'Over 100 LGBTQ candidates claimed victory in midterm elections' & other Fri midday news briefs

The LGBTQ community voting in 2016

The LGBTQ community voting in 2018

Still looking over the positive repercussions of Tuesday's midterms for the LGBTQ community. There are just so many. It is astounding. This what happens when you get out, run for office, and vote en masse. It may not have been a quick victory but that makes it tastier.

Over 100 LGBTQ candidates claim victory in midterm elections - The final count (for now) is that over 100 LGBTQ candidates won.This article came out on Nov. 7 so things may have changed but not for the worst.

Record LGBT support for Democrats in midterms, NBC News Exit Poll shows - And we love our Democratic party.

In seven years, Zach Wahls went from an activist to the Iowa state Senate - Even the children in LGBTQ families kicked ass on election night. I know this young man and he is going far.

A Florida Town is Now Completely Run by LGBTQ Folks - Don't let the religious right know but Wilton Manors, FL is now completely run by us.

A Rainbow Wave in Texas? 14 of 35 LGBTQ Candidates Win - Forty percent of LGBTQs who ran for public office in Texas won their races.

But let's not waste too much time celebrating. A good friend of mine, Michelangelo Signorile once said after the marriage equality fights that "it's not over" and he was right. Whenever we win, those who oppose our equality and safety always spring back with something meaner and deadlier like the news brief below proves. We have to always be ready and every victory should be a way to gain more victories because junk like this is going to be with us for a while:

A professor was told stop denigrating a student. Now he’s suing because God told him to do it.

Blue wave sweeps vicious North Carolina homophobe out of office

Bill James.

To the rest of the country, former Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James is unknown. But to the LGBTQ community in North Carolina, he has been a headache for a long time. According to the LGBTQ newspaper QNotes:

When, in 2009, County Commissioners voted 6-3 to approve same-sex partner benefits for county employees, Commissioner Vilma Leake delivered personal remarks as to why she supported the measure, bringing up her gay son who died from complications of AIDS. James leaned over to her and, over a hot mic, asked, “Your son was a homo, really?” Leake answered back, “Don’t make me hurt you. Don’t do that to me. Don’t talk to me about my son.” James later refused to apologize, comparing homosexuality to alcoholism, and calling Leake a “religious hypocrite.” James’ comments against Leake’s son resulted in then Chair of the Mecklenburg County Commission, and current mayor, Jennifer Roberts, publicly condemning his comments, although without directly naming him.

 When Jennifer Roberts, then County Commissioner Chair, made a request to send a letter thanking some members of the Charlotte area congressional delegation for their “yes” votes on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) repeal, James sent off one of his famous emails, this time saying, “Homosexuals are sexual predators.” He went on, stating, “The US Government would not allow Hetero men and women to share showers and other personal facilities yet the leading homosexual in Congress (Barney Frank) thinks it is OK for homosexuals to do so allowing enlisted men and women to fall prey to higher ranking or more powerful homosexuals who ogle them (or worse).”

(James) is more gay sex obsessed than most gay people – although one study suggests that homophobes may be tormented closet cases, which is interesting, isn’t it?
The best example of James’ gay sex obsession can be found in this 2005 email. Notice that he mistakes felching – the act of sucking one’s own semen out of someone’s anus [note that this is an act that could be committed by a male-female couple just as easily, making it not exclusively a homosexual act…although I imagine it is not terribly popular in either the gay or straight communities] – with gerbiling – the most likely completely urban myth act of sticking a gerbil up one’s own anus. He also apparently thinks this is something that the gay community is into, in spite of the fact that it is not actually something the gay community is into.

There is a reason why I called him "former." On Tuesday, after 11 terms in office,  James was finally defeated. He was one of three Republicans who lost their seats in the area due to the "blue wave."

Or as QNotes puts it:

At long, long, long, long last — Bill James has gotten the boot!  . . . So, Bill, I guess that 11 terms was enough for the Queen City and the county. Frankly, one was more than enough for me. Now, our crown can shed its brilliance and polish and truly become a “world class city,” complete with a group of folks who do not let bigotry and bias become the rule of law. We are so much better off for it

'Gays for Trump' founder lost his NC election in landslide' & other Thur midday news briefs

Not a popular sentiment during the midterm vote on Tuesday.

