judges who would "revisit" the marriage equality ruling; the translation being he would support putting people on the bench whom he knows would strike down marriage equality before they were even sworn in.

A former blogging compadre of  mine, Jeremy Hooper, has a long file on Harris from when he covered the 2012 NC marriage equality vote. The following audio of Harris denigrating marriage equality and the LGBTQ community (in the name of religion, of course) is all you need to hear to know that if this man went to Congress, life for us would become more difficult. It's bad enough that the anti-LGBTQ industry already has much of Trump's attention and a hand in developing policies. Just think of how much more anti-gay havoc Harris would help them cause.

'LGBTQ community does well in primaries, now on to November' & other Wed midday news briefs

Primaries were held for last night and the winners will move on to November. For all of you "proper peoples" and concern trolls bellyaching about the LGBTQ community being in danger of being one issue voters, go straight to hell. While we should have a diverse desire when it comes to our voting choices, there is nothing wrong with us wanting to get our own elected or at the very least getting pro-LGBTQ candidates elected.  It's time we started being just a tad bit more selfish in that regard.

Antonio Wins Ohio Senate Primary; 10 LGBTQ Candidates Move on to November - LGBTQ candidates and allies were highly successful in Ohio. One of the winners, Rick Neal, has the potential to be Ohio's first gay Congressman. And Nickie Antonio just became the first LGBTQ to serve in the Ohio state senate.

Toxic Republican Loses in West Virginia, But Winner's Anti-LGBT - But in West Virginia . . . 

Family name helps Pence brother win GOP bid for House seat - That nauseating Mike Pence has a brother and he just won the GOP nomination for the Congressional seat which Pence once held.

A Gay Marriage Opponent Just Ousted A GOP Incumbent in North Carolina - And a pastor who wants to vote for judges who would overturn the marriage equality decision won the GOP nomination for Congress. The Democrats got a former Marine running against him.

And according to HRC, these pro-equality candidates won their primaries:

🇺🇸 @HRC is proud to endorse these pro-equality candidates who won primary election victories last night:

🗳️ @MMohammedNC
🗳️ Rep. @NickieAntonio
🗳️ Sen. @SherrodBrown
🗳️ @SteveDettelbach
🗳️ @RepBeatty
🗳️ @RepMarcyKaptur
🗳️ @RepTimRyan #OHSen #OHLeg #NCPol

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) May 9, 2018

In other news: 

Grandma Smacks Down Son’s Anti-LGBT Nonsense With Perfect Comeback - Handle yo' bizness, grandma! 

Grenell admonishes Germany on Iran deal in first week as ambassador - Trump appoints a gay ambassador, which the religious right doesn't raise even a word of complaint about. This is why. It is also why he was opposed by various LGBTQ organizations. 

Trump’s Ambassador to Germany Stokes Furor Over Iran Just One Day Into Job - More about the above news brief.

Anti-LGBTQ activist again proves why GLSEN's Day of Silence is needed

Linda Harvey

Every year,  GLSEN puts on a successful Day of Silence, spotlighting the problems LGBTQ youth face in America's schools.And almost every year anti-LGBTQ activist Linda Harvey bellyaches and whines about "recruitment" and "sodomy."

So why should this year be any different?

A mom who writes a popular blog, Katy Faust, reported receiving a note from her daughter’s high-school principal encouraging participation in the upcoming “Day of Silence.” 

 Both this principal and the Florida teacher used GLSEN’s talking point language about how the purpose is to protest alleged discrimination and “erasure” of those involved in these deviant behaviors. What “erasure”? These troubled “LGBTQ” kids still show up at school, attend classes, get grades and increasingly help drive out any Christian influence. Is sodomy to be commonplace and normalized? Hopefully, that will never happen.  

But in what twisted scenario would these kids “disappear”? Only in their compromised imaginations, and their creator God would always know their names and would love for them to draw closer to Him. 

