Religious right leader thinks that recent bad press proves conspiracy against Donald Trump

Gary Bauer thinks Trump's recent troubles prove that there is a conspiracy against him.

A recent news story about Donald Trump disparaging our troops by calling them "suckers" and
losers" and another one detailing how he misled America about the coronavirus should signal to the country how much of an incompetent and gigantic mistake he is as leader.

But to one religious right spokesperson, it only proves a conspiracy geared to destroy Trump:

OneNewsNow approached Gary Bauer, president of American Values, about these latest condemnations – but he points out the left has been relentless in its attacks since before Trump was even elected. "They saw Donald Trump as an existential threat to them," he states. "They tried to do everything they could in his campaign in 2016 to stop him. After he won, they then tried one fact scandal after another." 

 Turning to the more recent anti-Trump accusations, Bauer describes the Woodward book and the Atlantic article as attempts to sway the electorate. "Now here we are in the final 60 days [of the campaign] that will determine whether President Trump can continue to take the country down this new road of reform [through] all the things he's doing – and the left will stop at nothing . . .  I fully expect that literally every day there will be a new a line of attack to try to prevent the president from being re-elected."

Bear in mind that Bauer is the same dude who undermined the fight against the AIDS crisis when he worked in the Reagan Administration. Allegedly, he felt that AIDS was God's judgement and those who had it deserved what they got.

Bauer provides no proof of his claims which regards, which he probably sees as a minor concern when there is a juicy conspiracy theory to push. If there's one thing Bauer adores, it's implying that shadowy groups are in dark rooms spinning destructive plans against everything good and righteous. Or something like that. It's better than admitting that he and other religious right leaders pitched their wagons of support behind a con man whose house of cards is hopefully collapsing on his head with just enough cards left over to give them a couple of  well-deserved bonks.

Truth be told, if there is a conspiracy against Trump then he should look in the mirror to see the ringleader. More specifically, look in the mirror and then direct his eyes downward. To his mouth. 

'Trump allegedly called 'The Apprentice' contestant a 'black f**'' & other Mon midday news briefs

Former 'The Apprentice' contestant Kwame Jackson

Donald Trump allegedly called a contestant on The Apprentice a “Black f**” - And who should be surprised. Even so, it's still worth knowing.  I'm rather chomping at the bit to see how Fox News will defend this one.

Same-Sex Partners Win Right to Social Security Survivor Benefits - Good for them! 

Mike Pompeo Plans to Push His Anti-LGBTQ Commission at the UN - Such a "lovely" Secretary of State.

The attacks on gay candidates keep getting even more disgusting this election cycle - Y'all know it's going to get worse. But what's progress with no struggle?

How a gay producer Allan Car ruined his career in 11 minutes

 As we ease into this week, which promises to be as chaotic as last week, let's look at a slightly comedic, but highly cautionary tale about a backfire of camp.

Once upon a time, there was a successful and openly gay producer by the name of Allan Carr. He invested money in several successful Broadway productions such as La Cage aux Folles and motion pictures such as Grease. He even won a Tony award.  He also managed the marketing and ad campaigns for the motion pictures Tommy and Saturday Night Fever, which were also successful. In addition, he was known for his lavish and wild parties. All of that success meant that he could withstand a few failures, such as the motion picture disaster Can't Stop The Music.

Then came 61st Academy Awards, which he was hired to produce in 1989.  It was a disaster. To put it honestly, it was tacky as hell  The aftermath was like fire from the sky.  The show was viciously condemned, sued by Disney, and ended up generally wrecking Carr's career? the late actor Gregory Peck was allegedly so mad that he threatened to return his Oscar?  

But was it actually as bad as it was made out to be. I think so.  But you decide after seeing the 11 minute opening which was the center of a lot of condemnation, including Disney's lawsuit (which was later dropped.)

 

Carr's career never fully recovered. He spent the rest of his life in seclusion until his death in 1999. 

 If you want to read more on the situation (God help you) please read The Worst Oscars Ever or this brutal article in Marie Claire.