The founder of ‘Gays for Trump’ got trounced in his North Carolina election - It's wrong to gloat so consider what I'm doing as pointing out the obvious. It was like one of those superbowls in which a team loses 56 to 10. 

Don’t Let Your Expectations Fool You, The Midterms Were A Huge Defeat For Trump - Preach, Mr. Signorile. 

With Democrats winning the House, LGBT advocates have great expectations - You had better believe it, jack!  

New Acting AG Defended Man’s Right to Call LGBTQ People the ‘Gaystapo’ and ‘The Enemy’ as ‘Religious Beliefs’ - Ugh!  

Caitlyn Jenner Donates $85,000 To LGBT Charities - Keep working at it. You got a long way to go, girlfriend.

Anti-LGBTQ activist claims (without proof) that the Democrats cheated to win the House in midterms

And how fun would it be to reminisce over last night's midterm victories without a zany right-winger making a fool of himself in anger over losing. In this case, it's anti-LGBTQ activist Dave Daubenmire. Daubenmire, who once said masturbation is actually gay sex, totally unconvinced that the Democrats won control of the House last night without cheating. Of course he offers up no proof but who needs proof when you are a right-wing conservative Christian?

News brief special - 2018 midterm Blue Wave fueled heavily with a shot from the rainbow: LGBTQ community garners huge victories

The Blue Wave took place last night with a huge shot of the rainbow

Don't let some members of the media push the false narrative. A blue wave took place last night and not only swept Democrats into having control of the House of Representatives, but certain wins conducive to their future successes took place. This is not to say that heartbreaking losses weren't suffered and voter suppression didn't do its work (particularly in Georgia). But the under written story of Tuesday night has to be the mega success of LGBTQ candidates and positions. It used to be that being an LGBTQ was a nonstarter to seeking public office. In this particular midterms, it wasn't. The news briefs below is list of our immense victories from last night. Let's not be too quick to celebrate yet. If I'm seeing this, then I am sure that the anti-LGBT industry is also seeing this. And we all know they don't back down from their homophobia. They tend to double down.

Celebrate LGBTQ Victories in the Midterms!:

A Pro-Equality Majority in the House of Representatives!

Democratic control of the U.S. House brings:

• a pro-LGBTQ-equality majority to one arm of Congress, and the incoming House leadership has promised to make the Equality Act a priority
• the potential for meaningful oversight of the Trump Administration’s anti-LGBTQ agenda
• the potential to advance the Every Child Deserves a Family Act

Record Wins for LGBTQ Candidates, including LGBTQ Parents! 

Just a few examples:

• Sharice Davids becomes first LGBTQ person and Native American to represent Kansas in Congress
• Jared Polis from Colorado becomes the first gay man – and gay dad – to be elected governor in the U.S.
• Chris Pappas becomes New Hampshire’s first openly gay member of Congress
• Angie Craig defeats anti-LGBTQ congressman to become first openly LGBTQ person – and lesbian mom – elected to Congress from Minnesota

… and across the country, many state legislatures added their first, or additional, out LGBTQ representatives to their rosters.

LGBTQ parents can let our kids know that families like ours were heard, respected, and elected last night.

Outspoken Generation Co-Chair Zach Wahls Becomes First Person with Openly LGBTQ Parents Elected to State Government!

Many of you will remember the viral video of Zach defending his moms against an attempt to invalidate same-sex civil unions in back in 2011. Continuing his record of leadership, Zach is now Senator-elect for Iowa’s Senate District 37.

Voters in Massachusetts Overwhelmingly Rejected Repeal of Transgender Protections

In doing so, Massachusetts became the first state in US history to successfully defend transgender rights by popular vote!

Democrats Regain Control of the New York State Senate

… raising the prospect of finally overturning the state’s draconian law prohibiting gestational surrogacy.

 LGBTQ Candidates Record Historic Midterm Wins In Rainbow Wave - More on the victories

 In addition:

Vote Blue on Tue for equality, fairness and to send a message to Trump evangelicals

The LGBTQ community will be voting for equality, fairness, & to send a message to these Trump evangelicals.

