Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Is the Liberty Counsel attempting to remake Kim Davis into the evangelical 'Nelson Mandela?'

Is the Liberty Counsel attempting to transform Kim Davis
Why Did Pope Francis Meet With Kim Davis?  

Based on the two above news briefs, it's beginning to look more and more like the Pope did have a secret audience with anti-gay Kentucky clerk Kim Davis. But hold up before going off half-cocked. I love y'all, my lgbt brothers and sisters but there are times when you are quick with the outrage but slow with the thought process. Details are still coming out what exactly was the meeting about, who arranged it, who said what, or why it even happened. But I have a theory you should really think about.

Earlier this week, Davis' lawyers was claiming that 100,000 Peruvians held a prayer rally for her. They even passed along a picture supposedly proving such until the picture was proven to be from 2014. They were then forced to say the picture wasn't factual. But let's imagine for a moment that the truth about the picture wasn't discovered. With the idea fresh in our minds that 100,00 Peruvians allegedly rallied in Davis' honor, this announcement that she met the Pope who supposedly told her to "stay strong" would hit the news services.

All that would be left is someone, let's say Fox News' Todd Starnes, Mike Huckabee, or any other right-wing source like The Blaze, American Family Association's One News Now, the Heritage Foundation, etc.  to suddenly anoint Davis as the Christian "Nelson Mandela" with as much zeal as they compared her to MLK or Rosa Parks when this thing first began.

You see where I'm going with this?

In the United States, Davis isn't exactly winning many followers for her illegal stance. However if she is seen as an international symbol for alleged anti-Christian persecution, then who cares about the United States because the hype machine would send her reputation through the stratosphere on a worldwide level, reaching people who aren't aware or don't care about the true story.  Like Nelson Mandela during his long imprisonment became the international symbol against apartheid in South Africa, she would become an international symbol of  so-called "religious liberty" or "homosexual oppression" (which by the way doesn't even exist.)

It's just a theory but definitely something to keep in mind. So I would suggest that my lgbt brothers and sisters be careful to not bare their fangs to much that they miss the con which could be done on us all.

Anti-gay publication runs graphic claiming 'Christian holocaust' perpetrated by gays


Fresh from being caught up in the embarrassment of the Kim Davis Peruvian Rally Hoax, the anti-gay publication Barbwire ran the above image to accompany the article Today It’s the Christians.

Apparently, the article is about the belief that Christians in American are entering a holocaust like the Nazis launched against people of the Jewish faith.

Whatever, guys. After the Peruvian Rally hoax, I'm not sure anyone should believe your powers of predictions.

More about the article and the person behind it, Janet Porter, here.

 

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

'Kim Davis' lawyers admit 'prayer rally photo' is a hoax' & other Tue midday news briefs

 
Kim Davis' lawyers admits that this photo is not true.


Kim Davis’ Attorneys Finally Admit This Isn’t A Picture Of A Massive Kim Davis Rally In Peru - The Liberty Counsel claims that it's an honest mistake. Suuuure it is. Look, it may be but based on the Liberty Counsel's track record of distortions and lies (particularly from Mat Staver and Matt Barber), I REFUSE to give the organization the benefit of the doubt. 

Just in case you missed the earlier story - Think Progress knocks Kim Davis supporters out with irrefutable proof of their lies

Meanwhile, some very EVIL, EVIL folks are rubbing it in (I call them evil because I didn't get a chance to get my digs in):


 
In other news: 

Monday, September 28, 2015

Think Progress knocks Kim Davis supporters out with irrefutable proof of their lies

Apparently, there has been somewhat of an online war going on today between the progressive site Think Progress and the supporters of Kim Davis.

Last weekend, Mat Staver head of the organization defending Davis for her illegal act of denying couples their marriage license, made the claim that over 100,000 Christians in Peru held a prayer rally for her. He posted the following image:




.However, Zack Ford, head of ThinkProgress LGBT (and a good friend of mine) contended that Staver's claim was a lie. Based upon his investigation, Ford said the picture came from a prayer rally known as “Jesús Te Ama Y Te Cambia” (“Jesus Loves You And Changes You), which did take place in Peru — over five days in May, 2014.

Icons for LGBT History Month - the list I hope to someday make

In light of this Stonewall nonsense, it's important to remember that lgbt heroes come in all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, religions, and racial ethnicities.Some may have embraced civil disobedience, while others used other means to remind people of our basic humanity or the war of lies and propaganda waged against us. Some were famous, but some were not.

From the Equality Forum comes the list of LGBT History Month 2015 Icons (because October is LGBT History Month). It's a list that I hope to make someday as a  cerebral African-American lgbt who may not have been able to act, sing, play a sport, or achieve a high level of fame, but played a huge role in exposing and dismantling vestiges of homophobic propaganda, thereby clearing the way to our eventual full equality.


'Anti-gay spokespeople caught lying about Kim Davis support' & other Mon midday news briefs

Did this massive crowd in Peru gather in support of Kim Davis? Hell no.

No, 100,000 People Did Not Gather In Peru To Support Kim Davis. Here’s Proof. - Looky here. Kim Davis' lawyer and others members of the anti-gay right have been caught lying about a prayer rally in Peru supposedly in support of her stance. And it is here which opens another avenue where the anti-gay right can defeat us.  When reading this, many of you will probably yawn and give a cute comment about how anti-gay hate groups have been caught lying yet again. That's a problem which needs to be talked about. It would seem that when the anti-gay right can't beat us with outright lying, they will constantly repeat the same lies in order to desensitize us. It's the equivalent of being struck until you are numb. It takes away your outrage and desire to expose the lie.  When you stop exposing the lies, they can gain traction.

Star Parker: Gay Marriage is 'Bringing Horrible Hostility Into The Public Square' - Read the entire item and listen to what she says (if you have a strong stomach). She is basically whining about gay adoption. Pretty nasty of this woman who runs an organization, CURE, which only exists to give her token black conservative status at right-wing events. 

