HRC lines up tech giants for amicus brief in transgender case

The Human Rights Campaign will file an amicus brief in Gloucester County School Board v. G.G., the transgender rights case which is scheduled for oral arguments before the Supreme Court on March 28. HRC is expected to file its brief on March 2.

Apple, IBM, Microsoft, PayPal and Yelp and others have agreed to sign on to the brief. Other companies may join them prior to the filing.

This is unlikely to be entirely about political correctness. These technology companies require the broadest possible pool of talent. If these efforts help them attract qualified people then their interests will be well served.

Fact: Matthew Shepard's murder WAS a hate crime

Tuesday, Alexa Moutevelis Coombs has written: “ 'Get Rid of All the Heterosexuals': ABC Gay Propaganda Series 'Rise' Goes Extreme.” I don't care too much about her taste in television. I do care about her embrace of Matthew Shepard revisionist mythology. About the ABC show Rise create by Dustin Lance Black, Coombs writes:

ABC's eight-hour gay propaganda event When We Rise isn't afraid to go low. Monday night's episode immediately gets into the leftist activism with a montage bashing Republicans and comparing gay rights to the fight against Nazism and the Civil Rights movement—and it all goes downhill from there.

Nitwittery: Gay men predisposed to be pedophiles

The Federalist is desperately in need of a discerning editor. The current occupant of that position has permitted Daniel Payne to post “If Child Sex Is More Common Among Gay Men, Are We Okay With That?”

The last time I wrote about this guy he was positing that Gavin Grimm is not a boy. Apparently without so much as a baccalaureate he was presuming to propose a treatment plan for youths with gender dysphoria. Payne's utter ignorance is a product of having the intellectual curiosity of a hothouse tomato. 

Payne's intellectual dishonesty might pass muster with the Trump crowd. His essay is puffed up with the pretense of a subjective inquiry. The reality is that he is asking a rhetorical question that he believes he has the answer to.

Apparently there is a marauding horde of violent trans activists

Monday, in a hyperbolic fit at The Federalist, Mary Rice Hasson writes: “Threatening Violence, Trans Activists Expel Un-PC Research At Medical Conference.” Hasson is with the Ethics and Public Policy Center. While EPPC has some Jewish connections it is essentially a conservative Catholic organization led by Ed Whelan. Robert P. George is on the board; George Weigel is a “distinguished senior fellow.” Chances are good that Hasson doesn't believe that transgender people exist. It is a virtual certainty that Hasson did not attend the conference that she is criticizing.

Washington Times baselessly tars SPLC

Monday, the editorial in the Washington Times is titled: “Selling an Epidemic.” It shows a picture of Southern Poverty Law Center founder Morris Dees. It is worth noting that Mr. Dees has not been an officer of SPLC for years. I intend to deal with a very small amount of content including some that I became personally involved with. However, the basis for the editorial is stated in the first paragraph:

Some of the shills on the left lament “an epidemic of hate out there, and it’s about to drown the republic.” The contagion has spread like wildfire, which stretches cliche to a breaking point, and according to the usual jeremiahs on the left it all started with Donald Trump.

ADF's agenda has little to do with Barronelle Stutzman

Monday, Jim Campbell, an attorney with the anti-LGBT hate group Alliance Defending Freedom provides a piece at The Federalist titled: “Barronelle Stutzman Shows Sexual Orientation Laws Treat Religious People Like Racists.” The subtitle reads:

The Washington floral artist’s case reminds us that sexual-orientation laws threaten freedom and unfairly equate reasonable people with racists.

In the subtitle “Religious People” becomes “reasonable people” as if people are reasonable by virtue of their religious beliefs. I could make a compelling case that quite the contrary is true given their embrace of often nonsensical dogma and their inflexibility which expands proportionate to their self-righteousness. 

Mark Regnerus doesn't like the teen suicide study

On Friday sociologist Mark Regnerus offers: “Can Same-Sex Marriage Really Reduce Teen Suicide?” at the orthodox Catholic Witherspoon Institute's blog. The subtitle of Regnerus' polemic reads:

The legalization of same-sex marriage may be associated with a short-term emotional bump for youth who identify as sexual minorities, but it is not a robust, long-term panacea for the emotional struggles of teenagers.