Those of us who will be voting blue will be voting for honesty and the integrity of our country. We will be voting to send a message that our leaders need to do better and not cower under the nonsense that Trump spews. We will be voting to say that Trumpism is vile poison.

 And we won't forget the enablers of Trumpism, i.e. the right-wing evangelicals. The so-called Christian and moral leaders (James Dobson, Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council, Franklin Graham, the Alliance Defending Freedom, Robert Jeffress, etc. etc.) who traded the religious integrity they were supposed to uphold for power and White House access. Those leaders who weaponized the Bible and twisted it with  ease to make excuses for Trump or give him "mulligans" for his un-Christian behavior.

The LGBTQ community know these Trump evangelicals much more than we would like to.

In the 50s and 60s, they said we were perverts who ought to be jailed.  

In the 70s, they said we recruit children.

 In the 80s, they said we were diseased freaks who run around catching AIDS. 

 In the 90s, they said we wanted "special rights." 

 In the 2000s, they said we wanted to redefine marriage. 

 Now they claim we are trying to put Christians out of business and jail them.

And in the two years in which Trump has been in the White House, he has given them the power to make policy and has basically done their bidding to make our lives hell. From attempting to steal LGBTQ tax dollars and award them to entities which would still be allowed to discriminate against us to attempting to ban transgender men and women from serving in the military to attempting to erase the trans identity to attempting to erase all of us from the Census, Trump and his allies have done the LGBTQ community dirty. But on Tuesday, we can begin to collect the dues and pay back the attacks. We've always had power to stop them and tomorrow, we need to begin exercising that power by voting.

'Six LGBTQ candidates to watch on election night' & other Mon midday news briefs

Sen. Tammy Baldwin

Here are the 6 LGBTQ candidates to watch on election night - Get your ass out there and VOTE. I think it could good night. BUT it depends on all of us who care about fairness, equality, and making America fulfill its promises and potential. 

Transphobic Parent Activists Target Journalists With Misinformation About Pediatricians - Simply a damn mess.

  U.S. State Department Urges Gay People in Danger in Tanzania to Take Cover on Social Media Immediately - Siiigh! ‘

Duck Dynasty’ Patriarch’s GOTV Message: Democrats Are Evil and Depraved God-Haters - The who? The what?

To the fool who wants to "save" my soul from homosexuality . . . do not come for me

Every now and then, I get interesting messages from people trying to "save" my soul from the supposed sin of homosexuality. I got this one today:

Homosexuality SHOULD be AVOIDED and not celebrated. Straight people(Christians especially) do not 'celebrate' homosexuality. We serve a God who shuns gay lifestyle as an abomination. We don't stand for gay lifestyle. We stand for Godly lifestyle. We have every right not to take part in applauding homosexuality. Jesus loves you. He died for you to SET YOU FREE from your sins, not so you could PERISH celebrating the wrong things. Gays certainly don't celebrate Christianity and heterosexuality. So why should we celebrate men destroying themselves with AIDS? How is that a GOOD thing? 

My answer:

Dear Person Who Makes A Lot of Assumptions,

If I ever need to find out what God thinks of homosexuality, I will go to the source and ask Him. As it is, I already know the answer. The God I know doesn't shun his LGBTQ children. He made us exactly as we are. To paraphrase a Biblical quote:

  We are the Lord's doing and marvelous we are in His eyes.

I know this personally because it is my faith in God which allowed me to accept myself exactly as I am. Perhaps you should educate yourself before you draw LGBTQs and Christians into two opposite camps. Some of us are Christian, some of us are Jewish, some of us are Muslim, while some of us embrace no religion at all. I don't need some irrelevant nobody to tell me that Jesus loves me. I know that already. As God made me to be gay, Jesus loves me as gay.

What you claim to stand or not stand for is none of my concern. No one is forcing you to celebrate anything you don't want to. But I am telling you that we are as much a part of this world as you and you need to lose that self-righteous tone which led you to invade my blog and start pronouncing judgements on me without the courtesy of getting to know me.  If you don't like it, that is your problem. You have no right to demand that the LGBTQ community live our lives embracing your sad sense of entitlement. You have no right to demand that we edit our lives to suit your ignorance and lurid imagination of what you think we do in the bedroom.

