Video: In 2016, folks were conned into believing that Donald Trump would be an LGBTQ ally

I'm posting the above video of the 2016 Republican National Convention because I don't want anyone to forget that when Donald Trump was running for president, he played up a game to fool the LGBTQ community into thinking he was for us. The media bought and peddled it to the public. Some of us even bought up.  A lot more of us in the LGBTQ community didn't buy it. I certainly didn't.

It turns it we were right. Three years later, based upon the many ways his Administration has tried to undermine LGBTQ rights and safety, from kicking transgender men and women out of the military to arguing in front of SCOTUS that businesses have a right discriminate against us and fire us for our sexual orientation or gender expression, to joining up with anti-LGBTQ hate groups and organizations, we can safely say that when Trump promised to protect us  he was full of shit.

Don't forget this video, LGBTQ brothers and sisters. And don't get discouraged. Get mad and above all, get registered to vote. According to a recent study, 21 percent of us aren't ready to vote. That will never do. Because, in spite of all of his troubles, if Trump makes it to the 2020 election, being registered to vote reserves a chance for us to let him know that we don't appreciate how he tried to use us. A vote against Trump is a figurative kick in the ass for his lie that he would stand up for us and for his actions against us.

And there is room enough for everyone to get a kick

Conservative evangelicals willing to give Trump a 'mulligan' for causing genocide

FRC president Tony Perkins (left) and other conservative evangelicals seems to be willing to give Donald Trump another pass or 'mulligan' for his bad behavior. This 'mulligan' is for his betrayal of the Kurdish people and genocidal chaos he has caused in the Middle East after withdrawing US. troops. (the other person in the picture is Andrew Brunson.)

The Family Research Council held its yearly vilefest, the Values Voter Summit last weekend. It was as it always is - full of whining about being persecuted simply because women make their own health choices or the LGBTQ community has gained more rights.  The tone was a bit more boastful this year. FRC and conservative evangelicals are reaping some benefits with Trump in the White House, even if they have to ignore certain things, such as Trump's lies, his incompetence, his corruption, and particularly his betrayal of the Kurdish people in the Middle East.

 . . . President Donald Trump ordered all U.S. troops withdrawn from the northern border area amid the rapidly deepening chaos. 

The shift could lead to clashes between Turkey and Syria and raises the specter of a resurgent Islamic State group as the U.S. relinquishes any remaining influence in northern Syria to President Bashar Assad and his chief backer, Russia. 

Adding to the turmoil Sunday, hundreds of Islamic State families and supporters escaped from a holding camp in Syria amid the fighting between Turkish forces and the Kurds.

The fast-deteriorating situation was set in motion last week, when Trump ordered U.S. troops in northern Syria to step aside, clearing the way for an attack by Turkey, which regards the Kurds as terrorists. Since 2014, the Kurds have fought alongside the U.S. in defeating the Islamic State in Syria, and Trump’s move was decried at home and abroad as a betrayal of an ally.

When Trump initially did this, many conservative evangelicals groups, including FRC, spoke out against his action. Some in the media speculated that he could lose their support.

On Saturday, as Trump spoke at FRC's event and made platitudes of  how the United States "worships God instead of government" "America will never be a socialist country,"  and spun stories about "indoctrination of children" (that's about us LGBTQ folks) and spouted whatever other phrases designed to send religious conservatives into egotistical orgasmic frenzies, what he did in with regards to the Middle East seemed to have been forgiven. Or conveniently forgotten.

The sad irony is that when he was speaking to conservative evangelicals on Saturday night and while they were shouting "four more years" or anointing him as a "pro-life defender of Christianity," the Turkish army was benefiting from Trump's withdrawal of troops there by massacring Syrian civilians and Kurdish people. According to Mediaite:

A new report out of Syria has described the horrific impact of Turkey’s military operation in the northern countryside, which continues to endanger Syrian civilians and U.S.-allied Kurdish forces. Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst outlined a grim situation on Sunday when he reported that “there’s evidence today of war crimes being committed, civilians being targeted, and ISIS prisoners escaping.” Yingst said he couldn’t show these events, calling them “too graphic,” but he noted that these developments took place as Donald Trump’s administration withdrew American forces “meant to deter” Turkey from their incursion into the region.

