Charlotte Observer: Franklin Graham is becoming 'irrelevant'

Franklin Graham

More negative fall out for Franklin Graham because of his criticism of presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg's sexual orientation. His hometown newspaper, the Charlotte Observer issued a blistering reprimand, calling him irrelevant and hypocritical. Part of it reads as follows:

Graham is not the Christian leader he once was. He’s a man whose organization does wonderful work, but he’s also one whose words have become increasingly and gloriously irrelevant. 

In part, that’s because Graham’s perspective on homosexuality has been pushed to the fringe, but it’s also because of how he has marginalized himself with his vocal support of Donald Trump. Like other supposed faith leaders, Graham has been caught in the trap of politically supporting a man with so many moral failings. How do you tell a gay candidate to repent but utter hardly a peep about the philandering, dishonest man who now holds the office? There’s only one way to get past that inconsistency, and that’s to pretend it doesn’t exist. So Graham has chosen to do something that even many Trump supporters won’t do — he calls the president’s affairs “alleged” and exalts him as a defender of the faith. 

And like Trump, Graham has abandoned any pretense of moderation.

Ouch! That's gotta hurt.

'Franklin Graham backtracks in face of firestorm over Pete Buttigieg comments' & other Tue midday news briefs

Franklin Graham learned today.

Franklin Graham Says ‘I’m Not Condemning Anyone’ After Being Blasted for Telling Pete Buttigieg to ‘Repent’ Being Gay - Whatever. You got your ass spanked so now you want to act all nice. It's not going to work.

This is how Graham got spanked - Franklin Graham subject of brutal twitter ratio after condemning Pete Buttigieg's sexual orientation 

Republican pundit: Pete Buttigieg ‘made gayness an issue’ by kissing husband - Whatever, girlfriend. Have a seat. 

Powerful New Documentary Sheds Insight On Plight Of Transgender Inmates - A much needed documentary. 

Arizona Supreme Court rules judges can order treatment for trans kids if a parent doesn’t consent - Wonderful!

Randy Rainbow calls out Trump's AG in 'Barr!'

Randy Rainbow has something to sing about with regards to the recent release of the Mueller Report and Attorney General William Barr's attempt to minimize its findings in order to protect Trump. To say he's brutal would be an understatement. Via a musical take off of 'Belle' from the movie Beauty and the Beast,  our favorite musical satirist reads the principal guilty parties of this recent mess to filth.

'Hate group leader claims Equality Act will lead to pedophilia' & other Mon midday news briefs

Mat Staver

Liberty Counsel Founder Mat Staver lies that the Equality Act will "open the door to pedophilia" - When all else fails, anti-LGBTQ hate groups always pull the "gays want to recruit children" card.

Minnesota moves toward banning 'conversion therapy' but it's still legal in many states - Can Minnesota do it? I hope so. 

Trump administration may allow doctors to refuse to treat transgender patients - Ugly mess. But it's not over by a long shot.

Husband/wife tandem working to ensure discriminatory, religiously biased regulations of Trump Administration - This is a blog post I published in January but it speaks to the above article. A vicious individual, Roger Severino, is behind the nonsense regulations of the above story. Meanwhile his wife, Carrie Severino, is working to help Trump install judges more inclined to uphold the regulations in court rulings. 

Dear Franklin Graham, LGBTQ Christians Don’t Need Your Blessing - Preach!!

Former 'ex-gay' counselor denounces the fraudulent ministries

 Twenty-one years after launching a disastrous million-dollar “ex-gay” ad campaign, where virtually every leader featured has since come out of the closet, the extreme right wing is unveiling a new effort to rebrand these failed “pray away the gay” programs. The new glitzy campaign to recycle these mentally abusive ministries is called the Changed Movement with the hash tag #OnceGay. 

In response, Truth Wins Out released a new online ad  . . .  featuring former Love in Action Director John Smid. He was the real life “ex-gay” counselor in the movie Boy Erased, played by Joel Edgerton as therapist Victor Sykes. Smid had counseled hundreds of men to rid them of their homosexuality. Now out of the closet and living with a his partner, Smid says in TWO’s ad, “If you are strongly attracted to someone of the same gender that will not change. I’ve never seen a real success story of anyone who has changed from homosexual to heterosexual.” 

“The ‘ex-gay’ myth is an experiment that has unequivocally failed and it takes a lot of chutzpah to try to rebrand the snake oil,” said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. “The right wing must think that Americans have amnesia and no longer recall that one ‘ex-gay’ leader after another, who loudly proclaimed change, are now living happily as openly LGBT people. These programs are dangerous and cause lasting psychological scars.”