The bishops claim that a single parent is preferable to a gay couple

You would think that these arrogant, pampered prelates would have better things to do but the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops continues to try to undermine same-sex marriage. They are simply unwilling or unable to accept the reality that marriage equality is settled. So they are back to “every child deserves a mommy and a daddy.” — because it worked so well the first time around. On the bishops' site, Marriage Unique for a Reason:

As discussed last week, single parents can still honor the importance of sexual difference by acknowledging the unique difficulties their families face, but two persons of the same sex who raise a child are unable to do so.

This is so special: NOM v. JAMA

Brian S. Brown and the religious ignoramuses as National Organization for Marriage don't like an article that was published to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Pediatrics.  I wrote about the research on Monday. Researchers note that, as an issue of fact, teen suicides have declined with marriage equality. Researches analyzed the data from states that did, and did not, provide equal marriage prior to the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. Little wonder why Mr. Brown is a tad distressed.

The JAMA journals are among the world's most prestigious scholarly annals due, in part, to the rigorous peer review process. The email from Brown is titled “Flimsy Study, Fake News.” They are free to disagree but no article in JAMA is ever “flimsy” and nobody associated with NOM has the erudition to make that judgment. The really need to stop calling stuff they don't like “fake news.” The media have fairly and accurately reported the findings of the research.

Austin Ruse blows the gay pederasty/recruitment dog whistle

Austin Ruse — Knight of Malta and Defender of the Faith — takes Milo Yiannopoulos far too seriously while claiming that gay men are pederasts who prey on adolescents. I noticed a similar piece, with similar arguments, by Peter LaBarbera in LifeSiteNews yesterday. That alone should give Mr. Ruse pause unless he got the idea from “Porno Pete.”

I have already addressed the Milo issue. Simply stated, Milo has (or perhaps had) an economic interest in saying things that cause controversy. Milo's currency is outrage. Milo isn't trying to inform or engage in discourse. He does not shape opinion The self-absorbed Mr. Yiannopoulos is interested in garnering attention for himself. Negative attention is as good as positive attention. Perhaps, for him, it is even better. Taking Yiannopoulos seriously as a political lathe is comparable to taking Sarah Palin seriously as a scholar. Ruse's adulation is misplaced:

What to make of Betsy DeVos' comments on "protecting" LGBT children?

The short answer is “nothing at all.” Trump has “succeeded” in a very Putin-like way. Given the amount of bullshit that the administration promulgates we no longer know what to believe and what not to believe. This is intended to keep us insecure and off-balance.

It has even been reported that the education secretary did not support an administration rollback of protections for transgender students. Yet, it is hard to figure that it could have been done without DeVos' assistance or, at least, the assistance of people who at least nominally report to DeVos.

Ryan T. Anderson on the administration's decision regarding gender nonconforming school kids

Of course Ryan T. Anderson is delighted with the Trump administration's decision to rescind the Obama guidance on transgender kids in public schools. Anderson is a dour nun who believes unquestioningly the superstitions promulgated as The Faith by the Church. Absent a predisposition for critical thinking, Anderson has no use whatsoever for the opinions of experts in the medical and social sciences. According to Anderson in a highly repetitive piece titled “Trump Right to Fix Obama’s Unlawful Transgender School Policy:”

The Trump administration acted Wednesday night to fix the Obama administration’s unlawful “gender identity” school policy and return authority to parents and teachers in the states.

Have you seen the latest Trump poll?

According to a Quinnipiac Poll:

American voters today give President Donald Trump a negative 38 - 55 percent job approval rating, his worst net score since he took office, down from a negative 42 - 51 percent approval rating in a February 7 Quinnipiac University national poll.

• 55 - 40 percent that he is not honest;
• 55 - 42 percent that he does not have good leadership skills;
• 53 - 44 percent that he does not care about average Americans;
• 63 - 33 percent that he is not level-headed;
• 64 - 32 percent that he is a strong person;
• 58 - 38 percent that he is intelligent;
• 60 - 37 percent that he does not share their values.

Judge who refused LGBT sensitivity training sues feds for religious discrimination

Most federal employees are required to watch a 17 minute diversity training video which explains how to treat LGBT employees fairly. Administrative Law Judge Gary Suttles, who hears disability eligibility matters in the Houston area, refuses to watch the video. On February 16 Suttles sued his employer, the Social Security Administration for religious discrimination.