 Slut-Shaming Through the Disclosure of HIV Positive Status: Danny Pintauro's Recent HIV Positive Announcement - This is a pretty damn good article and I'm glad it was posted because I wanted to work Danny Pintauro's announcement in today's news briefs in a way of relevance and not of gossip. 

 Stonewall Gets What It Deserves, Tanks at the Box Office - As I get older, the Stonewall uprising is reminding me more and more of The Andy Griffith Show episode, 'The Battle of Mayberry.' That's the episode where everyone in town gives self-aggrandizement to their personal ancestor as the person who really won the battle for the town when in reality, no one knew the actual truth. There. I said what I've been feeling about this entire controversy almost since it started.  

Obama: Religious Freedom Is Not A License To Deny Others Their Constitutional Rights - That's MY president who said that. . .

The media's love affair with a certain anti-gay hate group . . .

I ran this as part of my news briefs last week, but it needs to have a post of its own to reiterate the point that lgbts need to pay attention to what's being pushed in the media. You think Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council would be getting as much respect if it were an openly racist or anti-Semitic group?


Friday, September 25, 2015

'Twitter HATES Kim Davis' & other Friday midday news briefs

The "People Court of Twitter" has found Kim Davis guilty

Kim Davis Goes On Fox News For Sympathy, Twitter Eviscerates Her (TWEETS) - Even Twitter despises Kim Davis. 

John Boehner To Resign From Congress At End Of October - My friends, anything this monumental happening in Congress will have repercussions for the lgbt community. Boehner has never been our friend, but I do feel sorry for him because in the end, it was the nuts in his own party who drove him crazy. He is merely abandoning The Titanic before it shoves off.

 Biphobia Is Hurting The Health Of Bisexual People - Read and understand.

  If You Think 'Straight-Acting' Is An Acceptable Term, You're An A**hole - PREEEEEACH! I am so proud to call Noah Michelson a friend and one of my mentors (only because he puts up with my Facebook wailings.)

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Dear Todd Starnes, guess where you can put the Doritos . . .

Fox News' Todd Starnes

For all of his false bellyaching about the so-called persecution of Christians in America, Fox news personality Todd Starnes certainly doesn't come across as a Christian.

If you have read any of his tweets or heard anything he has said in general, I think you would agree he comes across as a lying, spineless, weasely bullying who talks tough when he is not called to defend what he says.

Take for example this situation regarding Frito Lay and its rainbow colored Doritos. The company is selling these doritos as a part of a team up with Dan Savage's charity, The "It Gets Better" project.  The "It Gets Better" project deals with the problems lgbt youth have with bullying and homophobia in general.

However, members of the anti-gay right, including Starnes, is attempting to raise a fuss and make the entire situation about Savage rather than his charity. Let's just say that Savage has more of a vocal history of challenging the homophobia coming from these folks than most. And they despise him for it.

Starnes has now declared that he is boycotting Frito Lay:

Starnes is particularly upset that proceeds from the limited run will benefit Dan Savage's "It Gets Better Project," which supports LGBT youth, declaring that he will not buy another Frito-Lay product until the company "stops giving money to a bunch of godless sickos who bash Christians." It appears that Frito-Lay would rather do business with the likes of Dan Savage than America’s good, church-going people. Look, it’s not my business where you dip your Dorito, but as for me and my house, I can promise you this, not a single Frito, not a single Cheeto until Frito-Lay stops giving money to a bunch of godless sickos who bash Christians. 




Don't be like that, Todd. At least buy the Doritos. That way, I can tell YOU where to stick them.

'Scalia still furious over SCOTUS marriage equality ruling' & other Thur midday news briefs

Book gives voice to black queer boys
Justice Scalia Is Still Hopping Mad Over The Gay Marriage Ruling - Dear Justice Scalia, kindly @!$*, with a BIG cherry on top. 

 Kim Davis to Megyn Kelly: “If I resign, I lose my voice,” proving everyone right - What the heck does THAT mean? As much good as Kim Davis is doing to harm that ridiculous cause of "religious liberty," she is beginning to get on the tip top of my LAST nerve. 
 
This Children’s Book Aims To Give Black Queer Boys A Voice - Cause one is WAAAAY overdue.

8 Questions to Stop Asking Bisexual People - AMEN! 

 Judges Rules Against Jail Whose Staff Systematically Sexually Harassed Trans Inmate - Wonderful news! 

 Gohmert: Confirming Gay Army Secretary Will Make Muslims Think We Approve Child Sex Abuse - Whaaaaat?!!! 

 Marriage Equality Opponents Need to Admit Actual Reason for Their Loss - My blog post made The Huffington Post so I am promoting that incarnation of it. Read the post and stay for the comment war. Apparently SOME folks didn't appreciate what I said. 

Photo by Kendrick Day

What you can expect from anti-gay hate group Family Research Council's summit next week

This week, the anti-gay hate group the Family Research Council will be holding its so-called "Values Voter" Summit in which we are probably going to hear all sorts of outrageous lies about lgbts, Muslims, and especially President Obama.

It wouldn't be such a big thing except for the fact that several Congressional leaders and Republican presidential candidates (including Donald Trump) will be speaking there. To me, that's scary that FRC has such influence.

While the following video is dealing with last year's summit, it is still relevant because the same folks in it are speaking there this year. So you can probably expect to hear the same junk this year:


Wednesday, September 23, 2015

'Why is the media coddling anti-gay group leader Tony Perkins?' & other Wed midday news briefs



There is absolutely no excuse for the media's light treatment of the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins. Point blank. He doesn't deserve the designation of a "Christian leader" nor does the Family Research Council deserve the designation of a "Christian organization."  Their lies about the lgbt community need to be addressed, not ignored. More here - How The Media Is Helping A Hate Group Leader Gain Political Power  

Huckabee: Obama Only 'Pretends To Be' A Christian - And so driven insane by the reality that no one in their right minds would want him as president, Mike Huckabee slowly went insane and began to think God picked him to designate who gets to be called true Christians . . . 