And then there is this account from The Telegraph:

Kurdish officials said rebel fighters intercepted a car carrying Hevrin Khalaf, a Kurdish political leader with Future Syria Party, and murdered her along with her driver and an aide. “She was taken out of her car during a Turkish-backed attack and executed by Turkish-backed mercenary factions,” the Syrian Democratic Council said in a statement.

 . . . The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said the rebels had killed at least eight other civilians as they advanced towards the strategic M4 motorway with the support of Turkish airpower. Another video appears to show several Arabic-speaking fighters shooting an unarmed man on the side of a road. “God is great,” cries one man in the video, before urging a comrade to film him shooting the corpse with a sniper rifle.

And speaking of escapees of the ISIS terrorist group, according to Axios:

Syrian Kurdish officials on Sunday said clashes near Ain Issa, a key Kurdish-held town in northern Syria, allowed 950 Islamic State, or ISIS, supporters to escape from a camp for displaced people near a U.S.-led coalition base, AP reports. 

Why it matters: One of the fears stemming from President Trump's withdrawal of U.S. forces from northern Syria was that a Turkish assault would force Kurdish forces to desert the prison camps where about 12,000 ISIS fighters and their families are being held. 

Details: The Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria said in a statement that the supporters escaped after they attacked camp guards and stormed the gates, per AP, which said it was not immediately possible to confirm the number of escapees. 

What they're saying: A U.S. military official told AP that northeastern Syria was “deteriorating rapidly” and that U.S. troops on the ground are at risk of being “isolated” and of clashing with Turkey-backed Syrian forces.

 All of this is Trump's doing - the actions of an incompetent moron who has less business in the White House than a deceased, rotting jackass does at Harvard. But hey, I'm sure none of this is important to conservative evangelicals or groups like the Family Research Council. As long as they have more access to the Trump Administration than anyone else and thus more power to make or initiate policy, what's a few dead brown people in a region they've probably never been to or probably couldn't point to on a map.

And I'm sure that if they become the subject of any criticism, they have a game plan:

Have a fawning interview with Fox and Friends, Jeanine Pirro, Shannon Bream or Sean Hannity; publish something in The Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller or The Federalist; let Tucker Carlson do misleading monologue; or create a false panic about progressives on Twitter and this latest awful action by Trump is excused away. Then we all can talk about more important such as keeping gay couples from getting cakes and flowers for their upcoming weddings.

Last year, FRC president Tony Perkins said Donald Trump should be given a pass by conservative evangelicals on his negative past behavior, such as his affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, because he is giving them what they want in regards to policy.  Perkins called this pass a "mulligan."

On Saturday, we learned that the Family Research Council and conservative evangelicals in general are willing to give Trump a mulligan for causing genocide.

I guess they don't consider preventing genocide as a value they should be concerned about.

'Buttigieg, Warren unveil comprehensive plans for LGBTQ equality' & other Fri midday news briefs

Buttigieg, Warren unveil comprehensive plans for LGBT rights - Good for them. Let's see the others.

I listened to the Supreme Court argue about my rights as a trans person. I have never felt more frustrated. - I don't blame you. Even SCOTUS can get caught up with salacious nonsense.

HIV Prevention Pills Will Soon Be Available Without Prescription In California - The rest of the nation should follow suit.

Uganda announces ‘Kill the Gays’ law imposing death penalty on homosexuals - Well shit. Here we go again.

Rick Perry subpoenaed over Trump Ukraine scandal. Perfect time to bring up his hypocritical attack on the LGBTQ community

Energy Secretary Rick Perry is the latest person caught up in Donald Trump's Ukraine scandal:

From Politico:

House Democrats issued a subpoena on Thursday to Energy Secretary Rick Perry as part of their impeachment inquiry. 

The subpoena demands a series of documents related to Perry's knowledge of President Donald Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Trump pushed his counterpart to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden. 