According to his complaint filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Suttles notified his supervisor:

"States' Rights" continues to be code for discrimination, this time for transgender students

Donald Trump has said that the treatment of transgender students should be up to the states. We know what that means in the Bible Belt.

According to Reuters a “Dear Colleague” letter is expected to be finalized today by the departments of Education and Justice that will rescind protections for LGBT students in public schools. According to a draft of the expected document, the Obama era regulation has “given rise to significant litigation.” The letter notes the diversity of opinion including that of a cherry-picked Texas judge who said that gender is that which is assigned at birth biologically.

Hate group critical of Taco Bell

One Million Moms, which is really just American Family Association, the Tupelo,  Mississippi hate group, doesn't like a new commercial from Taco Bell. What has AFA fitting out is the line: “When your morning is hell, just go to Taco Bell.” According to the group's website:

Taco Bell is following a trend in crude commercials. While a few fast food restaurants are cleaning up their ads, Taco Bell decided to air a commercial that includes foul language.

… They should not use the word hell in a jingle. We all know children repeat what they hear.

ADF continues the factually dishonest Vander Boon narrative

Wednesday, Alliance Defending Freedom is again pushing a factually discredited story of Christian victimization at the hands of the USDA. ADF blogger Sarah Kramer writes: “What’s the Beef? Family Meatpacking Business Threatened with Closure for Religious Beliefs.” That is untrue and Kramer makes matters worse with her explanation of alleged events:

Enter Don and Ellen Vander Boon, who own West Michigan Beef Company. As Christians, they try to live out their faith in every aspect of their lives. It’s no secret. Even their website states: “Above all, West Michigan Beef seeks to glorify and honor God in all that we do.”

The Benhams do Niemoller for Stutzman

Dumb as two sacks of lint

We have all entertained unimaginably moronic arguments to support the notion that Barronelle Stutzman, the bigoted Washington State florist, has a legal right to discriminate against gay couples. Tuesday, Jason and David Benham push idiocy to its absolute limits.

They begin their polemic with the familiar Martin Niemoller prose.

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.

The world will end in 2017

A fundamentalist Christian website has evidence from the Bible that the world will perish in 2017. According to Signs of End Times recent natural disasters provide evidence of our imminent demise. We all croak.

The site  claims that various signs point to the imminent second coming of Jesus. These include natural disasters, earthquakes, violence, sexual immorality and the persecution of Christians. Yes, same-sex marriage, the United States Supreme Court and gay people are at least partially to blame.

Hate group leader spinning the crazy wheels

Tuesday, hate group leader Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel is pressuring the mayor of Jacksonville, Florida to veto a nondiscrimination ordinance that passed by a super-majority of the city council. The veto would be irrelevant; pointless.

On February 14, 2017 the city council of Jacksonville Florida passed a comprehensive Human Rights Ordinance barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sexual identity. Within an hour, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry issued the following statement:

Why is a NH House committee soliciting testimony from a hate group official today?

According to a press release from Family Research Council, Peter Sprigg is testifying today before the New Hampshire House committee on Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs. Sprigg is a conservative Baptist minister employed by a hate group^* to advocate for anti-LGBT policies. Sprigg has no education, training or applicable experience in social science or law.

Pseudo-historian David Barton doesn't like the Stutzman ruling

Tuesday, David Barton offers his unique take on Barronelle Stutzman's loss at the Washington Supreme Court. Writing at the news blog of American Family Association, a designated hate group, Barton's piece is titled: “4 arguments against Christian florist ruling.” Barton is hard to take seriously unless you are religiously predisposed to do so. The uber Christian and Republican operative is a pathological liar with little regard for historical fact.

Moreover, we have to rely on AFA writer, Michael F. Haverluck:

Speak for yourself Mr. Yiannopoulos

Milo Yiannopoulos is a pervert — He does
not speak for the gay community

Milo Yiannopoulos, the self-absorbed, self-promoting, Alt-Right, Breitbart pseudo celebrity advocated for pedophilia and even thanks the Catholic priest who molested him. Yiannopoulos has made many idiotic statements to draw attention to himself with his “Look at me, look at me!” act. Ordinarily I don't care. Yiannopoulos means absolutely nothing to me. That is until he claims to speak for the gay community.