A Gay Pastor Faces The Damage Done By His Many Affairs - I LOVE the black church, but this is situation is symptomatic of the hypocrisy and the deliberate ignorance embraced by so many of my heterosexual African-American brothers and sisters when it comes to being an lgbt of faith.

 Why Kim Davis Isn’t Off The Hook Yet - Oh come on, y'all. You know it's not over yet . . .

  Barber: Criticism Of Kim Davis Reminiscent Of Sodom And Gomorrah, The Inquisition - And on that note, dear Kim Davis supporters, having someone like Matt Barber defend her is like THE WORST thing to happen to her cause. 

 Director Roland Emmerich Discusses “Stonewall” Controversy - And he addresses it by saying the MOST INAPPROPRIATE thing one could say in a situation like this. I don't see this ending on a positive not at all.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

FRC's Tony Perkins - No religious liberty for Muslim-Americans

Tony Perkins, hypocrite
On the Family Research Council's webpage is a site called Free to Believe, which spotlights the horror stories of Christians who have allegedly been discriminated against because of their faith.

The website contains the following statement:

Freedom. It caused pilgrims to uproot and endure dangerous passage to the wild and unsettled land that was America. The promise of freedom from fear of government punishment or loss of livelihood is a hallmark of our nation. It 's enshrined in the U.S. Constitution as our first freedom, and it' s what makes America great.  . . . When Americans believe something, they back it up with their actions. Our core beliefs define who we are, and how we live. The freedom to believe and live according to those beliefs is the foundation for a civil society where people of differing beliefs can live and work together with mutual respect . . .

It such a nice sentiment, but it's very hypocritical, considering that Family Research Council President Tony Perkins does not believe that Muslims have the same rights.

According to Right Wing Watch:

On his “Washington Watch” radio program yesterday, Perkins repeated his claim that Islam is not protected under the U.S. Constitution. While discussing GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson’s recent statement that he would never support a Muslim candidate for president, along with the claims of Kim Davis’ critics that a clerk would never receive such praise from the Religious Right had she been a Muslim, Perkins railed against media commentators for “interjecting” Islam “into all of these discussions.” He said that the media is using Islam as a “wedge” to divide conservatives, suggesting that Kim Davis’ decision to impose her Christian beliefs onto her county office was different because Islam is not protected in the Constitution, while Christianity is. “Religious freedom and our liberty is ordered liberty under the Constitution,” Perkins said. “And as Dr. Carson pointed out, and I know this is driving the left crazy, that Islam is not just a religion, Islam is an economic system, it is a judicial system, it is a compressive system which is incompatible with the Constitution. That’s what Dr. Carson said and he happens to be correct.” Perkins said that the country is under no obligation to provide legal protections for people “who want to blow — I mean, when was the last time you saw a Baptist trying to blow something up?”





What actually drives sensible people crazy is the blatant hypocrisy of people like Perkins. His organization has a webpage complete with anecdotal stories of supposed violations against Christian religious liberty, while at the same time he is declaring, in essence, that Americans who practice Islam don't deserve any religious liberty protections.

And that last statement about Baptists ot blowing things up really galls me. The last time I checked, some "Baptists" are too busy murdering doctors who perform abortions to blow any buildings up. But I guess that doesn't count because they aren't  considered to be "actual Christians."

No doubt Perkins figures that the 60+ innocent Muslims who died on 9/11 (some sacrificing their lives during that awful day) weren't "actual Muslims" either.

 

'Kim Davis digs that hole even deeper' & other Tue midday news briefs


You know who . . .
Kim Davis: ‘I Have Friends Who Are Gay’ Who I Denied Marriage Licenses - The "Cherry Sister" of anti-lgbt activism just refuses to go away. Y'all, I know you think we shouldn't pay her any attention, but I say let her talk. When your best weapon is your enemy's voice, let them use. Just interject yourself every now and then to let folks know what the REAL issue is about. In this case, it is one person attempting to keep gay couples from their legal right to marry. 

Watch: Kim Davis 'Sad' Gays 'So Unhappy' That They Don't Feel 'Dignified' Without 'A Piece Of Paper' - That comment is SO not going to help her. Gee, Kim. Why did you get that "piece of paper" four times? 

 Catholic Schoolteacher Who Was Fired For Being Lesbian Now Invited To Welcome Pope Francis - HA! 

 White House shrugs off criticism over LGBT papal invites - Double HA! 

 How Fox News Turns Transgender People Into Villains - Study these tactics. Before they went into their "we are simply trying to protect religious liberty" act, anti-gay groups used them on the entire lgbt community.  

GOP hopefuls silent as Huckabee attacks gay Army nominee - I guess they are too busy attacking Islamic-Americans and Planned Parenthood. Luckily, Huckabee has the homophobia angle covered.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Anti-gay spokesperson - Rainbow colored Doritos = anal sex, poop

Blankley
WOW! I knew some anti-gay figures were angry because Frito-Lay is teaming up with Dan Savage’s It Gets Better Project in support of gay youth by creating rainbow colored Doritos, but Bethany Blankley of the venomously anti-gay site BarbWire took her anger to another level.

She is all about anal sex and "the poop."
"Doritos has taken feces and anal sex to a whole new level– making it taste good. Left out in nearly all discussions about homosexuality is the reality that anal sex often infects people with E. coli bacterial infections, spreads sexually transmitted diseases, and can cause anal cavity bleeding and rupturing. Homosexual acts in part, involve one man inserting his sexual organ into another man’s rectum, which contains and emits human excrement."
So when heterosexuals have anal sex, are they gay? Actually her description of anal sex leaves a lot to be desired. Since I'm posting something on it, I need to stress that point. But isn't her poop fascination so precious?

It's what the anti-gay right is reduced to.

