Friday, August 28, 2015

It is time that the lgbt community shift this so-called culture war and put anti-gay liars on the run

This booklet is key for lgts to put the anti-gay right on the defensive.

It's the weekend, which means I will now engage in shameless self-promotion.

As most of you are aware - and probably tired of me mentioning - in 2013, I authored a free online booklet on anti-gay propaganda, How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America.

To the right are two places where you can read and download it free of charge.

However, I would suggest that you try the new adobe acrobat site. It brings you directly to the booklet, where you can also read, save, and share it free of charge.

My booklet exposes::

How false claims about the lgbt community haven’t changed in over the past 30 years,

The constant flow of researchers and physicians who complain that anti-gay groups distort their work to denigrate the lgbt community,

The simple fact that there is no cohesion in the accusations anti-gay groups make against the lgbt community (i.e. how can lgbts be sad, pathetic people if they make more money than the “regular population” or “recruit” children, control Hollywood, but yet have time to engage in lots of sexual intercourse),

And what the lgbt community, and our media, should be doing to make the public more aware of how anti-gay groups exploit religious beliefs about lgbts in order to peddle their lies.


And with marriage equality now a reality,  this booklet is needed.  Our opposition is slowly transforming themselves to the so-called victims of an alleged onslaught of gays seeking to maliciously destroy their way of life.

It's a false narrative aided by the fact that there has been little to no attention on their past exploits to reduce lgbt lives to caricatures of over-sexed, diseased monsters.

The general media will do very little to correct this narrative. That's an unfortunate, but well-known fact. And I hate to say it, but our own media, too busy with topographical cultural icons and somewhat annoying arguments over academic terms having little or nothing to do with the actualities of lgbt lives are derelict in calling these people out.

That is now our job- the ordinary lgbt citizen who merely wants to live our lives in peace. We must take it upon ourselves to call out, educate, and demand the truth be told.

Don't let anti-gay groups like the Liberty Counsel exploit willful idiots like Kentucky clerk Kim Davis without reminding the world about their history of vile homophobia.

Don't let groups like the Family Research Council seize the narrative on what is the true definition of Christianity without demanding that they give an account on their distortions of legitimate science.

And don't let anti-gay groups and personalities plot and plan their next move against our God-given equality unscathed without letting them know that we know every move they make and every lie they tell because we have studied their past techniques.

THIS BOOKLET is the first step. It is the primary step and hopefully it won't be the last into shifting this so-called culture battle into one from lgbts having to constantly explain our existence to our opposition FINALLY explaining their long oxymoronic history of lies and propaganda done in God's name.

The new site to read, download, save, and send out How They See Us is here. Take advantage of it. In less than a month, it has reached over 10,000 reads. Let's make the second 10,000 in a shorter time.

I hope that my booklet is just the beginning and that someone else publishes a better tome free of elitist academic language and embraces the commonality of simple truth-telling and how it can inspire a community.

'Anti-gay activist needs $25,000 to promote unnecessary law' & other Fri midday news briefs

Jonathan Saenz
Anti-LGBT activist who was ditched for another woman wants $25,000 to promote ‘pastor protection law’ - Uh pastors are NOT forced to marry gay couples. But if people want to waste $25,000, I would suggest they send it to me. 

Calgary Driver Says He'll Quit If Forced To Drive Pride Bus - Hey Kim Davis, take some notes. Even though I really don't understand his problem. Sounds like a fun bus.

CNN's Bizarrely Homophobic Coverage Of The Virginia Shooter - I am not saying a word. If I start raising hell over this situation, I won't be able to stop cursing. Just read this wonderful piece by Carlos Maza.

 How a Kentucky Clerk Became an Ultimate Symbol of Bigotry - I have to disagree with Michelangelo Signorile here. If Kim Davis faces any jail time for her illegal actions, the right may view it as a victory which they can exploit, but ultimately it will be a serious loss. As I said yesterday, if she had a private business, she would have more leverage. However, folks aren't exactly on the side of a government official who has decided that she will NOT do her job AND deserves to get paid taxpayer money for the "privilege."

  Rafael Cruz: 'The Devil Overplayed His Hand' With SCOTUS Gay Marriage Decision - Don't be alarmed, Rafael. The devil still has your crazy behind talking.

Houston newspaper DEBUNKS lies about 'transgender bathroom predators'


Welcome to today's world when we get excited because a newspaper does the job it is SUPPOSED to do.

From Equality Matters:

The Houston Chronicle thoroughly debunked a popular myth being peddled by opponents of the Houston Equal rights Ordinance (HERO). Other Houston news outlets, which have been uncritically repeating the false talking point for months, should follow the Chronicle's lead.

The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, or HERO, is a broad non-discrimination ordinance that was passed by Houston's City Council in 2014. HERO prohibits discrimination in areas like housing, employment, and city contracts on the basis of 15 characteristics, including race, sex, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Anti-LGBT conservatives in Houston have fought to repeal the ordinance, successfully lobbying to put HERO up for a public vote on Houston's November ballot.

Since the start of the debate over HERO, Houston media outlets have made a consistent habit of uncritically repeating right-wing misinformation about the ordinance, including peddling the widely-debunked myth that HERO would allow sexual predators to sneak into women's restrooms by pretending to be transgender - a bogus talking point championed by HERO's opponents.

In an August 25 columnThe Houston Chronicle's Lisa Falkenberg did what other local news outlets have failed to do - investigated and debunked the bogus "bathroom bill" claim:
The so-called HERO ordinance, which will appear on the November ballot, really has little to do with potty time. It's about protecting people against discrimination in employment, housing and other sectors. It protects gay and transgender people, but also bans discrimination based on sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, pregnancy and genetic information, as well as family, marital or military status. So why are we talking about bathrooms? Because one small aspect of it would let transgender people use the bathroom of their choice.
That means a transgender woman who may wear dresses and makeup can use the women's restroom, rather than turning heads at the urinals. A transgender man who may sport lumberjack attire and a burly beard can use the men's restroom. It's really quite simple. It's about reducing drama, not creating it. As one transgender activist explains in a popular Twitter hashtag, #wejustneedtopee.
This simple accommodation has become the bogeyman's best weapon. Critics suggest it will lead to men dressing up as women to assault women and girls in bathrooms.
[...]
As Richard Carlbom with the pro-ordinance Houston Unites campaign told the Chronicle: "Nothing in the equal rights ordinance changes the fact that it is - and always will be - illegal to enter a restroom to harm or harass other people."
If this ordinance posed a real danger, opponents wouldn't have to find some future parent to feign fear of becoming a victim "one day." They could surely find a real victim in one of the other cities that passed anti-discrimination ordinances decades ago.
[...]
In 1997, the city of Cambridge became one of the first jurisdictions in Massachusetts to amend its human rights ordinance to include gender identity and expression, police spokesman Jeremy Warnick said Tuesday.
He sent me the full testimony of police Superintendent Christopher Burke before the state House in 2011, advocating for a statewide bill for transgender equal rights.
Burke, speaking "as a member of the law enforcement community, husband, father and citizen," testified that the bill would not harm women and children. He said there had been no incidents or issues regarding people abusing the Cambridge ordinance.
Massachusetts passed the law. Houstonians should do the same.
Even if you insist on voting against it, pick another reason. Maybe you don't want to condone a transgender lifestyle. Maybe you believe protections for some groups are already extended by federal law, and you don't want a local ordinance that could offer relief more quickly and less expensively for your fellow Houstonians.
But don't vote against the ordinance because of urban myths about sexual predators in bathrooms. Sexual predators exist. But if they wanted to attack you in a public bathroom, they wouldn't need a city ordinance to do it.