Teen suicide attempts declined with marriage equality

A new study demonstrates that marriage equality has given gay kids a brighter outlook. There is also the possibility that greater tolerance reduced bullying and made gay kids feel safer.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for all teens in the United States. Gay, lesbian and bisexual kids attempt suicide at over four times the rate of heterosexual teens.

Stutzman - The Interview

Sunday, Barronelle Stutzman has done an interview with Catholic News Service with an ADF lawyer form Alliance Defending Freedom in on the call. ADF, a designated hate group, will continue to stir this pot on the premise that they are influencing justices of the Supreme Court. That should not work and probably will not — but it might. ADF will petition the Court to hear this case in the very near future.

The piece is titled: “Florist who lost religious liberty case says all freedoms are at stake.” All freedoms? Conservative Christians have a seemingly overpowering obligation to be hyperbolic. According to Stutzman:

Loose change - Items I overlooked

Here's what I found under the couch cushions

Texas AG and Christian crusader, Ken Paxton, released a statement regarding Barronelle Stutzman and the Washington Supreme Court ruling against her bigotry:

The First Amendment guarantees the liberty to speak freely, and the fundamental right to disagree. The government cannot force individuals to create art against their conscience and deeply held religious beliefs. Today’s display of intolerance by the Washington State Supreme Court both defies the Constitution and seeks to outlaw the belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Compelling individuals to speak messages against their sincerely held beliefs is un-American and unconstitutional.

Gotcha FRC and ADF - Using the gay to cover up a regulatory violation

Is Donald Vander Boon another holier-than-thou liar?

I suspected that there was some BS associated with the Vander Boon matter. Don Vander Boon is a Michigan meat packer. He is also a conservative Christian and a client of Alliance Defending Freedom. According to Tony Perkins of Family Research Council:

God Hates Hags: The Stutzman Fallout continues

Family Research Council's Travis Weber

Friday, the religious right is have a collective cow over Thursday's ruling by the Washington State Supreme Court regarding florist Barronelle Stutzman. The Court upheld a lower court decision that Stutzman did discriminate, in violation of applicable law, when she refused to sell flowers for a same-sex wedding. The Court also held that she is personally liable (in contrast to corporate limited liability).

In addition to Tony Perkins' dismay which I wrote about yesterday (Perkins claimed to be “stunned”), Family Research Council's Travis Weber has weighed in with “How did the Washington State Supreme Court Get Barronelle Stutzman’s Case So Wrong?” Weber, who is an attorney, writes:

Hate group leader does the "matching gift" grift for Stutzman

Alan Sears, former CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom, is as full of shit as the next hate group leader (or former hate group leader). Supposedly matching grants are a scam. They are merely a restructuring of donations that are already pledged or even received. They are not contingent upon the donations of others.

I give Sears extra points for sheer audacity. I just received: “Double your gift now to fight injustice against Barronelle.” Then:

Of course Brian S. Brown had to add his two cents to the Stutzman decision

Brian S. Brown, leader of National Organization for Marriage, sent out an email to supporters Thursday afternoon titled: “BREAKING: WA Supreme Court Upholds Religious Discrimination Against Christian Florist.” I suppose that there are a few people who might actually believe that a court ruling in opposition to LGBT discrimination is religious discrimination. Those folks are not exactly the world's most proficient critical thinkers. Brown thinks in zero-sum terms. Any measure of LGBT equality or nondiscrimination exacts an “equal and opposite reaction” — a degradation of the Catholic Church.

Perkins is "stunned" by Washington Supreme Court

“Apparently the Washington AG and the ACLU
conspired to chloroform Stutzman.”

As I was reading the opinion of Washington's Supreme Court in the Barronelle Stutzman matter and then writing about it, Tony Perkins, leader of the Family Research Council hate group, sent out an email titled: “FRC Stunned By Washington State Court Ruling that Puts Florist's Own Home at Risk of Seizure.” I don't now how real the risk of home seizure is nor do I know if Washington provides homestead protection — nor do I care. Barronelle Stutzman is a bigot who ruined the wedding of a gay couple.