Hat tip to Right Wing Watch
 

'Bisexual awareness week, groundbreaking moment at the Emmys' & other Mon midday news briefs



One of the many groundbreaking moments from last night's Emmy awards. Jeffrey Tambor wins Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his wonderful portrayal of a transgender woman in Transparent. Nice. Now I want to see more roles played by and more awards won by transgender actors and actresses.

New Infographic for Bisexual Awareness Week Highlights Stigma and Disparities Facing Bisexual People - It's way past time for a conversation regarding the needs of the bisexual community.

The Vatican Is Freaking Out Because Pope Francis Might Meet With LGBT People At The White House - Gasp and swoon! You mean lgbt Catholics exist? Well, I never!!

Marriage equality opponents need to face the reality of why they lost - This morning's post on my blog. PLEASE help it go viral. It needs to be read far and wide.

Mike Huckabee Smears Secretary Of The Army Nominee Eric Fanning: “Homosexuality Is Not A Job Qualification” - Leave it Mike Huckabee. If there is a tiny essence in a situation regarding lgbts he can exploit, he WILL exploit it.

 Who’s Who At The Values Voter Summit 2015 - Speaking of which, this monstrosity is coming up, so we need to arm ourselves first with knowledge.

Marriage equality opponents need to face the reality of why they lost



Kim Davis. Kim Davis. Kim Davis.

Lord, I am so tired of hearing about that woman; the so-called Joan of Arc standing in the gap for traditional marriage fighting a battle which the only outcome will be her loss and thereby the destruction of America and Western civilization as a whole.

To put it plainly, what a crock.

And to put it even more plainly, no matter how this nonsensical ado ends, I find myself getting highly annoyed at almost everyone with media leverage because they are shortchanging the situation instead of spelling it out to the American people in its entirety. This cause celebre of the moment is not simply about a hypocritical clerk who continues to place her religious beliefs over the duties of her $80,000 a year government job.

I wish it were that simple.

This annoying Kim Davis affair is merely a sideshow to cover up the fact that the overall case against marriage equality was nothing more than a pitiful delusion. A sad pursuit run by folks who had more money and influence than common sense. More gall than love. More ways to get their message out, but absolutely no way to make it more palpable or more flavorable than the bland, watery indigestible stew of discrimination that it was.

In the early days of the fight, marriage equality opponents were on an incredible streak via their ability to get state after state to pass anti-marriage equality laws.  They, led mostly by the National Organization for Marriage, were riding high in their glory. It didn't matter that their talking points about "marriage uniting the two halves of humanity" was basic balderdash repeated by one spokesperson (NOM president Brian Brown) who spoke out of the side of his mouth in a monotone worthy of a character from an Ed Wood movie. It didn't matter that their other spokesperson (Maggie Gallagher) practically oozed false sincerity and brazenly lied about her anti-gay animus even when confronted with evidence of it.

And it certainly didn't matter that while they whined about falsely being labeled as bigots, they simultaneously ran ads and commercials implying that gays were attempting to corrupt children, even while entities such as Politifact and one of their own supporters called them out on it.

All that mattered were the wins because, as Gallagher once put it, "winning is fun."

But they were so blinded by their wins, they got just a little too overconfident and weren't prepared when the argument shifted away from public votes and into the courtrooms.

I consistently remain amazed about how they were mortified when the courts stepped in. After all, it was the next step. Isn't that how it's done in this country? Laws are passed and if some feel that  the laws are unjust, they challenge them in our courts.

It was when gays challenged marriage equality laws via the courts that the masks of false superiority came off and we began to see the true faces of marriage equality foes. They made so many crucial errors and missteps  Allow me to address these errors and missteps  (and in doing so, I want to shift tenses so I can speak directly to Brown, Gallagher,  other leaders of the anti-marriage equality camp, and possibly anyone else still upset at our victory):

Misstep 1 - During the Prop 8 case which determined marriage equality in California, some of your "expert witnesses" dropped out because they had no expertise in what they were claiming, leaving you with only two. One of those witnesses, David Blankenhorn, managed to undermine the credibility of your own case.  Even your lead counsel, Chuck Cooper admitted that he couldn't say how marriage equality could harm the institution of marriage as a whole.

Misstep 2 - During the DOMA case, you pushed evidence so bad that one of the sources complained how you were distorting her work. And even a blogger - yours truly - spelled out in detail just how poor the evidence you were presenting.

Misstep 3 - But your most embarrassing misstep was when you helped create a phony study which supposedly shed a negative light on gay parenting without having the style and finesse of doing it in a clandestine manner as those who engage chicanery generally do. You recruited and overpaid a college professor, Mark Regenerus, to finagle figures and used your hype machine and resources to give the study credibility with the goal of using it to influence the Supreme Court.

But you are sloppy. I'm talking very sloppy. You were so bold and brazen that by the time your bogus study came out, the lgbt and scientific community knew where the money came from, how it was being promoted, who was promoting it, and every single lie to pinpoint in it. You basically gave us all a huge barrel of fish, several loaded guns, and said "have at it.

All in all, your entire cause was doomed from the time of the first gavel strike. So now, instead of admitting your own incompetence, you want to compare your now futile fight against the reality of marriage equality to  the famous Charge of the Light Brigade.

You remind me more of actor Slim Pickens in the movie Dr. Strangelove during the scene where he rode that atomic bomb down to the ground. But even his character had the common sense to know that once the bomb hit, that would be the end of it all.

You all, on the other hand, think that even after all of your missteps and transparent lies, that you will actually come out as winners, undo settled policy, and take something away from the lgbt community that we fought tooth and nail to win

You don't want to talk about why you actually lost against marriage equality. You would rather distract everyone with bad anecdotes of pseudo anti- Christian persecution  repeated by people I wouldn't trust to sell lemonade at a child's stand, such as Fox News' Todd Starnes. You come with people like Mike Huckabee exploiting the unfortunate ignorance of so many about how our government works. You come with conservative activists, pundits, and religious right figures spinning wonderful speeches of noble sacrifices and declaring that the fight against marriage equality is "a hill worth dying on." But the last time I checked, some of  those same characters were saying that overturning Obamacare, defunding Planned Parenthood, or eliminating Common Core were also the "hills worth dying on."