More at TruthWinsOut.org

Franklin Graham subject of brutal twitter ratio after condemning Pete Buttigieg's sexual orientation

Editor's note - No news briefs on Friday because of a personal issue.

I hate the fact that the Huffington Post beat me to the punch on this because I witnessed the occurrence as it took place. Still, it's nice to point out.

Anti-LGBTQ pastor and Donald Trump supporter Franklin Graham took it upon himself to scold presidential candidate Pete Buttigief about his sexual orientation in a series of posts like so:

Mayor Buttigieg says he’s a gay Christian. As a Christian I believe the Bible which defines homosexuality as sin, something to be repentant of, not something to be flaunted, praised or politicized. The Bible says marriage is between a man & a woman—not two men, not two women. 2/3

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) April 24, 2019

Usually when Franklin tweets something, particularly about current events (and taking an anti-LGBTQ point of view), the retweets are mostly "amens" and sycophantic agreements. Not this time. Franklin got twitter spanked so badly that he was reduced to meekly posting other Biblical verses. Some of the responses he received from the Buttigieg tweets are as follows:

You epitomize one of Jesus' disciples.

Unfortunately—it's Judas.

— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) April 25, 2019

No, man. You were reading BREITBART, not the BIBLE.

Easy to mix up. They both start with B.

— Sleeping Giants (@slpng_giants) April 25, 2019

Read the Jefferson Bible. With scissors and paste he took only the words of Jesus-.ignoring the rest. Jesus did not have a word of condemnation for gay people. Surely you can find better things to do than hating on us, while pandering to Trump.

— Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) April 25, 2019

Wake me up when Franklin Graham calls on Donald Trump to repent for being a serial sexual-assaulter and cheater. https://t.co/ubUNHUbXvM

— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) April 25, 2019 

Franklin Graham is not just a false prophet; he’s a sorry excuse for a person who claims to follow Christ.

This is not of Christ. This is of a cynical callousness toward everything Christ preached.

My queer identity is inextricable from my Christianity. This is how God made me. https://t.co/PIO2hcVmHk

— Charlotte Clymer🏳️‍🌈 (@cmclymer) April 25, 2019

I'm not God, but I know a heart filled with kindness and love will find favor in the sight of God, regardless whom they chose to share affection with. But a deceptive soul and those who condone them with be condemned. People like you sir, are the reason there's hate in the world

— I dig deep, lightly (@TrueSatire) April 24, 2019

Needless to say that others were, shall we say, less polite. But you can click on Graham's tweet and read the responses for yourself. 

Documentary spotlights transgender soldiers harmed by Trump's ridiculous ban' & other Thur midday news briefs

Trump's military ban on transgender troops is back in effect -  But the fight isn't over - It's never going to be over until we win.

Major Corporations Release Letter Opposing Anti-LGBTQ “Slate of Hate” in Tennessee - And if Tennessee doesn't get the message, then the state must pay the price for bigotry. 

Trump poised to roll back transgender health protections - Trump's war on the transgender community isn't being looked at by the mainstream as something which should be taken seriously, but be patient. It's NOT supposed to be easy. 

Report: Eight LGBTI Nicaraguans killed during anti-government protests - The struggle is real and it is worldwide.

Pro-Trump TV channel OANN tries conservative comedy, bombs spectacularly

My apologies for this not being LGBTQ-centric and to those of us in the community who may have a conservative leaning. But in my defense, this is so awful that it becomes hilarious.

When not trafficking conspiracy theories which causes international incidents, such as the Obama Administration spying on the Trump campaign with the help of England, slightly right of Atilla the Hun "tv channel" One America News Network is trying its hand at creating a comedy show.

This clip is only 51 seconds but it's so painful that it becomes funny, while simultaneously proving that the conservative outrage industry can amplify lies but can't do shyte with comedy. I can safely say that this is probably the most hilariously sad or sadly hilarious thing you will see in a while.

In the first clip tweeted out by Herring on Tuesday, host Drew Berquist—a former BlazeTV host and counterterrorism officer—took aim at the right’s favorite bogeywoman as of late: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). The result, of course, is Mike Huckabee-style hokey “comedy” tailor-made for people who apparently love painfully flat humor. Riffing on a nearly three-week-old story of Ocasio-Cortez supposedly appropriating a forced “black accent” during a speech addressing an African-American audience, Berquist’s punchline is him just imitating AOC, but with an even more stereotypical accent. The show’s laugh track loved it though!