An elementary school in San Leandro, California, posted a general message on the school website, presumably from the administration, announcing the upcoming “Day of Silence,” which ALL students were to observe with “… a grade level appropriate classroom discussion and the opportunity to participate in a silent lunch period.” The purpose was to honor those who have been “persecuted for their differences.” What differences? The truth is missing here, possibly on purpose. Homosexually identifying people are not different humans and are hardly silenced.

Harvey is a twisted homophobic hot mess. If she would only listen to herself, she would realize that she is proof as to why GLSEN's Day of Silence is needed.

'Oklahoma, Kansas undermining gay adoptions is no way to fix foster care system plagued by child deaths' & other Tue midday news briefs

Oklahoma and Kansas set to ban LGBT adoption — instead of fixing foster care systems plagued by child deaths - Giving tax dollars to adoption agencies while allowing them to discriminate gays is not a good solution for Oklahoma and Kansas, two states plagued with child deaths in their foster care systems. But they are probably doing it anyway. It's getting past ridiculous and cruising to "heartbreaking" territory.

National TV news ignored adoption and foster care bills that allow discrimination against LGBTQ parents - Meanwhile, we can always count on the national media to ignore this mess until it no doubt reaches a boiling point. We have to stop thinking of the media as crusading to right wrongs. Many are out for ratings and a buck. They want conflict and will hold their carpets out to the first person guaranteeing it. And that unfortunately sometimes is the religious right. Let's be as aggressive to get our faces and our people on these channels.

Conservative groups fighting subpoenas in Trump transgender lawsuits - If you blink, you will miss this very important story. It's not just the Family Research Council fighting the subpoenas but also the Heritage Foundation and Center for Military Readiness. That's three anti-LGBTQ groups fighting against releasing information which would show just deeply they were involved in Trump's ridiculous trans ban. And I heard rumors about specific names - Tony Perkins - Family Research Council, Ryan T. Anderson - The Heritage Foundation, and Elaine Donnelly - Center for Military Readiness. It's getting more and more interesting. 

Transgender media visibility helps reduce transphobia, new study shows - Yep! And that goes for the rest of the LGBTQ community, too. 

Ignorant On-Air Rant Against 'Destructive' Gays Leads Radio Station to Suspend Former GOP Official - And he was challenged while telling those lies. THIS is why we need to challenge these liars publicly and often.

At ‘Ex-Gay’ Rally ‘Activist Mommy’ Warns Of ‘War On Our Children’ Hiding Behind Rainbow And Glitter - The same hypocritical "song and dance" that the LGBTQ community has been attacked by - "we don't wish to discriminate or harm gays, but they are nasty degenerates who are trying to recruit children . . etc. . . . etc."

Jay-Z's mother, Ms. Gloria Carter, accepts special GLAAD award, gives wonderful speech about love & acceptance

The second half of this year's GLAAD awards took place Saturday and one of the best moments in my mind was when Gloria Carter, mother of rapper Jay-Z, accepted a special award for herself and her son for the song, 'Smile.'

In the song 'Smile,' Jay-Z, tells of his mother’s struggles and of his unwavering love and support for her: “Mama had four kids, but she's a lesbian. Had to pretend so long that she's a thespian. Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate. Society shame and the pain was too much to take. Cried tears of joy when you fell in love. Don't matter to me if it's a him or her. I just wanna see you smile through all the hate.”

Carter lent her voice to “Smile” during the outro, powerfully stating: “Living in the shadow. Can you imagine what kind of life it is to live? In the shadows people see you as happy and free. Because that's what you want them to see. Living two lives, happy, but not free. You live in the shadows for fear of someone hurting your family or the person you love. The world is changing and they say it's time to be free. But you live with the fear of just being me. Living in the shadow feels like the safe place to be. No harm for them, no harm for me. But life is short, and it's time to be free. Love who you love, because life isn't guaranteed. Smile.”

At the GLAAD awards, Ms. Carter spoke eloquently of love and acceptance. That enough was awesome, but the fact that it came from an older lesbian of color made the moment much better because they are the voices that we don't often hear from, but definitely need to.