You are a sad, ignorant bigot. Your hiding behind religious beliefs doesn't make you a hero. It doesn't make you noble. It reveals simply how much of a coward you are. 

'Conservative evangelical leaders deliberately silent as Trump scapegoats immigrants' & other Fri midday news briefs

Conservative evangelicals have a new 'savior.'

Trump-Loving Evangelical Leaders Silent as He Bashes Migrants - Prime example of right-wing evangelical hypocrisy. The Family Research Council, Robert Jeffress, James Dobson, Gary Bauer, etc. go to the outer limits falsely accusing the LGBTQ community of "recruiting children" and trying to "destroy Christianity." Here we have a president openly and actively bashing immigrant men, women, children and these so-called protector of morality are conveniently silent. And why? Because they don't want to jeopardize the goodies Trump gives them with regards to access and shaping policies. Don't forget whenever Trump leaves that we got a LOT of conservative evangelical leaders we need to make give an account of their behavior when he was in office. 

 Trump: Nobody’s Done More For Religion Than I Have - White conservative evangelical dominionism is hardly a religion worth bragging about.  

Gay Billionaire Peter Thiel Says He’ll Support Trump in 2020, Calls His Lies ‘Exaggerations of the Truth’ - I don't care how much money Peter Thiel has. He ought to be ashamed of himself for supporting someone who has declared war on the LGBTQ community. 

Christian woman terrifies kids when she crashes children’s story time to yell anti-gay slurs - This right here is a hot mess. Children AND their parents were enjoying a wonderful event when Ms. Anita Bryant Wannabe came busting in talking about "homosexual indoctrination." I'm not one for violence but if I had a child and was at the event, girlfriend would have had her weave snatched.

Can't Be Converted: An Arkansas Woman on Surviving Conversion Therapy - Sad but wonderful story.

'Porno'Pete LaBarbera angry that no one is alarmed about large number of LGBTQs running for public office

LaBarbera

Regardless of how next Tuesday's midterm elections turn out, the fact that it includes a very large number of LGBTQ Americans running has not escaped many people,  particularly long-time anti-LGBTQ activist 'Porno Pete' LaBarbera. According to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch , the enormous amount of us seeking public office has gotten him rather upset, He was on VCY America’s “Crosstalk” radio program complaining about it with host Jim Schneider. LaBarbera was especially upset that no one in the mainstream seems to negatively care about the development as much as he does. It's called "progress," my weirdo friend. Deal with it.

'They are targeting LGBTQs in Tanzania and American hate group in position to undermine action against it' & other Thur midday news briefs

Will Tony Perkins and FRC undermine efforts to stop international LGBTQ targeting?

Tanzanian City to Begin Anti-LGBTQ Witch Hunt - They are witch hunting LGBTQ people in Tanzania's capital, Dar es Salaam. It's something to keep in mind for two reasons - the LGBTQ struggle for equality and safety is universal. And anti-LGBTQ groups such as the Family Research Council, though not directly taking part in this, are in the position to undermine efforts at the United Nations to speak out against witch hunts like this:

FRC is partnered with anti-LGBTQ hate group World Congress of Families, which worked to pass Russia’s “gay propaganda” law. FRC is a dues-paying partner of the World Congress of Families (WCF), an anti-LGBTQ hate group that worked closely with Russian lawmakers, activists, and officials as the country shaped its “gay propaganda” law. After the ban passed, the group issued a press release supporting the law. The law was closely tied to a “ratcheting up of homophobic rhetoric in state media and an increase in homophobic violence around the country,” according to Human Rights Watch, and has been used to detain LGBTQ rights activists. WCF promotes the idea of a “demographic winter,” which suggests that European populations “are in decline because of homosexuality, abortion, feminism, women in the workplace, and a variety of other things that deviate from the ‘natural family.’” 

More on FRC's United Nations connections - Family Research Council is terrible, and its president Tony Perkins just got appointed to an international commission  

Will Bolsonaro's victory in Brazil usher right-wing ripple effects in Latin America? - And a right-wing president in Brazil  is sending LGBTQ Brazilians on edge. 