Tune in to OAN to see our new comedy show. Here's a sample of what you can expect to see beginning Saturday, May 4th. #OANN #HeadlinesTonight @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/zy27Yp9sKa

— Robert Herring (@RobHerring) April 23, 2019

Hat tip to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch.

'Lesbian teacher wins Hesperia lawsuit' & other Wed midday news briefs

Lesbian teacher wins Hesperia lawsuit, says she was fired for helping gay students - Give it up, turn it loose. You were wrong so now you gonna pay.

Jane Castor Is Elected First Lesbian Mayor of Tampa - This just happens and should get more attention.

After Smearing of Obama, Democrats Should Know How to Defend Ilhan Omar - One would think . . . 

 ‘To Wong Foo’ is being rereleased with new footage. Will it be a hit in 2019 like it was in 1995? - If you didn't get at least a little teary at the end, then you have no soul.

Mueller Report responses prove Trump evangelicals replacing Jesus with 'p-**y-grabbing messiah'

The anti-LGBTQ and evangelical right distort Mueller Report findings to praise Trump.

To the anti-LGBTQ and evangelical right, Trump represents the power to force their agenda on America. That's why so many of them discarded or recalibrated their tirades about values and morality to feature him in the center. And in many cases, replacing Jesus.

Their responses to the recent Mueller Report sadly cements this fact.

From American history professor John Fea:

Donald Trump is a liar who clearly obstructed justice. He has forced others to lie to the American people on his behalf. Some, like Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a self-professed evangelical Christian, lied for the president on multiple occasions. (That is a lot of slips of the tongue). Others refused to lie for him. The Mueller report reveals that Trump’s presidency lacks a moral center. He should be impeached. 

And what about the court evangelicals and all of those other white evangelicals who still support Trump? They will double down in their support for the president. He is God’s chosen instrument and his evangelical supporters will invoke biblical examples of how God’s anointed instruments will always suffer persecution. They will claim that the Mueller Report is biased (except, of course, the parts that say there was no collusion). They will continue to stoke the “witch hunt” metaphor. They will continue to take their marching orders from Fox News and claim that the report proves that Trump did not commit a crime. They will argue that the country should simply move forward as if nothing happened. They will ignore the parts of the report that show Trump’s immorality and lies. Court evangelicalism blinds one to the truth. For example 

Americans must demand that “no collusion, no obstruction” means NO MORE HARASSMENT of President @realDonaldTrump! — Dr. Robert Jeffress (@robertjeffress) April 18, 2019 

The attacks on @PressSec Sarah Sanders are disgraceful and pure politics. She does an outstanding job as WH Press Secretary and is a woman of character & integrity. — Ralph Reed (@ralphreed) April 19, 2019  

The #MuellerReport on whether President @realDonaldTrump colluded w/the Russians in the 2016 election is out. The answer is still NO. 1/2 https://t.co/JmoXvJjEKv — Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) April 18, 2019 

 . . .  AG Barr was masterful in his press conf. The lie of Russian collusion and obstruction of justice has been completely refuted. But the left won’t stop. They are addicted to the lie.#MullerReport #BarrPressConference #Barr #MAGA — Gary L Bauer (@GaryLBauer) April 18, 2019

The irony is these folks seem to forget that Trump isn't going to stay in office forever. How ever and whenever he goes,  if these Trump evangelicals think that they will be able to slide back into their unearned positions as self-designated arbiters of cultural morality, they need to make other plans.

No one is going to forget their behavior during the Trump years. Some of us are even taking notes.

'SF opens safe house for embattled transgender youth' & other Tue midday news briefs

The nation’s first transitional housing shelter for transgender youths opens in SF, filling an urgent need - Yes sir. We need actions like this and stories to draw attention to them.

Supreme Court takes up job discrimination cases that could settle whether LGBT workers are protected by law - Just in case you haven't heard . . . Some folks are scared. I have a wait and see attitude about it. 

New hope rises for would-be LGBTQ parents in New York - THIS is good news. 

Pelosi: Supreme Court review to have ‘no impact’ on Equality Act, floor vote in May - Let's NOT forget about the Equality Act.

Anti-LGBTQ discrimination in foster care, adoption suffers setback in Philadelphia and Michigan

Same-sex families have foster care, adoption victories in Philly and Michigan

Those who feel that faith-based adoption and foster care agencies should have the right to taxpayer dollars while discriminating against the LGBTQ community just received major setbacks in Philadelphia and Michigan.