''Ex-gay' march a huge failure' & other Mon midday news briefs

‘Ex-gays’ humiliated in DC when no one showed up for their big rally - For years, those who practice "ex-gay" therapy said there were hundreds of them and then we would say "well then why don't y'all have a march to prove it." They just did. It didn't go well for them. My heart goes out to those who desperately believe that they can somehow "cure" themselves. But we have to press the the point that the main point of so-called ex-gay therapy is not to cure people, but to undermine the LGBTQ community, our equality, and safety.

‘Dying because of hypocrisy’: Ex-megachurch pastor says Trump-loving evangelicals are digging their own graves - They ain't digging fast enough as far as I'm concerned. 

Gay Candidate known for wearing high heels wins mayor's race in Texas - Alright! Work it, Mr. Mayor!

America’s Only Openly Transgender Mayor Has Been Voted Out of Office - You win one, you lose one. And vice versa.

Disney's long & complicated issue with gay characters

Remember how some folks flipped out, while others applauded last year when Disney announced that there would be a gay character in the live action version of Beauty and the Beast? Apparently the joke was on all of us. According the above video (very well-done and thorough), Disney has a very long and complicated history regarding gay characters dating back to the 1930s.  Check out some history and prepared to be shocked . . . or have your suspicions validated.

Family Research Council exploiting needy children to further degrade the LGBTQ community

A bill passed this week in Kansas and another passed in Oklahoma will allow adoption agencies to discriminate against gays and still receive taxpayer dollars on the grounds of so-called religious liberty.

This will harm children by reducing the number of families who would take them in. Not only that but it's degrading and unfair to gay tax payers because it openly says that entities which do not treat us fairly can help themselves to our money.

But leave it to the Family Research Council to distort the situation, making the LGBTQ community seem like the villains:

LGBT activists have been fond of saying that same-sex marriage would never affect you. Well, now, it's not only affecting you -- it's affecting needy kids. 

Across the country, Christian charities and adoption services have been bracing themselves against wave after wave of attack from liberals, desperate to kick them out of the child welfare industry. As far as these extremists are concerned, no organization -- including an explicitly religious one -- should be allowed to operate if they hold a biblical view of marriage. In places like Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts, their crusade has gone so far as to close down one of the largest child placement services in the area -- Catholic Charities -- because it refused to compromise its core beliefs. 

Fortunately, in some states, the bullying is prompting a counter-attack from common sense lawmakers, who think it's well within a charity's right to decide which homes are the best and most loving options for children. In Oklahoma, the state legislature followed in the suit of at least five other states, sending a measure to Gov. Mary Fallin's (R) desk that would give religious groups the freedom to exercise their faith in their placement policies. Democrats were so irate during the debate that the presiding officer threatened to have one member removed. 

In nearby Kansas, legislators acted hours later, passing their version of the "Child Welfare Inclusion Act" 63-58 in the House and 24-15 in the Senate early this morning. "This is a matter of activist groups who don't like certain religious beliefs and they want to use the power of the government to crush people that operate according to those religious beliefs," said Michael Schuttloffel, the director of the Kansas Catholic Conference. With, as the AP points out, an already overloaded foster care system, the state can't afford to lose a single provider – let alone one of Kansas's biggest. 

Governor Jeff Coyler (R) must have agreed, promising to make the bill law. "Catholic Charities and other adoption agencies are key to the fabric of our communities. I look forward to signing this bill because it increases the opportunities for needy children to find loving homes." Hopefully, his counterpart in Oklahoma will follow suit, recognizing that liberal activists are more concerned with pushing their intolerant agenda than they are with finding children good homes.

It's not accidental that FRC omitted same-sex couples who adopt children. To the group, families like that either don't exist or don't count. And it's also not by accident that the organization lied about Catholic Charities. No one forced them to shut down. They chose to shut down because they couldn't have things both ways - i.e. discriminate against gays while taking our money.

It's rather vile of FRC to claim that the LGBTQ community is harming innocent children when we are merely asserting our rights as taxpayers and when the organization itself has done NOTHING to help children needing adoption except for conjuring up ways to degrade the LGBTQ community. FRC doesn't care about children needing to be adopted more than it cares about keeping the LGBTQ community under heel.