'Gay councilman calls on NYPD union leader to resign after 'homophobic' tweet' & other Fri midday news briefs

Gay councilman calls on NYPD union leader to resign after 'homophobic' tweet - Go for the jugular, my brotha.

Gay hotel forced to remove BLM banner after anonymous complaint to city - Unfair horsesh!t.

New Trump Rule Threatens Public Universities That Don’t Support Religious Clubs - More peanuts from Trump to his evangelical supporters.

Texas is revising its sex education standards, but they'll likely remain silent on LGBTQ issues - For now. But you can't keep us nor our children behind the door and in the closet forever.

Fox News ghouls care more about Donald Trump than the Americans harmed by his pandemic incompetence

I am glad someone put this together. Of all the things Fox News and its personalities have done over the years, this has to be the worst.

 On Wednesday, we learned that Donald Trump knew that the coronavirus pandemic was serious but still continued to undermine efforts to combat it. This is a grade A scandal which should be seen as comparative to or worse than Watergate - the scandal which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in the 1970s.

But Nixon didn't have what Trump has - an entire network working to undermine the righteous indignation people are feeling and rationalize all of his lies. I'm talking about Fox News and its personalities. The channel is probably the single reason why Trump has been hanging on by his fingernails even after all of his lies and basic incompetence. It is the number one news network in the country and it operates by over emphasizing Trump's few successes, hiding his many failures, and spinning his poor leadership to the point of inanity.

It's so bad that a lot of people are generally blase about Fox News and treat it like be splashed by a puddle or having bad day with the mindset being that it's simply one of those things which can't be helped so get over it.

But courtesy of the video above,  this time is different.

'Trump gives shortlist of anti-LGBTQ SCOTUS possibilities to distract from latest scandal' & other Thur midday news briefs

Trump’s SCOTUS Shortlist is Filled with Anti-LGBT and Extremist Judges - Yesterday, Trump tried to take attention away from the scandal involving his downplaying of the pandemic even while knowing how serious it is by revealing a list of judges he would appoint if reelected. Long story short, this list would lead to more hell for LGBTQ people.

Candace Owens: Affirming Transgender Children “Is Actually Satanic” -  Awww. Ms. Thing thinks she was doing something this weekend by picking on trans folks. Makes me especially glad that afterwards, she went after Cardi B and Ms. B handled her on Twitter. 

Department of Education sends mixed messages on transgender student protections - Betsy DeVos has gotta go.

'Transgender Black Marxists' seek to overthrow U.S., Trump backer Michele Bachmann says - Girl, what?!

Trump supporting evangelicals silent on revelation that he knew seriousness of pandemic while calling it a hoax

The group of evangelicals supporting Trump have been conveniently silent as his latest scandal tears the country apart.

 

Unless you've been hiding under a rock or in a cave with fingers in your ears, you've probably heard about the latest involving Donald Trump. It's another huge scandal

According to Raw Story:

Watergate reporter Bob Woodward’s new book is coming out next week — and the leaked excerpts in it contain multiple damaging bombshells for President Donald Trump. The new book, entitled “Rage,” contains multiple revelations on a wide variety of topics ranging from the president’s handling of the novel coronavirus to his relationship with the American military to his strange affection for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. 

Raw Story outlined five shockers in this book, but the one which has virtually taken everyone's breath away is the following:

Trump said that he knew the coronavirus was five times more deadly than the seasonal flu — then admitted to playing it down in public.Audio recordings show that Trump told Woodward in early February that COVID-19 spread through the air and was much more deadly than the flu. Despite this, he continued to downplay its significance in multiple public statements. Just over a month after that, Trump admitted to Woodward that he deliberately downplayed the virus because he didn’t want to create a “panic.” “I wanted to always play it down,” Trump said on March 19th, shortly after he declared a national emergency. “I still like playing it down.” 

Trump lies so much that there is little doubt that he downplayed the pandemic - even when knowing how serious it was - to help only himself regardless of what he claims. The following video expresses it better than I can:

 

 The video captures just a small extent of the brutal tug of war Woodward's revelation has led to. There are some folks, especially the contributors and employees of Fox News, bending over backwards to defend Trump via talking points which induce more shock than agreement.