Three House committees investigating the episode note that Perry reportedly encouraged Trump to make the phone call. They also want information about whether Perry sought to press the Ukrainian government to make changes to the advisory board of its state-owned oil and gas company, Naftogaz. 

POLITICO previously reported that Perry asked the company to expand its board to include Americans, though he said he offered suggestions only at the request of the Ukrainian government. Zelensky denied Perry asked him to dismiss the head of the state-run gas company in comments to the Kyiv Post on Thursday. POLITICO has reported Perry intends to depart the administration within months, though he denied the report earlier this week.

Far be it from me to be petty . . . oh who am I kidding? This is a perfect time to be petty when it comes to Perry being yet another person caught up in Trump's circle of corruption. Especially when one remembers that 2012 presidential ad he ran - and was laughed at for - proclaiming how much of a shame it is that gays can serve openly in the military, but children can't celebrate Christmas or pray in schools and how he would protect America from Obama's and liberals' alleged war on religion.




Answer the subpoena, Ricky. Jesus would want you to.

'Hate group Alliance Defending Freedom scorched with brutally honest ad campaign' & other Thur midday news briefs

'Scottsdale Discriminates' Ad Campaign Targets Scottsdale-Based Alliance Defending Freedom - LOVE the ad campaign. Where were you months ago?

Lillian Rivera wants to show the youth what’s possible - Thank you for focusing on our kids.

Trevor Project Releases Coming-Out Handbook for LGBTQ Youth - A wonderful, much needed resource. 

Ruling that granted asylum to Blade contributor from Cuba appealed - This is simply mean-spirited and unnecessary.

Ellen DeGeneres/George Bush controversy is a misguided waste of time for the LGBTQ community

While the LGBTQ community raises hell at Ellen DeGeneres (top picture) for her friendship with George Bush, the Alliance Defending Freedom (bottom picture) continues to elude proper outrage as it undermines our equality.

This controversy with some folks - particularly in the LGBTQ community - getting angry at Ellen DeGeneres because she chilled with former president George Bush at a ball game is some straight-up exhausting bullshit.

I get the anger about Bush with regards to the lie about weapons of mass destruction and how he exploited homophobia to get re-elected in 2004. I agree that he has a lot to answer for.

But this ain't it. In the first place, no one is angry at him. All of the words seem to be directed at DeGeneres for daring to act friendly towards him. And in the second place, it's a waste of time. Seriously. This is situation has become nothing more than a pissing match of comments with almost everyone wanting to add their two cents. It's nothing more than verbal masturbation in which the climax goes to whoever has the more loquacious explanation of how DeGeneres is too "privileged" or how society is getting less friendlier.

Lastly, if you pardon me for saying so,  the entire so-called controversy is nothing more than low-hanging fruit. An easy way for folks to publicly declare how outraged they are.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, the LGBTQ community found ourselves at the Supreme Court to yet AGAIN battle a group determined to undermine our equality with an over $50 million budget and an arsenal of attorneys to match. I'm talking about the Alliance Defending Freedom. The Southern Poverty Law Center may call them a hate group, but too many mainstream groups and officials call them "daddy," "buddy," "comrade," etc. etc. And ADF has been using that influence to undermine the LGBTQ community over the years. But you wouldn't know that.

There's not enough folks getting "publicly outraged"

There was little outrage when ADF was writing anti-transgender legislation for state legislatures across the nation to pass. ADF was behind the bathroom bills we've had to fight on a nationwide and state-by-state level.

There was little outrage  over the fact that ADF has been responsible for almost every recent anti-gay ruling and court case from the Masterpiece cake shop to letting religiously based adoption agencies steal gay tax dollars in Michigan to allowing businesses in Arizona to discriminate against gay couples.

'Over 100 activists arrested outside Supreme Court amid case' & other Wed midday news briefs

Over 100 Activists Arrested Outside SCOTUS Amid Landmark LGBTQ+ Case - A prelude . . .

The Supreme Court showed its liberal/conservative split in LGBTQ cases. Here’s how it went. - Speaking of which, another analysis. 

Workplace Discrimination Is a Major Mental Health Issue for LGBTQ People - Why this issue is so important and if we don't win at SCOTUS, it WILL be the new issue and we will win.