Related post:

To the Family Research Council, anti-Christian persecution is bad but anti-LGBTQ persecution is appropriate - It's been a busy week for the hate group. Earlier, it praised Trump for protecting Christians from international persecution then a day later, slammed the Obama Administration for doing the same thing for the LGBTQ community.

News brief special - Franklin Graham, evangelical right weaponizing 'religious liberty' to harm same-sex families, steal gay tax dollars

So Franklin Graham thinks that adoption agencies which discriminate against gays should have a right to take gay tax dollars under the lie of "religious liberty"  and "religious freedom."


Kansas governor will sign law making it legal to ban gays & lesbians from adopting - First Oklahoma, now Kansas. "Religious liberty" and "religious freedom" are weapons being used against LGBTQ families, equality, and safety. 

Trump is a Liar, But That Doesn’t Bother the Court Evangelicals - Trump's lies don't bother the religious right because they have use for him. He is their key in attempting to reshape America in their twisted image, and this especially includes curtailing LGBTQ equality. 

Religious Right Cheers Trump Push For Federal Agencies To Fund Religious Groups - Like that crap he signed yesterday. Evangelicals don't care about Trump's lies or how he is ruining the country. They only care about what they want. 

Trump Just Handed a Weapon to Anti-LGBTQ Cretins of Every Stripe with New ‘Religious Freedom’ Executive Order - More about yesterday's nonsense. 

Most Americans Don’t Want Businesses To Discriminate Against LGBTQ People: Study - The majority of Americans DO NOT want this, but we have make our voices known.

Religious right spokesman - Christianity is the only religion which has First Amendment rights

 A needed reminder as to who the enemies of LGBTQ equality are in this country. Some in the LGBTQ community turn our backs on religion in general due to how we have been treated in the past. That's your right but I submit to you that this isn't a good idea. As the farce called the National Day of Prayer showed us on Thursday and this video of the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer insane ramblings about how only Christians (and by Christians, he means conservative evangelicals) are protected by the First Amendment, it may be a good idea for the American LGBTQ community to not cast a blanket of criticism over religion in general. It's obvious that certain segment of Christianity has shown itself to be a huge problem in this country. Especially when on considers how much power Trump is giving them.

One last thing - Wiccans do not worship the devil nor do they worship witchcraft. Another lie via Fischer.

Hat tip to Right Wing Watch

'Trump, evangelical anti-LGBTQ right make National Day of Prayer into a ridiculous sham' & other Thur midday news briefs

Evangelical anti-LGBTQ right celebrate National Day of Prayer with their 'replacement Jesus.'

Tweets and posts serve as reminders that Trump and the evangelical anti-LGBTQ right are making the National Day of Prayer into a ridiculous sham:

Last night his lawyer said Trump knew about a hush money payment (which he repeatedly lied about) to a porn star so she wouldn't publicize their adultery. #Values #GOP #Hypocricy pic.twitter.com/SF1LkS6RxJ

— paul marvin (@PaulMarvinArts) May 3, 2018

A guest at the White House for the National Day of Prayer event tells me I am “pitiful and disgusting” for reporting that President Trump reimbursed his attorney for the $130,000 he paid a porn actress. I think you’re gonna have to take that up with Trump, sir.

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) May 3, 2018

To the Family Research Council, anti-Christian persecution is bad but anti-LGBTQ persecution is appropriate - And other than trying to ignore the Stormy Daniels controversy is this. Days before the National Days of Prayer, only The Family Research Council would have the audacity to slam the Obama Administration's efforts to keep the LGBTQ community safe from international persecution a day after it praised Trump for keeping Christians safe from the same thing.

This Southern judge from Georgia just came out as bisexual - Good for him!

Mandatory LGBT history lessons for schoolchildren approved by the Illinois Senate - This headline makes it sound like coercion but personally I think it's a good idea.