But I've noticed that one group has been conveniently silent - Trump supporting evangelicals.

'Feds capture man who detonated bomb in front of a gay gym' & other Wed midday news briefs

Feds capture man who detonated bomb in front of a gay gym - Something you haven't heard about on the  national news, no doubt.

HIV-Positive Service Members Get Their Day in Court Against Trump - Pluck that turkey! 

An all-Black version of The Golden Girls hits the internet today - Why not? Sounds like a good idea to me.

High schools must teach LGBTQ-inclusive sex education in England - Good.

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters celebrates 14 years of calling out homophobic liars and keeping receipts

Sunday marked the 14th anniversary of this blog. It's been a bunch of wild, successful, and at times, very frustrating years.

I've had much success (waves to my 2017 GLAAD Media Award from across the room), lots of positive press (The Advocate, Newsweek, MSNBC), met lots of new friends and allies, and raised a little ruckus (blocked on Twitter by Tony Perkins, Bryan Fischer, 'Porno' Peter LaBarbera, Ryan T. Holmes, Matt Barber, multiple members of the Alliance Defending Freedom, Mass Resistance, and the Liberty Counsel. Blocked from commenting on Lifesite News and World Net Daily.)

I hope that I've succeeded in my original aim, which was to shine a bright spotlight on how religious right groups distort and cherry-pick science to denigrate LGBTQ people as unhealthy, diseased others out to 'recruit children,' 'wreck Christianity,' and cause general chaos.

So how long will I do this and what's my next move?

'Gay Trump official gets angry when called out for 'smoke and mirrors' initiative' & other Tue midday news briefs

Richard Grenell

Gay Trump official throws tantrum when asked about homosexuality initiative - No matter how much frosting and icing you coat on manure, it's still manure Richard.

WATCH: Homophobic street preacher has sermon interrupted by big gay dance party - We do what we do and we do it well.

For His Birthday, a Gay Atheist Is Raising Money for an LGBTQ-Inclusive Church - Wonderful story!

Texas Assistant AG Fired for Anti-LGBTQ+ and Other Outrageous Tweets - Bye fool. Felecia said "don't use my name."

Michael Cohen: Trump made fun of his evangelical supporters before winning the 2016 election

 

According to some reports, our fighting men and women of the military aren't the only group that Donald Trump has a low opinion of behind closed doors. 

Conservative evangelicals make up a gigantic amount of his base and led by folks like Franklin Graham and Robert Jeffress and groups like the Family Research Council, they have stuck by Trump in spite of every discovery of dishonesty, every lie, and every bit of chicanery learned about him.

And Trump definitely appreciates their support. In front of cameras, of course. But, if his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, is to be believed what you see in front the cameras isn't exactly true: 

 President Donald Trump spoke condescendingly about evangelical Christians after holding a meeting with religious leaders before the 2016 election, his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen has said in a new book. Cohen, who broke with Trump to cooperate with the special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, is releasing a memoir Tuesday titled "Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump." The Washington Post, which obtained a copy of the book before its release, reported one passage in which Cohen details what he says happened after Trump met with prominent evangelical leaders at Trump Tower in 2016 before winning the presidency. After the meeting was over, Cohen says, Trump said: "Can you believe that bulls---? Can you believe people believe that bulls---?" 

"The cosmic joke was that Trump convinced a vast swathe of working-class white folks in the Midwest that he cared about their well-being," Cohen added, according to The Post. "The truth was that he couldn't care less." It's unclear what meeting Cohen was referring to, but Trump did meet with conservative Christian leaders in New York City in June 2016, according to NPR, which was allowed inside the private event.