Five phases of LGBTQ influence in music videos

Editor's note - after today at the Supreme Court, I am exhausted and I guess that you are, too. Therefore I created this post out of basic silliness. No matter what happened at SCOTUS today, it puts us a step closer to where we need to be. Our equality is not impossible. It's inevitable.


When it comes to the LGBTQ community and music videos, I've noticed at least fives phases of influence throughout the years. I know there are more, but tell me what you think.

We are used as comedy fall guys (at 3:20)




Blamed for ruining careers for overdoing it (like this video did to rock star Billy Squier.)




Helped singers like the late George Michael remain in the closet.




Of course there's when our lives are used (or exploited) to portray "naughtiness" or "daring."



And lastly, showing strength and power in the face of loneliness and isolation (I rather like that one)

'Community stands behind businesses in the face of homophobic threats' & other Tue midday news briefs

Businesses are getting threats over their rainbow flags. So the community banded together.- We don't back down.

Colorado’s LGBTQ allies show support for community ahead of Supreme Court oral arguments on workplace discrimination - Damn right. 

Not the church I knew: Evangelical leaders grow more dishonest in defense of Trump -Published last week, but still accurate. 

Pastor: I hope Supreme Court agrees LGBTQ people should be free from job discrimination - You and me both.

Jerry Falwell, Jr. settles poolboy controversy with undisclosed monetary sum

Jerry Falwell, Jr. hopes that the recently announced settlement will end his 'poolboy' controversy

While we continue to ponder how in the hell did Donald Trump get into the White House and have our fingers crossed or Maalox handy for Tuesday's SCOTUS hearings, a little news brief about Jerry Falwell, Jr. and his poolboy controversy should make us smile just a little:

From the Miami Herald:

Jerry Falwell Jr. has settled the Miami court case that laid out many of the details behind the South Beach real estate venture his family launched in 2013 with a former Fontainebleau pool attendant the evangelical leader and his wife met while on vacation. 

In a federal court filing, Falwell and the young lawyer who sued him, Gordon Bello, said they have settled the case for an undisclosed “monetary sum” that Falwell, the president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, will pay Bello, a legislative aide for the Miami-Dade County Commission. Bello sued in 2017, claiming he was promised a stake in the South Beach hostel that a Falwell family entity purchased in 2013 for $4.7 million. Bello, 28, claims he and his father, Miami builder Jett Bello, pitched Falwell on the hostel idea after being introduced by Giancarlo Granda, a high school friend of the younger Bello’s.

. . . The case became a side plot to the national saga of Falwell and his business venture with Granda, not to mention the other odd twists, such as an ex-Trump lawyer claiming he had once intervened to track down compromising photos of the Falwells. 

There were unexplained developments in the Bello litigation, too. He was previously known as Jesus Fernandez Jr., and his father as Jesus Fernandez Sr. Both changed their names to Bello in the summer of 2016, saying they did so under pressure. 

The younger Bello said in court papers the change was “due to a matter directly related to the subject matter of this lawsuit.” The elder Bello told the Miami Herald the change was due to “major concerns” and those concerns were “based on threats.”

Neither Falwell nor Bello would comment on the settlement. Figures.

Related post - On Tuesday, Jerry Falwell, Jr. learned the definition of the word 'receipts' . . . the hard way

'The hate group trying to stop LGBTQ equality via the courts' & other Mon midday news briefs

Inside The Christian Legal Army Weakening the Church-State Divide - I have consistently warned about this group, the Alliance Defending Freedom. Regardless of what happens at the Supreme Court this week, more of us will know about this group. And it's about time.

Virginia Teacher Fired For Misgendering Transgender Student Is Suing Former School - Speaking of the Alliance Defending Freedom, they are behind this mess, too. 

LGBTQ Sports winners and losers of the week - Interesting. 

House Democrats filed a resolution to condemn Ben Carson for his transphobic comments - Good! For now.

Religious right, conservatives pivot homophobic junk science formula to demonize the trans community

Conservatives like Ben Shapiro (top photo) are helping religious right sites like LifeSiteNews (bottom photo) convert their formula of anti-gay junk science to anti-transgender junk science. With the help of amplification.