And that point leaves me very frustrated. If these folks are talking about "dying on hills," the least they could do is pick one and give all of us the courtesy of following through.
 
What I am trying to say is you lost this fight because when you started it, you didn't think it through. You weren't prepared to go all of the way. Sure you passed a lot of referendums, but you weren't skilled enough to form a proper argument that could sway the courts.

THAT, my friends, is the reason why you failed.  It wasn't because of Satan or "black-robed dictators " or "unelected judges." It wasn't because of a long-term plan between gays and Hollywood. And it certainly had nothing to do with any fraud, chicanery, or trickery of any type.

You had to prove one thing to the courts - that the passage of anti-marriage equality laws did not violate the rights of gay and lesbians couples and their children. When it was all said and done, you couldn't do it.  In spite of all of your tricks, lies, influence, speeches, crowds of support, you failed miserably to prove that one solitary point.

And when you failed, you lost. It's as simple as that.

Those who lose generally  lick their wounds, get over their sadness and carry on the best way  they know how. I would suggest that you do the same because frankly, none of you are special. Your religious beliefs don't make you better than anyone else. And they certainly don't give you an excuse to not obey the same rules and laws that the rest of us have to.

But I do have one question.

Should Kim Davis have to go to jail again, will Mike Huckabee be taking her place? After all, he did volunteer.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Conservatives livid that Frito-Lay supports lgbt youth charity

Editor's note - News briefs will be either postponed for preempted today due to a pressing lunch engagement. 


Anti-gay folks are furious at Frito-Lay


Some folks on the right are absolutely livid at Frito-Lay for one of the dumbest reasons.

From Raw Story:

Frito-Lay announced today that they are creating “Doritos Rainbows,” that will be shipped out to people who donate at least $10 to Dan Savage’s It Gets Better Project through this website. The It Gets Better Project is dedicated to working with teens who are bullied — letting them know that there is a network of people in the world who will support them and love them and defend them based upon the pledge: “Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I’ll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work. I’ll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other bullied teens by letting them know that it gets better.”

And  naturally, because it's campaign for the lgbt community, the conservative wolves on twitter have come out screeching for blood. Raw Story posted just a small number of them:





These folks, who obviously have too much time on their hands, remind of harpies, which were monsters of Greek mythology. Harpies were said to be hideous bird-women who would invade every feast or party, snatch up the food, or generally ruin the event by literally pooping on everybody and everything, thereby leaving a nasty pall over the proceedings.

These days, harpies don't have to literally poop on things. Apparently that's what twitter. is for.


Thursday, September 17, 2015

LGBT Throw Back Thursday - Jesse Helms

I was thinking about the Republican debate last night the notion ran through my mind  - "these suckers aren't anything but cocktail canape. If you wanna talk about an elected official who inspired fury, hate, and love, let's talk Jesse Helms."

A lot of the younger lgbt folks don't remember the five-term Senator from North Carolina and it's just as well. He was a nasty vicious racist, and above all, homophobic. In fact, his homophobia was so extreme, he would make Peter LaBarbera a gay icon. He has a certain place in history via his fight against AIDS funding in the 80s (amongst other things, i.e. the "damn lesbian" comment during the 1993 confirmation hearing of Roberta Achtenberg.)

The following video below is a trailer from Dear Jesse, a documentary which came out in 2007, a year before Helms died. It was created by gay filmmaker Tim Kirkman. Just imagine someone like Helms in the Senate today:




On second thought instead of imagining a senator like Helms in Congress today, check out this adoring testimonial of Helms by Texas Senator Ted Cruz. It certainly gives one something to think about (or have nightmares over) seeing that Cruz is presently running for president.

'GOP candidates stupidly making Kim Davis a campaign issue' & other Thur midday news briefs

GOP presidential candidates make Kim Davis a campaign issue. Please proceed . . .

Mike Huckabee Says Kim Davis Case Shows We Should Ignore The Supreme Court - The saving grace with bombarding us with Kim Davis is that it is steadily a losing issue for the anti-gay right. 

Jeb Bush Agrees With Mike Huckabee: All You Need to Know About GOP Anti-Gay Bigotry for 2016 - Of course the anti-gay right and their supporters do have a history of being extremely tone deaf.  

GOP Candidates Say Jailing Of Kim Davis Is Worse Than Ahmed Mohamed's Arrest - I mean we are talking EXTREEEEMELY tone deaf. 

 How A Survey Is Bringing Hope To The Transgender Community’s Most Vulnerable - Wonderful idea reaping many positives.

 Insurance company reject a man’s application because he takes PrEP - This here is some @%!$
Gay man shuts down younger sister’s homophobic bully with one fantastic Facebook post - "Handle yo' bizness!"

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

The best of anti-gay rants at council meetings

Have you all ever noticed that when there are public testimony at meetings regarding lgbt-inclusive ordinances, those supporting the ordinances are always on their best behavior while the other side have at least one, two, (or three) folks who are - for the lack of a better word - way out there?

That thought ran through my mind when I read about the following via Raw Story:

A failed U.S. Senate candidate known for speaking in tongues spoke out against LGBT rights in a wacky, tampon-waving address to city officials in Anchorage. Kathleen Tonn, the former Republican candidate, carried a briefcase stuffed with props and wore a wool hat and flannel sweatshirt Tuesday night to the meeting of the Anchorage assembly, which is considering an LGBT rights ordinance, reported the Joe My God blog.




Eh, I'm not impressed. I personally think some of the below rank higher on the weirdoshitometer







'Christian baker has NO PROBLEM serving gay couples' & other Wed midday news briefs


Not all Christian bakers have a problem with serving gay couples.
 
 Christian Baker Serves Gay Couples Because “If They Want to Get Married, More Power to Them” - More proof that the anti-gay right has bogarted the discussion of faith and religion when it comes to the lgbt community.   