Of course if this excerpt gains legs, expect evangelical leaders to engage in the usual rationalizations of their support of Trump. From "God chooses imperfect people" to "He was a baby Christian then. His faith is stronger," my guess is that their explanations will be epic and totally transparent. Cohen's revelation simply reveals the predatory relationship Trump and conservative evangelicals have. Most likely, Graham, Jeffress, and the rest know what Trump thinks about them. And while they can claim he has changed, they know he hasn't. One can easily measure Trump's behavior from the beginning of the 2016 campaign until now and easily come up with the the fact that Trump hasn't changed for the better. If anything, he's gotten worse.

If there has been any change since Trump took office, it's within the evangelical community. They no longer talk about values as much as they used to. They no longer pretend to look heavenward because their eyes are more on Trump than Jesus.  And in some ways, they are working to somehow mingle Trump with Jesus. And it's not working. They are so busy trying to point to the halo they claim exist over his head that they are totally oblivious to horns and tails which have appeared on their persons due to their close proximity to him.

But they don't care. As long as he gives them power and appoints judges they think will rule their way, particularly against LGBTQ equality and abortion, Trump could urinate publicly on the White House lawn and they would call it nectar from heaven.

'Georgia church splits from United Methodists over gay rights' & other Fri midday news briefs

21 Gay People And Couples That You May Or May Not Know Have Children - LGBTQ celebrities and their children. This is so cute! And it embraces how important visibility is. No matter what some fools try to tell us or mandate for us, we can have families. And we should have families if we want them. 

 Georgia church splits from United Methodists over gay rights - Faith and religious beliefs are two more things we should have regardless of what some people think because when it's all said and done, only God gets to judge us.

This Former Log Cabin Republican Is on a Mission to Stop Trump - Good for her!

The 100 Greatest Movie Insults - How many do you recognize?

 As I've said so many times during this awful pandemic, one can't allow himself to get so serious. While it's true that we have no idea if it will end any time soon, keeping ourselves from going insane with fear involves taking some time out from the seriousness of it all to laugh.

And while this blog mainly focuses on calling out the lies of the anti-LGBTQ industry, I also want people to come here for comfort as well as knowledge. With that in mind, the above video is embraces the gay stereotype of "scary bitchy." One hundred movie insults? Come on. You know there's a gay one in there somewhere. 

'LGBTQ people notch legal win against Trump's health care rule' & other Thur midday news briefs

LGBTQ advocates notch legal win in fight against Trump health care rule - Good for us! 

 Who’s your Newsmaker of the Year? - I'm an old softie. I would vote for them all.

Supernanny's Jo Frost Discusses Same-Sex Parenting During COVID - Definitely a needed resource. 

'The Boys in the Band' trailer reunites Broadway cast For Netflix film - I don't care how dated it is. I want a happier ending. I refuse to watch until it's rewritten.

Franklin Graham's deluded support of Donald Trump finally leads to a backlash

Franklin Graham

No matter how low Trump stoops, how badly he flails, or what off-the-wall thing he says, he can always count on the support of one person - Franklin Graham.

Graham, who apparently functions with his eyes closed and his fingers stuffed in his ears, not only support Trump, but seems to believe that his reelection will cause God to 'spare America.'

From CBN:

"I think God brought him here for this season, for these four years. I'm just asking that God would spare this country for another four years to give us a little bit more time to do the work before the storm hits. I believe the storm is coming. You're going to see Christians attacked; you're going to see churches close; you're going to see a real hatred expressed toward people of faith. . .God uses men. He works through men and I believe Donald Trump is the president for a reason. I think God has put him in this position. Western civilization as we have known it, he is defending that."

'Congressional candidate raises $100,000 after GOP anti-LGBTQ smear effort' & other Wed midday news briefs

Gina Ortiz Jones

Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones Raises $100,000 After GOP’s Anti-Gay Smear Effort - Way to go, Ms. Jones!

Jacob Blake's Transgender Cousin Responds to Anti-LGBTQ+ Threats - Ignorance and hate is everywhere and is, unfortunately, so easy to partake in.

Meals on heels: San Francisco drag queens deliver amid pandemic - Creative and heartwarming.

These 56 Celebrities Came Out in 2020 - Sweet! I remember when we were lucky to have just one every few years. If at all. And YES! It is still an important thing to do.