On Thursday, via Media Matters, we learned that conservatives and the religious right teamed up to spread a lie about health care among trans youth:

Major right-wing and anti-LGBTQ outlets, in particular Ben Shapiro’s The Daily Wire, posted content based on misconstrued data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to falsely suggest that drugs used to delay puberty are deadly for trans teens. The story -- which began with debunked reporting from a U.K. tabloid -- received high engagement on social media after right-wing and evangelical media apparatus boosted it. 

 . . . Content pushing this anti-trans misinformation have accumulated at least 165,000 interactions in total, and anti-trans group The Kelsey Coalition is leveraging the same misconstrued data to fearmonger about gender-affirming medical care. In its September 27 report, NBC News noted that evangelical and right-wing outlets helped the story go viral, and the outlet debunked several of their claims.

NBC News said the following:

A recent article published by Catholic news outlet LifeSiteNews alleged that the drugs used to treat gender dysphoria in some transgender children are linked to “thousands” of deaths.

. . . The problem is: the “thousands” of people who die while taking these drugs are likely the terminally ill cancer patients who receive hormone blockers to fight hormone-sensitive cancers, like prostate cancer, according to experts. 

Joshua Safer, a professor of medicine and the executive director of the Mt. Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, said Lupron, or leoprolide acetate, is used for treating precocious puberty, infertility and certain types of cancer, particularly prostate cancer. 

Prostate cancer is worsened by the presence of certain hormones, so people fighting this disease are sometimes given hormone blockers — puberty blockers — to slow the cancer’s progression. 

“I think all they did is went into the FDA database and looked at reports,” Safer said. “There’s no study here, that’s just a big smorgasbord of reports and so the problem with that is you don't even know that those deaths are connected to the agent they are reported to be connected to.”

This distortion of science by conservatives and the religious right isn't new. A while back, some of the same parties used this tactic to attack gays and lesbian community - junk science mixed with cherry-picked science and amplified. I've covered this "formula" on several occasions and thus have many examples of it:

1. Distortion - Lesbian and gay relationships are generally violent:

A study in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence examined conflict and violence in lesbian relationships. The researchers found that 90 percent of the lesbians surveyed had been recipients of one or more acts of verbal aggression from their intimate partners during the year prior to this study, with 31 percent reporting one or more incidents of physical abuse.” - Comparing the Lifestyles of Homosexual Couples to Married Couples, Family Research Council

There is a higher rate of violence in lesbian and homosexual relationships than in married, heterosexual relationships. A study in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence examined conflict and violence in lesbian relationships. The researchers found that 90% of the lesbians surveyed had been recipients of one or more acts of verbal aggression from their intimate partners during the year prior to this study, with 31% reporting one or more incidents of physical abuse. - Same-Sex Parenting is Harmful to Children Says REAL Women of Canada, Lifesite News

Truth - According to the Journal of Interpersonal Violence’s own web page:

The Journal of Interpersonal Violence offers the most up-to-date information on domestic violence, rape, child sexual abuse and other violent crimes . . . Focusing on both victims and perpetrators, the journal examines theoretical links between all types of interpersonal violence, exploring the similarities and differences between these types of crimes.

In other words, the Journal of Interpersonal Violence tracks domestic violence, as well as other violent crimes. Those surveyed in journal articles are the victims of violence, verbal or otherwise, because this is what the journal is designed to track. However, what religious right groups are doing here is the equivalent of taking a study of domestic violence in the African-American community published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence and using it to allege that black relationships are indicative of violent behavior.


2. Distortion - Homosexuals have a lot of sex partners and their relationships do not last:

Studies indicate that the average male homosexual has hundreds of sex partners in his lifetime, a lifestyle that is difficult for even "committed" homosexuals to break free of and which is not conducive to a healthy and wholesome atmosphere for the raising of children. A. P. Bell and M. S. Weinberg, in their classic study of male and female homosexuality, found that 43 percent of white male homosexuals had sex with five hundred or more partners, with 28 percent having 1,000 or more sex partners - Homosexuality, Placing Children at Risk, Family Research Council

Truth - Bell and Weinberg’s study was compiled in the 1970s. They used the study to write the book Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity among Men and Women. In Homosexualities is this statement:

“. . . given the variety of circumstances which discourage homosexuals from participating in research studies, it is unlikely that any investigator will ever be in a position to say that this or that is true of a given percentage of all homosexuals.”