Houston is next battle in LGBT non-discrimination fight - Alright all you lgbt warriors. I think it's safe to say that we won in Kentucky. Next stop is Houston and it's going to be a doozy with the trans-inclusive legislation. 

Why Doesn't Fox News Host Transgender Guests? - Do you know what's so sad about this? Not only the fact that Fox News gets away with this but still is considered by some to be a news channel, but also we are so desensitized by this nasty treatment that folks reading this are already shrugging their shoulders. Imagine if Fox News did this to African-Americans.

South Carolina School Suspends Student For ‘Nobody Knows I’m A Lesbian’ T-Shirt; Now Everyone Knows - Go for it, little sister! 

 Michael Sam Says He's Returning To The University Of Missouri For Graduate School - Good for him. It's never a bad idea to go back to school.

 Linda Harvey: US Must Fight Gay Rights, Not Climate Change - Because gays control climate change?

Roy Moore channels Nazi oppression in defense of Kim Davis

Really, Roy Moore?
It never ceases to amaze me how when anti-gay groups and personalities find a nice meme or trope, they repeat it continuously or bend and twist it to make it fit the point they are attempting to make.

Even if it ends up not making sense or sounding downright idiotic

Take the famous poem by Martin Niemoller for example. Niemoller was a Protestant pastor and an outspoken opponent of the Nazi party. He wrote the following:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Wonderful poem about the those who watch tyranny and do nothing and then reap the unfortunate benefits of their silence.

However, in the hands of someone like Alabama judge and renowned anti-gay activist Roy Moore, the poem becomes bastardized into something ludicrous:



And here I thought gays came after children first.  At least that's one anti-gay meme seemingly abandoned here.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

How to spot tops and bottoms via church denominations

I am so going to get in trouble for this but what the heck. A small change of pace from the seriousness of lgbt equality featuring an online buddy of mine and a very talented comedian, Sampson.

In his very hilarious fashion, Sampson talks about the obvious prevalence of gay men in black church and how they act how to recognize each denomination by their "sexual" likes and dislikes. (i.e. tops or bottoms).

And please, folks. No expository about homophobia in the black church, etc. The whole purpose of this video is to laugh yourself silly while noting the truth in Sampson's words. Definitely NSFW:





'Caitlyn Jenner pens wonderful letter on lessons learned' & other Tue midday news briefs

It's the commercial everyone is talking about, so naturally I'm including it in my news briefs:



Lessons I've Learned Since Coming Out - This wonderful piece by Caitlyn Jenner epitomizes something I've felt for a long time. She has been catching a lot of flack because of her opinions and such and personally I think the lgbt community has been too rough on her. It all goes back to our expectations when a celebrity comes out as an lgbt. Some of us automatically anoint them as our leaders and spokespeople and expect them to be perfect when such an idea is simply impossible. Just because Caitlyn is a transgender woman doesn't mean her opinions automatically and magically change from what they were before she came out.  And it doesn't mean that they are positively conducive to the community. As we all should remember and attest to, coming out as an lgbt is a educational process. I can tell you that once upon a time, I had negative opinions about the transgender community (20 years ago) that I no longer have. At the end of the day we need to listen and learn from each other. And most of all, give each other trust.

Mississippi’s Indefensible Campaign To Save Its Uniquely Anti-Gay Law - Mississippi is attempting to keep its ban on gay couples adopting children. I don't think it's going to be successful.

  Vast Majority Of Americans Across Nearly Every Demographic Think Kim Davis Is Wrong - Oh come on. Just one more Kim Davis post. 

 South Carolina paying $215K to gay marriage plaintiffs - Give it up! Turn it loose!  

Jindal: Gays Pushing 'Discrimination Against Christians' - We are? Doggone it! That's another memo I didn't get!

Monday, September 14, 2015

The Atlantic exposes bad journalism of Fox News's Todd Starnes

Todd Starnes is everything a journalist & Christian should never be.

One of the most fervent pushers of the lie that Christians are being persecuted in America is Fox News personality Todd Starnes. That mantra is all he pushes, so much so that at times he has been caught lying in order to further it.

From reading his articles and tweets, I don't like Todd Starnes. He is everything Christianity has no business being - spiritually ugly, a nasty, vindictive character who wraps his homophobia, racism, and xenophobia around the cross with the fervor of a hungry snake wrapping itself around bird.

Thank goodness, I am not the only one have raised questions about Starnes' journalism acumen and his tendency to lie. Jonathan Merritt just published a wonderful piece about Starnes in The Atlantic  entitled How Todd Starnes is Compromising Fox News's Credibility. Merritt deconstructs this awful man's history of bad journalism (including one which nearly got US Secretary of Education Ron Paige fired in 2003) and how it keeps him popular amongst Fox News viewers and readers:

If you want to find one of the greatest threats to Fox’s credibility, walk past Sean Hannity’s carefully powdered forehead and Megyn Kelly’s impeccably curled hair, and go deep inside NewsCorps’ Manhattan headquarters. There you’ll find Todd Starnes, a middle-aged man sitting at a difficult-to-find desk who hosts a radio podcast and web-only video show and occasionally pens opinion columns for FoxNews.com. He might appear unassuming, if vaguely familiar, but he is more influential and destructive than even Fox’s network executives may realize.

Fox News has a Todd Starnes problem. And while the network doesn’t seem to be concerned, perhaps it should be. Because Starnes has both a rapidly expanding platform and a long history of journalistic malfeasance.

 . . .  In January 2006—less than three years after Starnes was fired for misquoting the secretary of education—Fox News Radio hired him to work as overnight news anchor. But while his business cards changed, his behavior didn’t.

In April 2013, he reported that the Obama administration was engaging in a “Christian cleansing” by blocking military access to the website of his former employer, the Southern Baptist Convention. As it turns out, the denomination’s website was being blocked as Starnes reported, but not for the reasons he claimed. The site was merely blocked due to the detection of potential malware.