M.Signorile: GOP convention speech proved that Trump does not care about LGBTQ people

Don't let him fool you. Donald Trump doesn't care about LGBTQ even when exploiting us for reelection.

When openly gay Trump pick Richard Grenell spoke at last week's Republican National Convention, some folks took it as a sign that Trump was attempting to get LGBTQ support for his faltering campaign. Maybe or maybe not. However, radio show host and long-time gay activist Michelangelo Signorile wrote a piece which disputes any idea that Trump actually care about LGBTQ people.

And Grenell's speech proves it. Not by the speech itself, but by what wasn't said in the speech Grenell didn't say a word about LGBTQ rights.

 An excerpt from Signorile:

. . . if Grenell was set to speak on Trump’s supposed LGBTQ rights achievements, he or someone else decided against it at the last minute. Unlike Black and female speakers who were used to try to soften Trump’s image regarding women and people of color by speaking about Trump supposedly championing their issues, Grenell mostly promoted conspiracy theories about unwarranted surveillance against Trump by President Obama. He also peddled the boilerplate nativist and racist ideas of Trumpism, lauding Trump’s “America First” policies and expressing that he was proud of “being called a nationalist.” 

 But oddly, nowhere in the speech by the man who preposterously championed Trump in the Log Cabin video as the “most pro-gay president in history,” did he state he was gay, let alone say anything about Trump and LGBTQ rights on the stage. This was a far cry from Trump’s 2016 convention, when Peter Thiel, the gay billionaire and Paypal founder, who was used by the RNC to convey an inclusive message, was very clear

The entire piece deserves a reading. And while you're at it, subscribe to the Signorile Report

'Gay man joins anti-LGBTQ group founded by Pat Robertson' & other Tue midday news briefs

Richard Grenell now works for Pat Robertson's group.

Trump’s favorite gay Republican joins anti-LGBTQ group founded by Pat Robertson - Richard Grenell continues to be a backstabber only concerned with his own status.

Cher raises $2 million for Biden at LGBTQ virtual fundraiser - Sweet!

Trump's Press Secretary Repeats Lie That He's Pro-LGBTQ+ - Girlfriend must think we're drunk AND stupid.

Niecy Nash's wedding begins a needed conversation. Black LGBTQ people need to get a word in.

A huge topic on Monday was the news that television star, comedian, and multiple Emmy nominee Niecy Nash came out and announced her marriage to singer Jessica Betts.  To some folks, this is not major news because so many celebrities have publicly come out. However, to many folks it is a big deal because the vast majority of those celebrities are white.

It has caused much conversation and controversy in the black community with folks either congratulating the couple, whining about how could Nash "choose" a woman over a man,  and even making ridiculous comments about Betts' appearance.

But let's ignore the fake Afrocentrics and the idiotic fools determined to psychologically dissect the LGBTQ and black identities. Nash's decision to go public is yet another chance for the conversation to begin in both the LGBTQ and black communities, so I want to spotlight a few videos featuring African-American LGBTQs talking about us. These videos are just a small segment of  the diversity of LGBTQs of color. And it's just my attempt of beginning an accurate conversation which is long overdue.

Unfortunately when conversations about being black or being LGBTQ come up, there are assumptions made by both communities when it comes those of us who encompass both identities. There's not enough listening. Even on this blog. When I post blog entries featuring LGBTQ people of color, they aren't generally popular. And that's a real shame. Too many folks in both communities claim that they want to accept us but they forget that this acceptance includes listening to us.

'NYC must pay $5.9 million to settle after transgender woman's death' & other Mon midday news briefs

New York City will pay $5.9 million to settle suit after transgender woman’s death- Good. get up off the money.

Federal judge: State Department must recognize U.S. citizenship of gay couple’s daughter - Damn skippy! 

The World Is Finally Ready for Trans Musical Genius Glenn Copeland - Sounds promising.

Antigay lawmaker cooks up revenge plot against primary opponent who beat her - A shame and a disgrace.