3. Distortion - Gays have a short life span

“In a major Canadian centre, life expectancy at age twenty for gay and bisexual men is eight to twenty years less than for all men. If the same pattern of mortality were to continue, we estimate that nearly half of gay and bisexual men currently aged twenty years will not reach their sixty-fifth birthday. Under even the most liberal assumptions, gay and bisexual men in this urban centre are now experiencing a life expectancy similar to that experienced by all men in Canada in the year 1871.” - Getting it Straight, Family Research Council 

One epidemiological study found that “gay” men lose 8-20 years off their lifespan. - Several reasons to oppose same sex marriage, Concerned Women for America 

According to a study that appeared in the International Journal of Epidemiology, homosexual behavior risks cutting years off the lives of “gay” men. Examining the homosexual community in Vancouver, Canada, the study said: “In a major Canadian centre, life expectancy at age 20 years for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men. . .” - Sexual suicide, The American Family Association

Truth - In 2001, the researchers of this study complained about how it was being misused. They explained what they actually meant and how it is not feasible to use their work to claim that gay men have a "short life span."

It used to be that these lies told about gays and lesbians were simply cited by anti-LGBTQ talking heads in the media and their allies in statewide anti-LGBTQ groups and members of various legislative bodies when they attempted to kill various pro-LGBTQ bills. Things have definitely changed. Not the lies, mind you, but the amplification of the lies. The ability of conservatives and the religious right to amplify these lies via their networks give their reach more power. It also makes it more difficult for us to refute the lies before they do our community major damage.  Media Matters pointed out the trajectory of the fake story about puberty blockers:

Right-wing outlet Daily Mail published misleading information on puberty blockers that earned low Facebook engagement 

Conservative outlet National Catholic Register picked up the story and earned over 8,400 Facebook interactions 

Led by LifeSiteNews, evangelical right-wing outlets boosted the story 

The Daily Wire picked up the story, and its network of right-wing Facebook pages helped it earn more than 165,000 interactions 

Anti-trans group the Kelsey Coalition leveraged the same misconstrued data as part of a new campaign

Clearly, the religious right and their conservative allies can't rely on the truth to attack the LGBTQ community. So, unfortunately, they are relying on amplification and repetition of lies to beat us down.

'Queer women talk about health care horror stories' & other Thur midday news briefs

Queer women talk about health care horror stories: ‘I woke up on a male ward’ - A study asked LGBTQ women to talk about prejudice from health care providers. They got lots of stories.

Some YouTube creators are accusing the service’s ‘bigoted bots’ for demonetizing content with LGBTQ terms in it - The problem with Youtube continues. 

‘Star Wars Resistance’ Producer Confirms Two Characters Are A Gay Couple - Cue the religious right freak out . . . 

LGBTQ History Month: Transgender and gender-nonconforming pioneers - Never forget these originals.

Fox News dismisses Todd Starnes after bonkers accusation that Democrats worship pagan god of child sacrifices

Todd Starnes and Fox News have parted ways

I'm not one for rejoicing when people lose their gigs, but this turkey had it coming for a long time.  It's just been announced that Fox News radio show host Todd Starnes has been dismissed. And a recent bonkers interview with Trump-supporting religious right pastor Robert Jeffress  (who at the time accused the Democratic party of worshipping a pagan god associated with child sacrifice) may have been the final nail in his coffin.

According to The Wrap:

 . . .  Todd Starnes’ contract at Fox News is not being renewed. The host will no longer be working at the network, its website, or its premium subscription service, Fox Nation. His removal comes a few days after he said on his radio program on Monday that Democrats do not believe in the Christian God and instead may worship Moloch, a pagan god often associated with child sacrifice. When asked for comment, Fox News confirmed the news that Starnes is no longer working at the network but did not elaborate on the reasons behind Starnes’ departure. . . .In the place of his “Fox News & Commentary” radio program, Fox News Radio will broadcast “Fox Across America.” The opinion show will rely on a rotation of various Fox News personalities until a permanent host is named.