From The Advocate:

The city of Philadelphia doesn’t have to contract with a foster care agency that discriminates against LGBTQ people, a federal appeals court ruled today.
The Philadelphia Department of Human Services last year ended its contract with Catholic Social Services after the agency refused to change its policy to comply with Philadelphia’s LGBTQ-inclusive anti-discrimination law. The Catholic group will not place children with LGBTQ parents. 

The Catholic agency sued, and last year a federal district court ruled that the city was within its rights to exclude organizations that discriminate. Today a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld that decision, saying among other things that the Catholic group’s religious beliefs do not exempt it from the city’s antidiscrimination law, the Philadelphia Daily News reports. 

“The City’s non-discrimination policy is a neutral, generally applicable law, and the religious views of CSS do not entitle it to an exception from that policy. ... [CSS] has failed to make a persuasive showing that the City targeted it for its religious beliefs, or is motivated by ill will against its religion, rather than sincere opposition to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” Judge Thomas L. Ambro wrote for the panel. 

The Becket Fund, a conservative legal group that represents Catholic Social Services, is reviewing whether to appeal the Third Circuit’s decision to the Supreme Court. However, the high court last year denied the Catholic group’s emergency petition to have its contract reinstated.

Also today, Bethany Christian Services, a faith-based foster care and adoption agency in Michigan,  announced that it will begin  working to place children in same-sex homes.  This reversal of policy comes after a legal settlement in March between Michigan and the ACLU after the state was sued by two lesbian couples and a former foster child. The settlement says that faith-based foster care and adoption agencies working with the state cannot use religion as an excuse to turn away members of the LGBTQ community.  Another faith-based foster care and adoption agency, St Vincent Catholic Charities, via a local couple, is challenging the settlement in court.

Last week, South Carolina state legislators turned away a bill which would have allowed faith-based foster care and adoption agencies to discriminate while receiving tax dollars. 

'Conservative group targeting trans community with distorted 'panel discussions'' & other Mon midday news briefs

Anti-LGBTQ group Heritage Foundation has hosted four anti-trans panels so far in 2019 - That's an average of one panel a month so far. Panels full of lies and ignorant people pushing anti-trans distortions. 

Health Department proposes nixing data collection on LGBTQ foster youth - More attention needs to be focused on this. What kind of mess is the Trump Administration doing anyway?

The Washington Post said Mike Pence doesn’t support conversion therapy. No one’s having it. - Sorry Washington Post, but the LGBTQ community knows that rascal better than you do. 

Actress Leyna Bloom Is Gonna Make Trans, Black, And Asian History At The Upcoming Cannes Film Festival - Any step forward is always huge.

University UMC votes 'overwhelmingly' in support of same-sex ceremonies, LGBTQ clergy - Wonderful!

RIPPrince

This Sunday marks the third anniversary of the passing of Prince, one of the greatest artists of our time. The videos featured here are a mere snippet of his vast work and influence.

'Fifteen states where it's legal to fire someone for being gay' & other Fri midday news briefs

15 States Where It's Legal To Fire Someone For Being Gay - Like the article's author says, it should be zero.

Soon you won’t be able to justify killing a gay man in Nevada by saying he hit on you - The "gay panic" defense is a travesty and should permanently eliminated everywhere.

License to discriminate: Religious exemption laws are trampling rights in rural America - It bears repeating that you can't tell people to "go somewhere else" when they are discriminated against. Sometimes there is no there place else they can go.

E.W. Jackson: Pete Buttigieg Wants to Turn the Country Into a “Homocracy” - Lawd hammercy! I just can't with this man today. 

Same-sex couples applying for a mortgage face more rejection and higher rates, a study says - Sad but not unexpected. 

Fox "news side" anchor Shannon Bream hosts Alliance Defending Freedom for fifth time in a year - Yet another way Fox News damages the LGBTQ community under the guise of having a "debate." Bream rarely, if ever, invites LGBTQ people on her show.

SC Senate turns away anti-LGBTQ adoption bill

Just got this message from my friends at SC Equality:

Moments ago, Proviso 38.29 (a bill that lawmakers were trying to sneak into the massive state appropriations bill (and) would allow private state-funded faith-based adoption agencies in South Carolina to turn away LGBTQ couples from adopting/foster children) was DEFEATED on the Senate floor  . . .  SC Equality would like to thank Senator Brad Hutto and other allies in the senate for standing strong with us on this issue and having it go down in a ball of flames.