HISTORIC: New Hampshire Approves Transgender Non-Discrimination Bill - Way to go, New Hampshire!

To the Family Research Council, anti-Christian persecution is bad but anti-LGBTQ persecution is appropriate

Someone needs to tell the Family Research Council that fighting religious persecution and fighting anti-LGBTQ persecution is not an either/or situation

On Tuesday, the Family Research Council praised Trump for supposedly calling out Nigeria for its persecution of Christians:

As toxic as our culture can be, Americans still take going to church safely for granted. In places like Nigeria, the simple act of showing up to worship can be deadly. Late last month, the world was horrified to read that another remote village in the African country lost another 19 people to a mass shooting at church. Radical Islamists walked into the service and opened fire, killing two priests and 17 others. The ones who survived watched helplessly as the Muslim herdsmen set fire to more than 50 of their homes. And the violence shows no sign of stopping. 

Yesterday, in a joint press conference with the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, President Trump called out Buhari for not making more of an effort to protect the country's men and women of faith. "We are deeply concerned by religious violence in Nigeria including the burning of churches and the killing and persecution of Christians. It's a horrible story," Trump said bluntly. "We encourage Nigeria and the federal state and local leaders to do everything in their power to immediately secure the affected communities and to protect innocent civilians of all faiths including Muslims and including Christians." 

It was a bold move to challenge Buhari publicly -- one that proves the president's deep sincerity on the issue of religious liberty. Although Nigerian officials have taken the threats of ISIS and Boko Haram more seriously, the Fulani herdsman are proving to be more deadly than either. The situation becomes even more delicate when you consider that Buhari is Fulani and also Muslim, which has led several people to wonder if he's trying hard enough to end the bloodshed.

Don't get me wrong. If this happened the way the Family Research Council claimed it did, then good for Trump. People shouldn't be imprisoned, murdered, or persecuted in any way for their religious beliefs.

 And the same goes for sexual orientation. Too bad the Family Research Council doesn't feel that way.

2011 Flashback - 16 Reasons Why the Family Research Council is a Hate Group

Barring any changes, due to real world events, there will be no midday news briefs Wednesday. With that in mind, I decided to pull a post out of the archives which is very pertinent to current events. In 2011, I wrote '16 Reasons Why The Family Research Council is a Hate Group ' and since that time, many reasons can be added. However, these reasons (from falsely accusing GLSEN of exposing children to explicit sexual material to comparing gay men to pedophiles to time and time again distorting credible studies to denigrate the LGBTQ community) are sufficient enough to make my point of just how dangerous FRC is to the equality and safety of the LGBTQ community. Particularly when one takes into account that due to Trump, the  group currently has a more influential hand to create policy than it did in 2011.

August 15, 2011 - GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) issues a cease-and-desist letter against the Family Research Council demanding that the organization remove video falsely accusing GLSEN of distributing an explicit safe-sex guide to children. FRC subsequently changed the video, tacitly admitting that it was pushing a falsehood against GLSEN.

June 13, 2011 - Two years after claiming to remove "studies" from its website because they contained "outdated material," FRC sneaks the studies back on its website. One of the studies includes citations to the work of Paul Cameron, a highly discredited research.

February 28, 2011 - In order to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), FRC distorts research in order to compare gay men to pedophiles.

February 16, 2011 - FRC spokesman Peter Sprigg makes the claim that same-sex households are inferior to two-parent heterosexual households by using studies which have nothing to do with same-sex households. Sprigg, by the way, has earlier voiced opinions that gays should be exported out of the United States:

'Drag queens planning mass protest for Donald Trump's visit to Britain' & other Tue midday news briefs

Donald Trump to be met with mass drag queen protest when he visits Britain - Hey, go for it! Promises to be very interesting.

Third of LGBT employees hide their sexual orientation at work - Unfortunately, this is very necessary.

Family Research Council paints its hypocrisy in glowing colors with attack on Michelle Wolf, WHCD - Reposting last night's blog entry.

Two transgender residents sue Wisconsin over discriminatory Medicaid rule - Gotta fight for your rights.