Actually, it was Jeffress who made the accusation. However, Starnes did nothing to refute it. In fact, he practically egged on Jeffries' rhetoric by claiming  that the Democratic party will be "targeting Christians" if they succeed in impeaching Trump.


The Daily Beast adds:

The conservative talking head is best-known for his incendiary anti-LGBT, xenophobic, and racist remarks both on-air, across Fox News programming and on his Fox Nation and Fox News Radio shows, and in his FoxNews.com columns. Perhaps most famously, Starnes compared migrants to Nazis and declared that America is being “invaded by a horde.” 

 . . . Starnes also has a long history of erroneous reporting, having once been fired from Baptist Press over “factual and contextual errors” and “misrepresentations.”

The Daily Beast article only scratches the surface. This is what I said about him in 2014:

For the benefit of those who are not aware, Starnes is known for spinning false, unchecked "articles" of anti-Christian persecution. His lies has been corrected numerous times but unfortunately by the time that this happens, the communities and schools he accuses of being anti-Christian are generally targeted with outrage and threats. Starnes' lies has gotten so bad that evangelical writer, Alan Noble, blasted him for deliberately spinning phony tales of anti-Christian persecution.

In 2015,  I pointed out 10 controversies Starnes created with his sloppy reporting.

In that same year, The Atlantic wrote a huge expose on his history of sloppy work and propaganda journalism.

Today, Mediaite also pointed out:

Starnes has made sparse appearances on Fox News in recent months, mainly on Fox & Friends. His controversial comments have mostly been confined to his radio show. In July, Starnes told Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to take a “one-way plane ticket back to whatever third world hellhole you came from.” The radio host has also compared abortion to the Holocaust, called for anti-Kavanaugh protesters to be “tasered, handcuffed and dragged out of the building,”

It's nice to know that no matter how many errors you  get away with in American journalism, folks still draw the line at accusing political parties of worshipping pagan gods who get off on child sacrifices.

In case you couldn't tell - THAT was sarcasm.

'Dame Helen Mirren takes a stand for trans women' & other Wed midday news briefs

Dame Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren really wants you to know that trans women are women - Way to go! Another reason to love Helen Mirren.

  The Oglala Sioux just became the first tribe with an inclusive hate crimes law - Good for them! 

1 in 5 LGBTQ youth identify as other than gay, lesbian or bisexual - This is why it's so important to for us to talk about LGBTQ issues to children. 

With Sanders a 'yes', 10 presidential candidates to appear at CNN's LGBTQ town hall - About time Bernie showed up.

Anti-LGBTQ right blame George Soros, secular left, and 'pagan god-worshipping' Democrats for Trump's scandals

One would think that during this turbulent time of Donald Trump's possible impeachment, Americans would be able to count on some spiritual comfort.  We probably would, but don't count on it coming from right-wing evangelical leaders. They've decided whose camp they are putting their stakes in. And it's with the man causing all of the negative drama.


The Family Research Council just sent out a fundraising letter, complete with a bookmark, asking that folks pray for Trump:

Not to be undone, the American Family Association came out with its own prayer initiative:

Both FRC and AFA conveniently ignore the problem that Trump's present troubles are self-inflicted because they are both too busy blaming others and spinning plots about the "secular left" or George Soros.

And then there is Trump advisor Robert Jeffress who really took the proverbial cake.

On a recent right-wing show, Jeffress claimed that Trump's recent problems with impeachment and scandal are simply because Democrats worship Moloch. Just who is Moloch you ask? According to wikipedia, Moloch is a pagan god associated with child sacrifice.



The sad fact is that there are people who believe this mess. But a saving grace is that more people do not believe it and not only that, they are very disturbed by the hysterical paranoia of Jeffress, AFA, and FRC.

And they are equally disturbed about who these religious right entities chose to align themselves during this time of chaos.