Activists Unfurl Giant Transgender Pride Flag at Lincoln Memorial - Because of what's been going on lately with Trump's attempt to erase the transgender community, actions like this are very appropriate. 

Transgender people turned to safety hotlines in droves in response to Trump’s erasure memo - Because it is scaring a lot of people.

 IOWA: Hundreds Of Books Donated To Library After Christian Activist Checks Out And Burns LGBT Titles - We still got lots of support everywhere.

While Trump demonizes immigrants for midterm elections, the religious right demonizes transgender community

With good reason, a lot of folks are up in arms about Trump's attempt to demonize immigrants and asylum seekers to get his base out for next Tuesday's election, Unfortunately, folks are missing how anti-LGBTQ groups are doing the same thing to the transgender community in order to undo non-discrimination protections in Massachusetts. A vote about this will also be on the ballot next Tuesday. Look at this commercial they are running.

Of course this is a damn lie which has two goals - reduce the argument of trans-inclusive nondiscrimination laws to a single argument about bathrooms and then to scare the voters. According to a wonderful article in IntoMore:

 In seeking to strike down the two-year-old law, the Massachusetts campaign is hewing extremely to the tactics waged by anti-LGBTQ activists in Houston three years ago. The Campaign for Houston successfully lobbied to overturn the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), which was voted down by a 61-to-39 margin in November 2015. Commercials claimed trans-inclusive protections could allow “registered sex offenders” to abuse innocent people in public restrooms simply by “claiming to be a woman that day.”

 IntoMore also pointed out how both ads are deceptive:

Each segment relies on what is a widely debunked myth to stir up anti-trans sentiment. A recent study conducted by UCLA’s The Williams Institute showed the passage of local nondiscrimination ordinances in the Bay State had not led to an increase of attacks on women and children in public bathrooms — a crime which remains illegal even with trans-inclusive protections in place. 

But deceptive ads and claims geared to motivate fear is the standard modus operandi of the anti-LGBTQ industry. It worked for a while regarding non-discrimination ordinances in general and against marriage equality.

Next Tuesday, we will learn just how successful it will or won't be against the transgender community.

'Hate groups attempting to undo trans-inclusive nondiscrimination protections in Massachusetts' & other Wed midday news briefs

Conservative gay & fake journalist Jim Hoft may have finally gotten into a mess he can't get out of. See second news brief.

These national anti-LGBTQ groups are working to make anti-trans discrimination legal in Massachusetts - "National anti-LGBTQ groups are aligned with and have worked alongside a campaign in Massachusetts that would repeal the state’s trans-inclusive nondiscrimination protections, which protect transgender people from discrimination in housing and the workplace and give them equal access to public facilities such as bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity. The anti-trans Keep MA Safe campaign was started by Massachusetts Family Institute, a state anti-LGBTQ group with direct ties to major national groups Family Policy Alliance, Alliance Defending Freedom, and Family Research Council." Sigh. Just with like marriage equality, anti-LGBTQ hate groups and their cohorts are spurring a statewide vote and using horror stories, bad science, and lies to win. If they win in Massachusetts, here we go with another round.

Rightwing fake news site run by a gay man implicated in conspiracy to derail Mueller investigation - I once met Jim Hoft. He is an awful person and deserves what backlash he may receive.  

What it means to the LGBTQ community to have bisexual people in Congress - As far as I'm concerned, it means more LGBTQs in Congress. And that's a good thing.  

LGBTQ Voters and Midterms: What’s at Stake? - An enormous amount of consequences. Get off your shoulders and vote.

Saturday Night Live asks 'Is Dracula Gay?'

All of the controversy from this midterm election is killing me and the hits on my blog. Trump is like the blob in that horror movie because he is  consuming all of the attention from other issues, including LGBTQ issues.  Also, I find myself playing nurse maid because from time to time, I am posting videos and the like devoted to making people laugh and taking their mind off of the monstrosity in the White House and the havoc he is creating in the LGBTQ community. At least for a little while.

Granted,  I want to cheer people up, not distract them from what needs to be done - particularly voting. With that in mind, the video below is from a 1994 episode of Saturday Night Live with guest host John Travolta. In this sketch, Travolta portrays Count Dracula attempting to prove to a young couple that he isn't gay in spite of evidence to the contrary.