In September, Starnes reported that a proposed non-discrimination law in San Antonio would “force churches to have transgender bathrooms.” Politifact reviewed this claim and “found nothing in the law” to support it, which led to the website rating the claim as “false.”

In December 2013, Starnes reported that Veterans Administration hospitals in Texas and Georgia were guilty of anti-Christian bias because VA administrators had banned Christmas cards for patients. But blogger Alan Noble later investigated his claims and found that Starnes had deliberately omitted the portion of the VA statement that contradicted his thesis. According to the full statement, the hospitals simply asked their chaplaincy service to distribute religious-themed cards while the health care system distributed non-religious cards.

I suggest folks read the full article. Then they will understand why we shouldn't ignore people like Starnes. If we do, we are only writing our own epitaphs.

 . . .

'Kim Davis returns to work defiant but irrelevant' & other Mon midday news briefs


Kim Davis
First Same-Sex Marriage License Issued After Kim Davis Returns To Work - Kim Davis returned to work defiant but TOTALLY irrelevant. 

WATCH: Anti-Gay Marriage Protester Shouts at Lesbian Couple While Kim Davis Hides in Her Office - Of course there were minor complications. Very minor dust off the shoulder junk.

 G.O.P. Anti-Gay Bigotry Threatens First Amendment - But it ain't over YET. Round two of the larger battle.  

This Transgender Teen Was Voted Homecoming Queen - Sweeeet! Heavy congratulations!

 Woman Fired For Being Transgender Scores A Victory - Third bit of happy news.

Theodore Shoebat: Force Gays To Submit To Christianity Through 'Death And Strong Suppression' - I despise this guy but we really to make his insanity known just in case everyone becomes complacent.

Mike Huckabee & Ted Cruz feuded over Kim Davis

While we wait on Kentucky clerk Kim Davis to return to work and do the right thing or start this "religious liberty" madness all over again, enjoy this video from the progressive show Young Turks. It focuses on the mini-feud between Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz which took place when Davis was released from jail. It also exposes the sad hypocrisy of some facets of Christianity in America:


Friday, September 11, 2015

Anti-gay leader: call gay marriage 'garriage' & lesbian marriage 'larriage' & other Fri midday news briefs

FRC's Pat Fagan has an idea. Stupid that is.
FRC Official: Call Gay Marriage 'Garriage' And Lesbian Marriage 'Larriage' - Before you laugh, remember that wingnut welfare enables this guy to get paid a buttload of cash. Okay, now you can laugh.

 The Kim Davis Saga May Last Until At Least January, If Not Longer - Come on folks. You REALLY didn't think it was over, did you? 

 Major News Outlets Fail To Identify The Hate Group Representing Kim Davis - Stuff like this depresses the HELL out of me. Nine and half years of blogging about these groups and I feel like I have made NO headway in sounding the alarm on their lies.  

Anti-Gay Group Claiming Same-Sex Marriage Linked To Childhood Drug Abusers, Homelessness, Rapists - Siiiigh! Refuting anti-gay propaganda is like cooking oatmeal. A lump always come up and you have to beat it down.

24 Reasons To Start Watching “Vicious” Right Now - I'm not usually frivolous, folks. But after a week like this one, I will make an exception. A wonderfully funny show.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Mike Huckabee shows ignorance, deliberate deception during radio interview

Huckabee
For someone who likes to quote the infamous Dred Scott decision in defense of  his opposition to marriage equality and of Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, Mike Huckabee doesn't seem to know pertinent things about it.

From Buzzfeed:
While defending Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis’s refusal to issue marriage licenses out of her religious opposition to same-sex marriage, Mike Huckabee said Wednesday that the Supreme Court’s 1857 ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford — which held that all blacks, free or enslaved, could not be American citizens — is still the law of the land even though no one follows it.

Radio host Michael Medved quickly pointed out to the former governor of Arkansas that the decision was overturned by the 13th Amendment. (Although the 13th Amendment ended slavery, the birthright citizenship clause in the 14th Amendment overturned the Dred Scott decision.)


And if you ask me, when describing the branches of government, Huckabee was deliberately vague on the duties of the Supreme Court. That tells me he knows that he is misleading people.

Just my opinion there.

'Fox News helping to promote anti-gay hate group leader's book' & other Thur midday news briefs

Anti-gay group leader Tony Perkins
Watch These Fox News Hosts Promote A Hate Group Leader's New Book - Ah yes. After it's quick sojourn with truth regarding Kim Davis, Fox News is back to being the lying, anti-gay hate group promoting network that I love to despise. 

If you want to read something, ignore Tony Perkins's crap and read this old, but very pertinent post I published on the Family Research Council - 16 reasons why the Family Research Council is a hate group  

Second Oregon Judge Stops Performing Weddings After Gay Marriage Ruling - Another prospective "shrimp on the barbie." 

 Ten Horrific Things Kim Davis' Attorney Has Said About Gay People - Speaking of which, let's focus on Kim Davis's attorney at the Liberty Counsel. THIS guy thinks he is a spokesman for any faith.  

Anti-gay ‘historian’ leading pro-Ted Cruz PAC says Bible forbids finding an AIDS vaccine - Geez! Ted Cruz sure can pick 'em.

 Is Reality TV Ready To Embrace Gay Black Men? - Between me and you, I cringe at the thought. I despise "reality tv."

Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Family Research Council's Tony Perkins doesn't seem to care that lying is also a sin

If you ask me, this Kim Davis situation seems to be making a 180 degree turn. The anti-gay right wanted to use her for a symbol of how lgbt equality would supposedly cause the suppression of Christianity. Not only did this prove to be false, but as it turns out, the more they exploit her, the more America sees the duplicitous face of the so-called traditional values movement.

A perfect example would be a recent interview that Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly conducted with the Family Research Council head Tony Perkins seen below courtesy of Right Wing Watch .