'Everlast features trans pro-boxer in groundbreaking ad' & other Tue midday news briefs

Everlast features trans pro-boxer’s powerful coming out story in groundbreaking ad - Great ad.

Batwoman's Ruby Rose 'Didn't Care' LGBTQ Twitter Hated Her Casting - What does that mean - "she isn't queer enough?" That's inane. 

‘Like I had the right to be here’ - Wonderful piece about next week at the Supreme Court.

Pope meets U.S. priest attacked by conservatives for ministering to gays - Okay . . .

Family Research Council uncovers nefarious plot to 'sexualize' America's children (not really)

Here we go again with THAT lie.

Old right-wing tropes about the LGBTQ community somehow "recruiting" children die hard. Or in the case of the Family Research Council, refuses to die at all. Taking time out from its shameless defense of  Trump during his latest scandal, the group is claiming that the LGBTQ community will be "forcing" school children to "celebrate sexual politics" at least 15 times this school year:

Powerful forces are pushing your child’s public school to celebrate sex politics this year—15 times! 

How many of these events have made it onto your school’s calendar? Find out today. 

For the 2019-2020 School Year:  

1. Banned Books Week (September 22-28, 2019) – Includes books that have never been banned, but have been the subject of parental concern because of age-inappropriate sexual content. 

2. Ally Week (September 23-27, 2019) – Pressures students to declare themselves “allies” of students or teachers who identify as LGBT. 

3. Bisexual Awareness Week (September 16-23) 

4. LGBTQ History Month (Month of October 2019) – Labels historical figures as LGBT, even when they never identified as such. 

5. National Coming Out Day (October 11, 2019) 

6. International Pronouns Day (October 16, 2019) – Ignores the fact that forced declaration of one’s own pronouns, or false pronouns for others, violates free speech and religious freedom. 

7. Spirit Day (October 17, 2019) – Encourages students and teachers to wear purple, and highlights LGBT bullying (even polite dissent can be characterized as “bullying”). 

8. Transgender Awareness Week (November 12-19, 2019) 

9. Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20, 2019) 

10. No Name-Calling Week (January 20-27, 2020) 

11. Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31, 2020) 

12. Day of Silence (April 24, 2020) – Known as the “high holy day” of LGBT activism. 

13. International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (May 17, 2020) 

14. Harvey Milk Day (May 22, 2020) 

15. “LGBTQ” Pride Month (June 2020) 

Parents: You have the legal right to withhold and refuse consent for your child to participate in school events, assemblies, classes, or activities that violate your beliefs.
Your family’s faith and beliefs deserve respect. Demand it. 

Remember, LGBTQ lobbyists are getting their “high holy days” on the school calendar even while many school districts are scrubbing Christmas Break for “Winter Break,” Easter Break for “Spring Break,” and Columbus Day for “Indigenous People’s Day.”
To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln: The philosophy of the public school in one generation will be the philosophy of the culture in the next. 

Imagine what could happen if government schools just focused on providing an excellent education!

It's always amusing when FRC goes on this sort of tangent; creating the narrative of nameless, faceless homosexuals hordes with grasping claws out to yank children into dark closets where we supposedly transform them into sexual zombies and then send them out to snag us "new victims."

'National Trans Visibility March a huge success' & other Mon midday news briefs

Women of color take center stage at D.C. Trans Visibility March - I'm sorry I missed this march.

Biden says he gets ‘more credit for marriage equality than I deserve’ - The humility act. Not bad.

Religious Adoption Agencies In Michigan Can Reject LGBTQ Couples, Judge Rules - This case is far from over but DO NOT get me started on how stupid this preliminary injunction is.

Three LGBTQ Cases Are Set to Put the Supreme Court's Conservative Principles on Trial - Next week. . . next week . . .

Celebrate October with 31 LGBTQ Historical Icons

While a lot of other things are happening - ie impeachment, upcoming SCOTUS cases - let's not forget that October is LGBT History Month. The Equality Forum has come out with its annual list of LGBTQ historical icons. From government, to entertainers, to activism, to journalism, the LGBTQ community continues to make a positive mark on American history.