SNL - Dracula from lorne michaels on Vimeo.

'Sessions getting ready to weaponize 'religious liberty task force' against federal govt' & other Tue midday news briefs

In the controversy regarding Trump's illegal attack on birthright citizenship, the violence caused by his rhetoric, and him basically being a nasty cyst occupying the White House, the following move by Attorney General Jeff Sessions is being ignored, except for by Buzzfeed journalist Dominic Holden:

JUST IN — Jeff Sessions tells his Religious Liberty Task Force to find cases of the federal government refusing to fund religious entities.

"If so, it must, and will, stop,” he said.

His prepared remarks today in Boston: pic.twitter.com/cX3Jzi5GIz

— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 29, 2018

By the way, Sessions refuses to say who the members of his Religious Liberty Task Force, so Buzzfeed is suing for that information:

Here’s a Law360 story on the lawsuit over the Religious Liberty Task Force and our lawsuit to get U.S. Embassy records relating to Jared Kushner. https://t.co/oSjRX8c6EL

— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2018

In other news:

What having a drag queen visit a middle school really means - Oh gasp and swoon! It's perfectly normal, folks. 

A protester with a trans flag interrupted Jeff Sessions’ speech. He wasn’t happy about it. - I suggest Sessions gets used to it.  

Candidate for Attorney General Accused of Having Told Gay Classmate ‘People Like You Should Be Shot’ - I'm speechless. Well not totally. VOTE BLUE!!!

Family Research Council deludes itself with midterm election video (which does not mention Trump, by the way)

In spite of all of the lies, vitriol, spewing of hate, violent actions caused by, criminal activities, and basic incompetence of the Trump Administration, the Family Research Council seems to think things are going well.

The video below from FRC announces a "prayer event" two days before the midterms and it defies description as to the inaccurate happy face the group puts on the work of the Trump Administration, and what it omits. Particularly any mention of Trump. In all honest, the video was posted last month, but seeing how much has gone on since then (particularly the bombs sent to Democratic leaders, the murder of two African-Americans by a racist, the terrorist attack at the Pittsburgh synagogue), it's amazing that FRC has kept this video up.

It just goes to show deceptive conservative anti-LGBTQ evangelicals have been during the Trump Administration and how pathetically low they will stoop for their goals. Since when does following Jesus includes wallowing in the thick mud of lies? And don't think FRC's omission of Trump in the video was accidental. It was sadly deliberate.

'Anti-LGBTQ hate group targeting individual LGBTQ children with its lawsuits' & other Mon midday news briefs

Anti-LGBTQ hate group are specifically targeting individual LGBTQ children in its cases.

Hate’s New Strategy: Call Trans Kindergartners Sexual Predators - Do no think you can't stop this. You can with your voice. Speak out! Share the article. Tell everyone. Hate despises mirrors because it has to see itself for what it is:

The Alliance Defending Freedom is leading the charge to get the federal government to erase transgender people. Its latest scheme to accomplish this involves picking on 5-year-olds -- claiming that transgender children are dangerous. Sounds absurd, except Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to hand the ADF a victory that may impact transgender people across the country.

On August 17, 2017, ADF threatened legal action against the school district of Grass Lake, Mich. ADF claimed that if a transgender fourth-grader was treated like any other little boy, this would “jeopardize” the other students. A month after ADF threatened legal action, the mother of that transgender student told the Grass Lake school committee, “My son now says he wants to kill himself again,” because he thought “everybody hates him.” Her son was telling her this before he was even 10 years old.

 ADF has gone after transgender children repeatedly over the years. Before ADF bullied a fourth-grader and his family in Michigan, it demonized a transgender high school student in Minnesota because she acted like any other teenage girl. The group has also used similar tactics, unsuccessfully, in attempts to deny transgender high school students the use of school facilities in Pennsylvania and Illinois.

Since May, ADF has hyped a dubious claims that a transgender elementary school student assaulted another child in a school restroom in Decatur, Ga. ADF has pushed this claim despite a review by school officials and social service agencies that concluded the allegation was unfounded. ADF hyped this even though the person that made this allegation was a parent publicly opposed to trans-inclusive school policies. This person had even stated so at a local school board meeting just a month before they made the accusation.

ADF’s case was so flimsy that a local news outlet, Decaturish.com, had refused to publish it. To top it all off, ADF’s alleged assailant doesn’t even identify as transgender but as a cisgender boy.

More about the Alliance Defending Freedom.  

LGBTQs Could Win the Midterms for the Democrats - Only if we get out there and vote our asses off. Our lives simply depend on it. 

As bad as it is, there’s even more damage that Trump can do to us - Repeat, our lives depend on it. 

Protesters unfurl giant transgender-rights banner at World Series - Good for them!

'Federal judge says 'bye girl' to lawsuit against Drag Queen Story Hour' & other Fri midday news briefs

Drag Queen Story Hour is popular with children and their parents. And that drives the religious right crazy.

Judge rejects conservative Christian group’s request to halt Drag Queen Story Hour - Good riddance to a DUMB lawsuit. The children love Drag Queen Story Hour. Their parents love Drag Queen Story Hour. Eat it, religious right. 

1,500 Parents of Trans Kids Send Letter To Trump-Pence Denouncing Attempt to Erase Trans People - "The parents, speaking for the thousands of families of transgender children across the country, write, “As parents, all we want is for our children to be safe, healthy, and fulfilled. Our children have our unconditional love, and many have the support of a loving community of friends, peers, teachers, coaches, and other allies. Sadly, however, our children also face ostracization and discrimination in far too many places. We fear every day that our children will encounter bullies -- but we never imagined that the most threatening bullies would be in the White House.”"

Matthew Shepard Will Be Laid To Rest 20 Years After His Brutal Murder - Nothing I can say about this which hasn't been said. Siiiiigh.  

Trump administration just laid out its legal argument against trans rights — it’s hot garbage - MERCY!

Gay immigrant freed on bond nine months after ICE arrest in West Philly - The struggle is real and it is international.

Franklin Graham thinks his religion makes him an authority on science

Because of their support of him in the 2016 election, Trump has allowed conservative evangelicals leaders to gain access in his Administration. And due to this, many of them are out of control in terms of attempting to force policy on the rest of us. Many of them are blurring the lines between religion and politics.

None are more blatant about it than Franklin Graham. He has been supportive of Trump to the point of bending over backwards to dismiss his many faults. From time to time, he also sends proclamations to his over one million followers on twitter, like this one in which he sly infers that they should vote for Republicans in the upcoming midterm election or risk losing "religious liberty."

No one should buy the inevitable spin that Graham is merely taking advantage of his First Amendment rights. That is a lie and those who say it know this. Graham is exploiting his status as a highly prominent American religious leader to campaign for a political party.  He is adding a dangerous component to politics, i.e. the notion that voting for the "wrong" party is tantamount to sinning and God will punish you if you do. It is unethical on all counts and may be illegal. But who is going to demand that he be prosecuted for it? Who will attempt to stop him?

'GOP candidates go full homophobia, Franklin Graham embraces partisanship & abandons Christianity' & other Thur midday news briefs

Apparently, as we draw closer to the midterms, members of the GOP and their supporters are showing desperation, i.e. either pushing homophobia to scare voters or dropping all pretenses of piety:

An attack ad for an LGBTQ-friendly Republican shows a bizarre gay marriage - The ad, seen above, is disgusting. The comments are disabled for a reason.

How Dan Savage became an election issue in a Congressional race - It's getting deep in here.

And the pièce de résistance - Franklin Graham tweeted NOTHING about the terrorist threats yesterday via bombs mailed to Obama, Clinton, CNN, etc. Not a request to pray for whom the bombs were sent to or anything offering up sympathies. BUT he did send this lovely tweet out today:

Granted, if Graham sent out any prayers or sympathies in any other way, please let me know and I apologize beforehand if he did. All I know if Trump was sent this any of this stuff, Graham would be asking everyone pray, lay hands, speak in tongues, etc. As it stands now, Graham is so busy being partisan that he has forgotten to be Christian.

Democrats double down on Equality Act ahead of midterm elections - Meanwhile . . .

Trump’s anti-trans memo joins a long list of attacks against transgender people - Siiiigh! Pull up the list.