To put it nicely, the portion below went bad for Perkins and ended with him telling a HUGE lie about Kim Davis (which I took the liberty of highlighting):



Transcript: 

Kelly: You know the argument on the other side though. What if somebody goes in there and says, my sincerely held religious beliefs and now we're back in 1952 say, blacks and whites shouldn't get married. And therefore, I don't care that the Supreme Court said it's legal, I object and therefore, no.

Perkins: Well, it's much different. You have a long standing orthodox view about marriage in the Bible. The issue of interracial marriage is very difficult to point to in scripture. Are there some that hold that view? Yes. But it is --

 Kelly: What about Muslims? What about Muslims who say, a Muslim man may not marry a Christian woman and therefore you applying to me on the Muslim clerck? I'm not giving you that marriage license.

Perkins: If -- are you saying if there is a Muslim and clerk that --

Kelly: The Muslim clerk says, I want a religious accommodation -- how many accommodations can we grant?

Perkins: Right. In this particular case. What you have are the voters of this district, of this region of the country that elected her as the clerk. If they don't like what she is doing they can kick her out. It is not up to some unelected judge to impose his views on her and hold her in contempt of basically whatever he wants.

Kelly: And she may yet be if somehow she interferes with future licenses to be issued by the deputies although it doesn't sound like she is going to do that if they changed the issue.

Perkins: Well, here is all she wants. All she wants is to have her name off the license. She is not saying nobody in my office can issue this. She's saying, I just don't want my name -- -

That is a huge lie. Perkins conveniently omitted that Davis DID say that other clerks in her office could not issue marriage licenses. Right Wing Watch supplied a link to a New York Times article which validated this:

Ms. Davis’s appearance before Judge Bunning, and her subsequent detention, was a signal development in a case that surfaced soon after the Supreme Court’s ruling in June. Faced with the ruling, Ms. Davis, an Apostolic Christian, directed her office to stop providing marriage licenses to any applicants.

Furthermore, now that Davis has been released, she has not indicated that she won't give the same order she did as before. However if she does, one clerk said he would not follow her order.

So the bottom line is perhaps Perkins should stop obsessing over the so-called sin of homosexuality and focus on his own deliberate sins.

'Mike Huckabee upstaged Kim Davis, Cruz at yesterday's event' & other Wed midday news briefs

Ted Cruz's ego - a victim of Mike Huckabee

One thing is clear about yesterday's monstrosity of an event "celebrating" Kim Davis - Mike Huckabee's reputation seems to be taking a serious beating in the press. He wasn't that popular to begin with in general but the way he bent over backwards to upstage Ted Cruz - and even Kim Davis herself - has been duly noted.

Huckabee Hijacks Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis’s 15 Minutes - An overview of Huckabeee's behavior yesterday. 

 Huckabee Aide Physically Blocked Cruz From Getting Into Kim Davis Money Shot - Then there is THIS. The single event which epitomized not only yesterday but the hypocrisy of the anti-gay right. Just my opinion by the way, but if you THINK that aide took this action without prior instructions from you-know-who, you are naive.

 Mike Huckabee: God Took The Form Of Kim Davis, Holy Miracle Freed Her From Jail - Isn't that wonderful. While Huckabee's aide was acting like an overpaid bodyguard offstage, Huckabee was "spreadin' love" onstage. I think I'm getting nauseous. 

Watch Mike Huckabee’s ‘Biblical’ Support For Kim Davis Get Dismantled On Live Television - Ah yes. When the glitter fades . . . 

 Deputy Clerk Says He Would Defy Kim Davis And Issue Marriage Licenses - Meanwhile, if our favorite bigoted Kentucky clerk tries to act the fool, she may have a mutiny on her hands.

Fayetteville adopts civil rights ordinance 53-47 - Meanwhile, look what WE won. But it's far from over. 

photo of Ted Cruz courtesy of Chris Geidner

Tuesday, September 08, 2015

Fox News journalist Shepard Smith cries foul on Kim Davis, supporters

So Kim Davis has been released from jail with some provisos and though she and her supporters may act as if they won, and people like Mike Huckabee and Brian Brown may act like something great has happened, it's still a loss for them.

Marriage equality is still legal and if Ms. Davis interferes with other clerks granting marriage licenses, then back to jail she goes. In other words, I doubt this is over because of the obstinate nature of anti-gay activists, something which I spent quite a number of years studying.

But today, I really despise Kim Davis. Granted, her crusade was bad enough, but now she has personally offended me. Twice today, I've had to compliment someone from Fox News for telling the truth about her controversy.  This morning was a panel calling out Davis and her Liberty Counsel attorney.

And now is Fox News journalist Shepard Smith with a few words which practically nails what this madness is all about:


'Kim Davis, coming out stories, the Electric Company' & other Tues midday news briefs

Editor's note - I'm tired of Kim Davis. I KNOW you are tired of Kim Davis, but it is very important that we keep our guard up and assert our legal right to marriage equality regardless of anything.  The narrative belongs to us, not people like Kim Davis or Mike Huckabee, That's why I am bringing this news to you. Please don't feel that I am overwhelming you, but the truth is we cannot ignore this situation:

DENIED: Kim Davis Asks Kentucky Gov. to Free Her; Beshear Says Nope - So much for "as long as it takes." 

Five Bizarre Arguments Kim Davis' Supporters Have Used To Defend Her Lawbreaking - In this case, knowledge is our best weapon.

 5 Myths About Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis You Shouldn’t Fall For - Because there are a lot of lies out there. 

 A Tragic Love Story In 30 Pictures - A reminder of what so many lgbt couples face around the world and symbolically what we here have faced. Warning - it's brutal.

Transgender Student Will Appeal Judge’s Order Against Him In Restroom Case - Good for him!  

LGBT People Reveal The ONE Thing They Wish They'd Known Before Coming Out - This is wonderful. I love this!  As for me, I can't think of anything I wish I had known. At least for now.

If you are still reading, thank you. Enjoy the clip below from a wonderful show of my childhood, The Electric Company. To answer your question, yes that is Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno: