Hate group leader who linked LGBTQ people with Satan supports Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill

Florida's highly bigoted 'Don't Say Gay' bill would be a disaster to LGBTQ kids and same-sex families. We already know this. Thursday provided more proof.

 It's been vouched for by anti-LGBTQ hate group the Family Research Council.  Notice how FRC president Tony Perkins frames the bill as while criticizing President Biden for condemning it

The bill doesn't protect children. Instead it renders LGBTQ children and same-sex families invisible. And it looks like FRC has already started pushing the message of erasure. No one with prior knowledge about the group should be surprised.

After all, the Family Research Council has been called a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center because its brand is about smearing LGBTQ people via junk science, cherry-picked science and general lies. The purpose is to undermine our rights by making us seem like boogeyman out to wreck Christianity, American society, and, of course 'recruit children.' 

Like when Perkins said that LGBTQ people were 'pawns' of the 'evil one'

 

Or when another FRC spokesman, Peter Sprigg, voiced a desire to kick LGBTQ people out of America 

    

But back to Perkins because he is a veritable sounding board of homophobia. Amongst other attacks against LGBTQ people, he has

Accused the government of backing “the promotion of same-sex relations” as part of its “push for population control.”

Said that “the human race would be extinct” if homosexuality were to become “normal.” 

Defended Uganda’s “kill-the-gays” bill as a “laudable” effort “to uphold moral conduct.” 

Claimed gay youth have a higher suicide rate because they intrinsically know their sexual orientation is “abnormal.”

 Asserted that there is “a correlation between homosexuality and pedophilia” and that pedophilia “is a homosexual problem.”  

Likened homosexuality to alcoholism and drug addiction. 

Said lawmakers who backed the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell have “the blood of innocent soldiers on their hands.”

Florida legislators need to take a long and intricate assessment of their 'don't say gay' bill. They may claim that it won't harm LGBTQ kids or same-sex families, but if someone like Tony Perkins and his group wholeheartedly supports it, you better believe it's gonna hurt.

'These 10 Black LGBTQ candidates could make history in this year's midterms' & other Thur midday news briefs

These 10 Black LGBTQ candidates could make history in this year’s midterms - Hello! The thought of more LGBTQ of color elected officials makes me tingle all over. 

House passes bill seeking to further protect LGBTQ rights around the world - Now it has to get past the Senate (oh lawd!)

Video - Florida returns to the dark days of Anita Bryant with 'Don't Say Gay' bill - Repeating my post from last night. I got the vaseline, headscarfs, and tennis shoes for those of us who want to fight vigorously against this mess. Cause Florida will not be the only state pushing bills like this. 

 Recap of Anti-Transgender Legislation In Progress - My point!

Religious Right’s anger shows hollowness of recent political victories - So true. But the religious right is so deluded, they are going full speed ahead anyway.

Video - Florida returns to the dark days of Anita Bryant with 'Don't Say Gay' bill

In 1977,  spokeswoman for the Florida Citrus Commission and former beauty pageant contestant Anita Bryant led a controversial but highly successful campaign to repeal a Dade County nondiscrimination ordinance. She did so by spreading ugly lies about gay men wanting "access" to children.  Her campaign was the first organized opposition to our rights.

One would think that 45 years later, people wouldn't fall for the same lie. But as the above video from Equality Florida proves, it's easy to fool people repeatedly with the same lie as long as you repackage it, such as with this 'Don't Say Gay' bill moving through the state legislature.

Florida has gone from 1977's 'Save Our Children' to 2022's 'Don't Say Gay' and the only thing we've seemed to have learned is how easy it is to needlessly scare people with horror stories - even implied - about gays and children. 

In some ways, America hasn't changed at all since 1977. And that is depressing.

'FL legislature advances 'don't say gay' bill after DeSantis voices support' & other Wed midday news briefs

Florida Legislature advances "Don't Say Gay" bill after DeSantis backing​ - DeSantis and Florida are simply determined to walk through it all with gasoline underwear. By all means, please do. 

TikTok star Emira D’Spain is Victoria’s Secret’s first Black trans model - Good for her!

In a First, Asian-American Lesbian Confirmed to Ambassador-Level Post - Another achievement!

The Moderna HIV vaccine trials are underway - Keep your fingers crossed.

Biden Administration strongly condemns Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill

From The Hill: 

 The White House on Tuesday condemned a bill making its way through the Florida legislature that would prohibit the discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in the state's primary schools.

 "Every parent … hopes that our leaders will ensure their [children's] safety, protection and freedom, and today conservative politicians in Florida rejected those basic values by advancing legislation that is designed to target and attack kids who need that support the most, kids from LGBTQI+ community," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a briefing with reporters. "Make no mistake, this is not an isolated action in Florida," she continued. "Across the country, we’re seeing Republican leaders taking action to regulate what students can or cannot read, what they can or cannot learn, and most troubling, who they can or cannot be. This is who these kids are, and these legislators are trying to make it harder for them to be who they are." 

 Psaki, when asked why the administration was weighing in on state legislation, said the White House felt it was important to speak out against the Florida law. The Parental Rights in Education law, which critics have described as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, would bar discussion of sexual orientation in elementary schools across the state. Republicans argue the discussion of LGBTQ issues is not age appropriate for those students.

Another dangerous component of the bill is that it would force teachers to out LGBTQ youth to their parents, potentially exposing them to homelessness if their parents kick them out of their homes or violence with their parents being the culprits. Unfortunately, in spite of all of the condemnation, the bill continues to be moving forward through the FL legislature.

White House statement on Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill:

“Every parent hopes that our leaders will ensure their children’s safety, protection, and freedom. Today, conservative politicians in Florida rejected those basic values by advancing legislation that is designed to target and attack the kids who need support the most – LGBTQI+ students, who are already vulnerable to bullying and violence just for being themselves. But make no mistake – this is not an isolated action. Across the country, we’re seeing Republican leaders take actions to regulate what students can or cannot read, what they can or cannot learn, and most troubling, who they can or cannot be. This is politics at its worse, cynically treating our students as pawns in a game and not people who deserve love and respect. At every step of the way, Republicans have peddled in cheap, political attacks, instead of focusing on the issues parents, students, and teachers care about.

 Just imagine what it would feel like to be a kid watching the leaders in your state bully you through legislation that tries to erase your existence. These types of attacks are the root cause of the mental health crisis that too many LGBTQI+ children face. The President wants LGBTQI+ young people who may be feeling scared or alone to know that they are loved exactly for who they are, and that he won’t stop fighting for the protections and safety they deserve.

 Instead of making growing up even harder for our young people, President Biden and his Administration are focused on keeping schools open, providing resources to combat learning loss, and supporting students’ mental health. The Biden-Harris Administration will continue speaking out against harmful anti-LGBTQI+ bills and taking steps to protect our nation’s students.”

'Seven out athletes are playing for Team Canada's Women Hockey team' & other Tue midday news briefs

7 out athletes are playing for Team Canada's Women's Hockey team! - I remember when only having one out athlete would be problematic. Seven out Olympic athletes on one team is sweet.

A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards - Thank you conservatives for making schools boards a battle zone. Of course I'm being sarcastic (these days, you always have to specify.) 

This Is What It's Like Going To The Gynecologist When You're Black, Trans And In Texas​ - Thank you for this article, KB Brookins. 

LDS Church supports bipartisan Arizona bill with LGBTQ protections - I'm just as shocked as you. 

16 queer Black trailblazers who made history - And oldie but goodie.

Gov DeSantis supports 'don't say gay' bill which could expose LGBTQ kids to parental abuse

 

FL Gov Ron DeSantis

As vile as this development is, it should surprise no one. The 2024 presidential election will be here sooner than you think and FL Governor Ron DeSantis is eager to bcome the GOP front runner. 

Apparently it doesn't matter if he has to pave his road to the Oval Office with LGBTQ kids.

From The New Civil Rights Movement:

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday for the first time showed support for an anti-LGBTQ bill that bans discussion of LGBTQ issues or topics in schools while forcing teachers to out children to their parents at home. “In terms of the schools, we’ve seen instances of students being told by different folks in school, ‘Oh, you know, don’t worry, don’t pick your gender yet. Do all this other stuff,’” DeSantis said Monday, Florida Politics reports. 

“They won’t tell the parents about these discussions that are happening. That is entirely inappropriate.” DeSantis also said it is “inappropriate” for teachers “to be hiding these things from parents,” meaning issues of sexual orientation or gender identity. “To get into situations where you’re not having the parent (involved), where you’re hiding things from the parent, you’re injecting these concepts about choosing your gender. That is just inappropriate for our schools,” DeSantis reinforced.

DeSantis's tone is one of the problems with the bill. His narrative embraces deliberate omission of LGBTQ parents and same-sex families. And there is a even deadlier problem with the bill which needs more discussion.

As the article notes, the bill forces teachers to out students to their parents because of the narrative that parents know best. However, the sad but unfortunate fact when it comes to LGBTQ kids is that many times, parents don't know best. And sometimes the actions they take after their children are outed are the worst thing which could happen.

Some LGBTQ youth become homeless because they are kicked out by their parents after being outed. And on the streets, they face high risks of physical and sexual abuse, more discrimination, suicidal thoughts, and as well as other negative repercussions.   

According to Lambda Legal:

Between 20% and 40% of all homeless youth in the United States identify as LGBTQ. Frequently rejected by their families or fleeing abusive long-term placements, these youth are too often misunderstood and mistreated by the staff and other residents at temporary shelters. Homeless and runaway LGBTQ youth too often are misunderstood and mistreated by the staff and other residents at temporary shelters. Harassment, assault and even rape within these facilities are common experiences. The data is sobering: half of a sampling of lesbian and gay youth who had been in out-of-home care settings reported that they had spent periods of time living on the streets in preference to the hostile environments they had found in these settings.  Being homeless imperils a young person’s physical and emotional security. 

According to a 2002 study by the University of Washington, LGBTQ homeless youth are physically or sexually victimized on average by seven more people than non-LGBTQ homeless youth. With nowhere to go and no means of support, some may be forced to engage in survival behaviors that place them at significantly higher risk for mental health problems, substance abuse and exposure to sexually transmitted infections. Some of these survival activities, such as sex work, are illegal, leading many LGBTQ homeless youth to encounters with the juvenile justice and delinquency systems.

And in equally ugly situations, having to remain at home after they are outed exposes LGBTQ kids to violence and other forms of abuse. with their parents being the culprits.

Supposedly the bill has a component which says notifications may not happen if it is determined that the child would be exposed to violence in their home. But that part is vague in terms of who makes the determination or its criteria. And LGBTQ kids deserve more than a vague component which sounds more like of a Cover Your Ass protection for the bill instead of genuine protection for them.

By supporting this bill, Gov. DeSantis is saying he doesn't care about the well-being of  LGBTQ kids who are stuck in potentially abusive households or even just as bad, thrown out in the street by their parents. 

In this desire to create more notoriety for themselves and more action from their base,  DeSantis and supporters of the bill seem to be ignoring the fact that kids have rights too - most specifically, the right to feel safe from discrimination, violence and other forms of abuse even if it may from their parents.

Related post - FL 'don't say gay' bill sends message of erasure to LGBTQ kids and same-sex families

'Republicans targeting LGBTQ youth in state legislative sessions' & other Mon midday news briefs

Florida Republicans target LGBTQ youth in 2022 legislative session​ - So it's not just transgender children. The GOP is targeting all LGBTQ kids. 

Lawmakers Target LGBTQ Issues in Schools - And not just in Florida.

16 Penn swimmers issue letter in support of new transgender athlete rules - Right after a letter of support for her. No difficult guesses who or what group is behind THIS letter. 

LGBTQ adults report higher COVID vaccination rates than heterosexual adults, CDC says - Meanwhile. 

This gay NHL fan was attacked and is coming forward to stop homophobia - A terrifying but necessary story.

Video - 33 Iconic Quotes from RuPaul's Drag Race

To be honest, I don't watch RuPaul's Drag Race, but I do enjoy the snippets I have now and again seen. Mainly, I enjoy watching how drag culture has made itself a part of the American mainstream culture. Particularly because I'm old enough to remember the time when no one talked positive about drag queens, much less put them on television. 

'Teacher suing the district. Says she was harassed for standing up for LGBTQ kids' & other Fri midday news briefs

Teacher says she got harassed for standing up for LGBTQ kids. Now she’s suing the district.​ - Sometimes only the loss of money can get people to do the right thing.

LGBTQ Books Are Being Banned. Their Authors Are Fighting Back. - We all need to fight in this war. 

Tennessee bill would ban teaching of LGBTQ issues in schools - Geez, Tenn! It's a dumb bill, but keep it up. Dig that hole.

Gay British curler Bruce Mouat picks up Team LGBTQ’s first Olympics win - Hello!!

They are now actually burning books in Tennessee, y'all

Conservative anti-LGBTQ pastor Greg Locke prepares to throw a bunch of books into a bonfire (as seen in the below tweet)

As everyone knows, there is presently a nationwide hysteria with regards to the banning of books. This is because some felt that they would warp the minds of children by  encouraging discussion on racism and other controversial issues amongst kids especially confirm the existence of LGBTQ people.

Probably the most attention-grabbing incident was a school in Tennessee banning a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about The Holocaust entitled Maus. Apparently the state isn't done with the issue as of yet because a controversial pastor who spreads misinformation about COVID decided to take it all a step further.

He held an event in which there was an actual banning of books. According to The Nashville Scene:

Last week, McMinn County made news when the school board voted to ban beloved graphic novel Maus — a Holocaust story told with anthropomorphic mice and cats — due to instances of swear words and nudity. While the vote happened in early January, it went viral following a report from TN Holler. 

Last night, Mt. Juliet pastor and pro-Trump conspiracy theorist Greg Locke decided to turn it up a notch by organizing an old-fashioned book burning. The books included millennial staples like Harry Potter and Twilight — hits of the early Aughts that were targeted by Christian book burnings back in the day. In a sermon preceding the bonfire, 

Locke described beefing with "Free Mason devils" and said "I ain't gonna be 'suiciding myself' no time soon." Locke also said people aren't mad that they were burning books, but mad because of the books they were burning — implying that his critics, even other pastors, were devil and witchcraft supporters.

 

Republicans are now literally burning books pic.twitter.com/zAJHl2HY4q

— MeidasTouch.com (@MeidasTouch) February 3, 2022

Locke  is a very interesting figure in Baptist circles and isn't necessarily liked. Last year, he was banned from Twitter for spreading wild misinformation about COVID and vaccines. In addition, he believes that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump and is also - surprise, surprise - rabidly homophobic even to the point of playing the "gays are pedophiles and they want to have sex with children" card.

He's a nut, but he is also an empowered nut. And that is the problem.

Still, he has his uses. No matter harmless some conservatives and members of the religious right cast their plans, there is always one in the crowd eager to rip off the mask of faked levity and reveal just how sordid they all are. 

And we should always be grateful for the existence of that fool.

Editor's note - Picture and tweet courtesy of Tennessee Holler. Big props for breaking this story.

'Ex-president Alphonso David sues HRC for racial discrimination' & other Thur midday news briefs

Alphonso David

Ex-president Alphonso David sues HRC for racial discrimination​ - Batten down the hatches. Things are about to get ugly at HRC. Still our work as a community goes on. The pursuit of LGBTQ equality did not begin because of HRC and it won't end with HRC no matter what problems the group has. 

7 Times Amy Schneider Made Jeopardy! History - No matter what our trans brothers and sisters are faced with, they always rise to challenge and kick ass. 

USA Swimming capitulates to a right-wing media hate campaign and prematurely ends trans swimmer Lia Thomas’ season - This illustrates the power of the anti-LGBTQ industry. They have a disciplined network and we don't. Unpaid and uncoordinated bloggers with minimum reaches to powerful LGBTQ and mainstream media sources have a hard time competing. Now it's not just the refutation of homophobic and transphobic lies and junk science which is necessary. The machine has become larger and more powerful. 

Comedians get Trumpers to agree to ban the Bible from schools by telling them what’s in it - Like I said before, let's have that conversation.

Video - 'Unladylike2020' - LGBTQ black icon Gladys Bentley made defying the cultural norms work for her

I am posting this video because its subject, Gladys Bentley, is a fascinating icon in both Black and LGBTQ history. At a time in which homosexuality was heavily frowned up, Bentley stood out as a talented artist who refused to hide who she was. She embraced not being seen as 'ladylike' and made it work for her.

Also, this video should start a much needed, albeit highly difficult discussion with regards to our black heroes and how said heroes treated LGBTQ people of color. (as seen with civil rights stalwart Adam Clayton Powell starting at 7:18 of the video ) As we saw last year with the Dave Chappelle situation, some heterosexual black people only 'tolerate' LGBTQ black people after they psychologically split our dual identities. 

Biden's desire to put a black woman on SCOTUS is yanking the evangelical hypocrites out of the closet

Tony Perkins thinks that Biden's decision to put a black woman on SCOTUS is wrong because the American public 'deserves a robust debate' on the nominee no matter who it may be. Too bad he didn't feel that way about Merrick Garland.

President Biden's decision to name a black woman to the Supreme Court is wonderful in so many ways. For one, it's about time a black woman is put on SCOTUS. The closest we got to receiving one is when former president Bill Clinton talked about naming former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan as a justice. Unfortunately her health problems kept that from happening.

Another benefit to Biden's decision is how it allows me to dig into my basket of receipts and call out the conservative and religious right hypocrites who are raising a fuss about it. These folks claim that Biden is sending a negative message of discrimination to those who aren't black women and message of pandering to black women.

Exhibit A of this outcry is from what's becoming my favorite anti-LGBTQ group to call out, the Family Research Council. It's president, Tony Perkins, claims that Biden's desire to name a black woman to SCOTUS is unfair, while pointing to a poll which says the majority of Americans disagree with Biden decision to name a black woman:

To most people, it didn't feel like a grand, equitable gesture. It felt like identity politics run amok. "Typical," Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) fumed, of an administration that's been "race-obsessed, gender-obsessed" from the beginning. And Americans seem to agree. In a brand new ABC poll over the weekend, 76 percent of Americans said they wanted Biden to consider "all possible nominees." Only 23 percent think he should limit the pool to black women. 

 Even the Washington Post's Ruth Marcus couldn't help but admit, "Would I be more comfortable if Biden hadn't been quite so explicit? Yes. Partly because it carries an aura of unfairness to announce that no one will be considered who does not meet an announced racial test," she wrote. Still, she insisted, the criticism over Biden's criteria seems "racially tinged." In other words, the Wall Street Journal's editors point out, "What she's really saying is that conservatives are right in their criticism but only liberals can say so... The Court and the public deserve a robust debate about the nominee, whether black, white, Asian, man, woman, whatever." 

Well that's interesting because it reminds me of another poll in 2016 concerning another potential SCOTUS justice - our present Attorney General, Merrick Garland:

The majority of Americans want the Senate to consider President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, according to a new poll. A CNN/ORC poll released Friday found that some two-thirds of Americans surveyed want the Senate to hold confirmation hearings for Merrick Garland, who Obama nominated to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. 

Most Republicans surveyed disagree with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who, along with other Senate GOP members, has said the Senate will not hold hearings for an Obama nominee. Some 55% of Republicans said the Senate should hold hearings, along with 67% of Democrats. A majority of those polled also said Obama should select the next justice (57%), but those views are divided by party with 85% of Democrats backing the president and only 26% of Republicans.

We all know how this story ended. Garland did not get a hearing and Trump - being elected after Obama  - chose Neil Gorsuch as his SCOTUS pick. The GOP-controlled Senate, led by Sen. McConnell, confirmed him.

But where was Perkins and the Family Research Council when Garland was being denied a hearing?  They were cheering on efforts to deny the hearing. FRC even sent out a press release echoing McConnell's excuse for not holding a hearing and attacking Garland as being too radical:

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement: 

 "Judge Garland is far from being a consensus nominee and would be an incredibly different jurist than Justice Scalia. In fact, he was opposed by almost a quarter of the Senators who voted on his nomination to the D.C. Circuit Court in 1997, and some of Judge Garland’s most recent opinions and dissents raises serious questions about his ability to serve as a constitutionalist. 

 "During this presidential election year, there is not time to provide any nominee the thorough review necessary to adequately consider a person’s appointment to the Supreme Court. In fact, it has been almost a century and a half since a Supreme Court vacancy occurred and was filled in an election year when the White House and Senate were controlled by different parties. 

"This November, Americans will speak to who they want nominating the next Justice for the United States Supreme Court. The American people should have a say, and the Senate should respect Americans' desire to speak to this important issue by declining to schedule hearings and votes on a Supreme Court nominee this year.

It's obvious that Perkins and FRC think of the America public in the same way as the GOP - not mattering until their opinions can be distorted and exploited.

'Joe Rogan also spews anti-trans rhetoric on his podcast' & other Tue midday news briefs

Joe Rogan amplifies transphobic lies but won't invite transgender people on his show.

Joe Rogan Continues to Spew Anti-Trans Rhetoric on His Spotify Podcast​ - People have righteously raised hell with Rogan over his COVID misinformation. BUT they forget how he amplifies transphobic grifters WITHOUT giving trans people the courtesy of being invited on his show. Folks claim that Rogan encourages needed debate in general, but when it comes to transgender people, that notion is a HUGE lie.   

Anti-gay Trump judge is insulting his colleagues & annoying everyone on the federal bench - But then they whine about Biden's possible SCOTUS pick. 

Trump promises to ban transgender women from sports if re-elected - Okay . . .. whatever. 

He started an LGBTQ magazine during the pandemic. Here’s what he learned. - A wonderful and positive article.

Speaking of banning books. let's have a conversation about the Bible . . .

In light of all of the book banning going on around the country, we should call out the irony when it comes to the 'religious persuasion' - conservative evangelicals - of the groups and individuals behind much of this madness.  This is solely because of the book they claim to be their guide for life, i.e. The Bible. 

Far be it from me to seem petty, but for a group of people so concerned with children being warped from what they read, the book they endorse has a lot of violence and sex in it. 

For example:

We all know the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho, but folks seem to forget that after those walls came crashing down, Joshua's army massacred everybody in the city except for a prostitute called Rahab and her family. 

We all know the story of Daniel in the lion's den, but folks seem to omit that after he was delivered, those responsible for his plight - and their families - were then fed to the lions. 

And the story about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah has been drilled into our heads as proof that homosexuality is a supposed sin. But what about the story afterwards of the incest between Lot and his daughters. Or the Levite man in the book of Judges when faced with the situation of nearly being gang raped - see Sodom and Gomorrah - handed over his concubine to be manhandled to death, which she was.

Then there is the story of the general, Sisera, who had a tent peg nailed through his head while he slept.

The king Agag, who was chopped into pieces by the prophet Samuel,

The queen Jezebel who thrown out of a window and then whose corpse was eaten by dogs after a chariot was driven over her (She was NOT a nice person), 

Elisha the prophet who had bears come out of the forest and attack boys who was making fun of him,

The king Eglon who has assassinated by having a knife so deeply driven into his belly that feces came out

Then there was  Athaliah, a queen so wicked that she had her grandchildren massacred so she could gain the throne. (She was the daughter of Jezebel. That was not a nice family)

And let's not forget massacre after massacre after massacre all done in God's name, including the wedding dowry of 200 foreskins (which of course was NOT handed over voluntarily).

I hope you see where I'm going with this. There are people out there wanting to ban books because of profanity, sex,  discussions of racism and anti-Semitism, or the existence of LGBTQ people for fear that these things are harmful to their children. And yet these are the same people taking guidance  - including the raising of same children  - from a book containing more violence and sex than a Quentin Tarantino movie.

The point is not to disrespect the Bible or the religious beliefs of those who have a deep personal faith in the Bible. But to put it plainly, book banning is not about parental control nor protecting children. It's about protecting an inflated and undeserved sense of self-entitlement. Some seem to think that it's not enough to mandate what ideas are appropriate in their own homes. Instead they want the ability to mandate the appropriateness of ideas to other families and their children.  They want to dictate standards which others are forced to follow while claiming that not affording them this privilege is harming them.

There is a name for that - gaslighting.

Books are not dangerous to children nor are class discussions about controversial issues those books may spark.  The danger lies in the hypocrisy of those exploiting their children to sanction their own personal beliefs and prejudices in laws and regulations.  Especially when we see that the faces and voices of LGBTQ and parents of color have been omitted throughout this controversy.

And most likely, deliberately so.

'Conservatives are banning books from schools while whining about 'cancel culture'' & other Mon midday news briefs

Conservatives Are Banning Books From Schools While Whining About 'Cancel Culture' - We definitely noticed. 

LGBTQ advocates regroup on paid parental leave after Biden's safety net bill stalls​ - Obstructionism affects us all. 

A Guest Was Denied Entry At a Restaurant For 'Not Dressing Their Gender' - So ridiculous of the restaurant. 

Schumer Vows to Pass Federal LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Bill - We'll see.

Video: The time Madeline Kahn put drag and radical queer theater on primetime television

LGBTQ folks loved us some Madeline Kahn. She was highly talented, very funny, and could do anything. She was the only person I knew who could upstage Barbara Streisand and she did that in her first screen appearance. And, of course, she was a wonderful ally. As we cruise into a new week which will bring us probably more drama and eyerolling moments (particularly with the book banning madness going on around the country), let's have a light moment courtesy of LGBTQ video historian Matt Baume. Apparently, Madeline put drag on primetime television decades before RuPaul came on the scene:

Did you ever hear about the time Madeline Kahn used a failing sitcom to introduce America to radical queer theater, convincing ABC to broadcast an appearance by one of the most subversive drag artists in the country? This is the story of how Charles Ludlam, Charles Pierce, and Charles Busch revolutionized queer theater, and how their influence can still be found on your favorite drag shows to this day.

'Minnie Mouse is going to wear a pantsuit and conservatives are angry about it' & other Fri midday news briefs

Minnie Mouse is going to wear a pantsuit & OMG conservatives are upset about it - I WISH this was a joke. They gonna really freak when they hear about Smurfette living in the forest with a bunch of gay guys (well not all of them. wasn't it convenient how Baby Smurf just showed up two years later) 

Lessons Learned as a Gay Son of Holocaust Survivors - Never Again. 

Top GOP staffer compares transgender children to terrorists​ - Guess who he works for.  

Out Princeton wrestler says he quit the team due to rampant homophobia - This is terrible! 

National LGBTQ group GLSEN appoints first Black, nonbinary executive director - Good going, GLSEN!!

'Parental rights' bill could discourage abused children from confiding in their teachers

Imagine being so homophobic that you push a bill which could prevent an abused child from seeking help. That is what's happening in Arizona.

According to The Arizona Mirror by way of Raw Story:

Arizona Republicans this week lined up behind a measure that would discipline teachers and open them up to lawsuits if they don’t tell parents everything a student tells them — even if the student confides that he or she is gay or transgender. The legislation, House Bill 2161, would make it illegal for a government employee to withhold information that is “relevant to the physical, emotional or mental health of the parent’s child,” and specifically prevents teachers from withholding information about a student’s “purported gender identity” or a request to transition to a gender other than the “student’s biological sex.” The bill would allow parents to sue school districts if teachers don’t comply. 

A bill like this is shortsighted on a number of levels. The most obvious was how it could undermine a child in an abusive household from telling his or her teacher. This was pointed out during a Jan 25th legislative committee meeting:

Jeanne Casteen, the executive director of the Arizona Secular Coalition and a former teacher, worried about how the reporting function of the bill would impact child abuse. Teachers are mandatory reporters, and Casteen said that every time she had to report child abuse, it was being inflicted by a parent. Under Kaiser’s bill, she said, a teacher would also have to notify the parents — the likely abusers — that the child informed them of the abuse. “I keep hearing about parental rights, but what about the rights of these students?” Casteen said.

A very telling moment about this bill came during the same committee meeting when Rep. Daniel Hernandez, an openly gay legislator, challenged the sponsor of the bill, Rep. Steven Kaiser, about who exactly drafted the bill. Kaiser admitted working with anti-LGBTQ groups instead of educational organizations:

Kaiser initially said the bill was created via a “stakeholder group” and his “own inherent passion” for the issue. But when Hernandez pressed him on which stakeholders were involved in drafting the bill, Kaiser admitted he didn’t work with education groups or teachers, but with anti-LGBTQ advocacy groups — chief among them the Center for Arizona Policy, a conservative Christian lobbying organization that has pushed numerous controversial and bigoted bills since forming in 1995. CAP holds sway with most Republican lawmakers and Gov. Doug Ducey, and is widely considered one of the most powerful lobbying groups at the state Capitol.

 “I know you have a long-standing (dislike) of that organization. I understand where the bait was in that question,” Kaiser told Hernandez, who is gay. “I’m not sure what education group I’d go to, because they’d be against this.” 

 Another stakeholder that Kaiser consulted is Family Watch International, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated an anti-LGBTQ hate group. That group also has its fingerprints on another piece of legislation that would ban any books that have “sexually explicit” content and that critics say would effectively make it illegal to teach about homosexuality.

The Arizona bill is one of many pushed by GOP state legislators across the country. These bills seek to shut down discussions of race, sexual orientation, or gender identity in classrooms under the guise of 'parental right,' which seems to the new buzz phrase for conservatives.

But according to columnist Will Bunch, these 'gag orders' are mimicking 'McCarthyism.'