There has been a nationwide controversy regarding faith-based foster care and adoption agencies wanting to discriminate against the LGBTQ community while continuing to receive tax dollars.  Last year, SC governor Henry McMaster issued an executive order which would have allowed faith-based foster care and adoption agency Miracle Hill Ministries to practice this sort of discrimination. And not just against the LGBTQ community, but other religious communities such as Catholics and Jews.  McMasters also asked for a federal waiver so that Miracle Hill could receive federal funds. Earlier this year, the Trump Administration granted the waiver.

Also this year Aimee  Maddonna, a Catholic mother from Greenville, filed a lawsuit against Miracle Hill because she was turned away for not being a "born again Christian."

Atlanta's mayor urges Georgia legislators to ban 'ex-gay therapy'

Unnoticed by many but nonetheless important is the push to eliminate forcing minors into reparative or "ex-gay therapy." Georgia would be the 17th state to do this should state legislators listen to Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms:

Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is calling on state leaders to ban the practice and advertising of LGBTQ conversion therapy, a controversial medical method which studies say has led to increased suicide rates. 

In a resolution passed Monday, Bottoms urged the state to ban the practice, also called “reparative therapy,” which uses psychological or spiritual interventions in an attempt to convert someone’s sexual orientation to being strictly heterosexual.“State-sanctioned practices that inflict persecution and suffering on LGBTQ individuals — particularly young people— should end immediately,” Bottoms said in a statement. “Simply put — we cannot and should not endanger the well-being of the LGBTQ community for living their truth.” 

An estimated 698,000 adults have had the therapy and more than half that amount received the treatment as a teenager, according to the William Institute at the UCLA School of Law. According to a study by the Family Acceptance Project, LGBT youth whose parents tried to change their sexual orientation had higher suicide and depression rates. Suicide rates among LGBTQ youth whose parents tried to change their sexual orientation were at 48 percent compared with 22 percent for LGBTQ youth who had no conversion experience, according to the study.

Last month, Colorado outlawed the practice and this week, the Supreme Court rejected a challenge to New Jersey's 2013 ban for the third time.

'Former Evangelical, trans daughter testified for Equality Act' & other Wed midday news briefs

A Former Evangelical Testified for the Equality Act Alongside Her Trans Daughter - This is awesome!

No Mr. Staver - Twitter did not "Say goodbye to SPLC" - They have been trying so hard to bury SPLC and their efforts have stayed in their own bubbles.

Majority of Republicans think evangelical Christians are more discriminated against than minorities - Well for Pete's sake . . .

How This Year's Outstanding Blog Nominees Are Using Their Platform to Elevate the LGBTQ Community - WONDERFUL article on this year's nominees for GLAAD's 'Outstanding Blog' award, including this humble blog.

Anti-LGBTQ hate group embarrasses itself with latest fake poll

For an entity which is always whining about how the so-called religious liberty of right-wing evangelicals is in jeopardy, anti-LGBTQ hate group the American Family Family Association cries foul when other religious bodies doesn't follow its definition of Christianity.

Via its fake news service, One News Now, AFA is on a rampage about a group of Tennessee religious leaders who have strongly come out against the "religious liberty" (i.e. anti-LGBTQ) legislation in the state. Rather than respecting that these leaders have different religious beliefs, AFA is spinning dark conspiracy theories, as witnessed by said poll:

I personally voted for "Seduced by LGBT groups" because it sounded rather kinky. As of Tuesday afternoon, though the results were as follows:

I might point out that in between declaring that it has the patent on what God's word is, AFA (via One News Now) has posted article after article on the greatness of  our resident "coochie- grabber in chief. Makes you wonder what type of God AFA worships.

'Evangelical college students don't want Mike Pence to speak at their commencement' & other Tue midday news briefs

Evangelical college students say they don’t want Mike Pence to be their commencement speaker - Well heck, we don't want that turkey at all either.

Christian Site: Life Expectancy Of Gays Is 20 Years Less - Refuting the "homosexuality takes 20 years off of your life" lie is one of the things which made a name for this blog. I'm glad Joe Jervis caught this. 

Mayor Pete’s Marriage is Bogus and the Trumpified SCOTUS Will Agree, Says Brian Brown - Brown keeps dreaming.

Christian university president falsely attacks Pete Buttigieg: ‘Please stop telling us what kind of sex you like’ - Might as well get used to it cause we are gonna hear it from the usual characters who can't seem to stop linking everything about the LGBTQ community to sexual intercourse. But that's not a bad thing. Let the public see them rage.