Washington Supreme Court unanimously affirms trial court and finds Barronelle Stutzman personally liable

Thursday morning the anti-LGBT hate group, Alliance Defending Freedom, loses yet another attempt to carve out a religious exemption to a nondiscrimination law. By now you are probably all familiar with the self-righteous and bigoted  Washington State florist, Barronelle Stutzman who decided that she had the right to violate state law by refusing to sell flowers to be used at a same-sex wedding. Stutzman lost at trial and has now lost her appeal before the state's highest court.

The Washington Supreme Court dismissed every one of Stutzman's arguments in favor of permissible discrimination. Perhaps the most important of these is the assertion by ADF that Stutzman did not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation but, rather, had a religious objection to same-sex marriage.

They are hopelessly confused: "Vogue Paris to feature first ‘transgender’ man on cover"

Claire Chretien (not to be confused with cretin) at LifeSiteNews.com is so profoundly lost that I almost feel sorry for her. Her latest offering is “Vogue Paris to feature first ‘transgender’ man on cover.” It's religion. I get it but do they have to look so profoundly stupid to have faith? Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio is a transgender woman — dummy. Then we get to the intentionally fucked-up pronouns:

Religious conservatives insist that changing the nomenclature changes reality

A Wednesday headline in National Catholic Register reads “Boy Scouts’ New Policy Further Strains Connection With Catholics.” According to the subtitle:

The new policy of allowing biological girls who identify as boys follows the organization’s lifting of bans on same-sex-attracted scouts and scout leaders.

NOM: "President Trump Needs to Get Moving on Religious Liberty"

Brian S. Brown, head of the insolvent National Organization for Marriage is anxious for Trump to get moving on LGBT discrimination cloaked as “religious liberty.” I am sure that he'll get right on that Mr. Brown. I don't have much sympathy for Trump but he does have a few fires to put out. The fact that he has held the matchbook is less relevant than the fact the we are in chaos. Utter turmoil. As the New York Times aptly described:

The resignation of Michael T. Flynn as national security adviser caps a remarkably tumultuous first month for President Trump’s White House that has burdened the early days of his presidency with scandal, legal challenges, personnel drama and questions about his temperament during interactions with world leaders.

I should be a prohibited purchaser - What the Senate did is MUCH worse

Wednesday, the Senate rolled back gun safety protections at the behest of the gun lobby. Some mental health background checks are about to become history.

Owing to having been ambushed and shot I have severe PTSD. I even spent a few weeks in what we euphemistically call a “safe environment” at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. The food is actually quite good if you are in the market for such an accommodation. There are two things that I should not (and do not) do: Drive and carry a gun.

Where does ADF get these people?

Marissa Mayer bears the title of senior web writer at Alliance Defending Freedom, the conservative Christian legal group. I concede that Mayer does not have an easy job. She is often in the position of finding virtue in discrimination. Tuesday evening she she was peeved that the National Football League warned Texas that future Superbowl games in the state were in peril if the state passed a divisive anti-trans bill. Mayer penned “The Hypocrisy of the NFL’s Warning to Texas about Providing Private Spaces for Men and Women” (they always beg the question). She goes on to write:

Most Americans are opposed to "religious freedom" exemptions to nondiscrimination laws

Non-partisan, non-profit PRRI surveyed 40,509 adults throughout 2016. Participants were asked if they favored or opposed small business owners having the right to turn away gay people if providing goods or services violated their religious beliefs. 30% favored religious exemptions. 61% opposed such discrimination cloaked as religious freedom.

One-note operetta: Ryan T. Anderson at Witherspoon's blog

Tuesday, Ryan T. Anderson has a new post up at Witherspoon Institute's blog. Anderson is in his element at Witherspoon which is an orthodox Catholic organization led by an Opus Dei numerary. Anderson's piece is titled “How to Think About Discrimination: Race, Sex, and SOGI.” The subtitle is rather lengthy:

Sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) antidiscrimination laws are unjustified, but if other policies are adopted to address the mistreatment of people who identify as LGBT, they must leave people free to engage in legitimate actions based on the conviction that we are created male and female and that male and female are created for each other.

Give money to NOM so that Trump will be even more erratic

"Grrrr!"

Were there only an award for Chutzpah. Brian S. Brown and the insolvent National Organization for Marriage would be up there with the best of them — or worst — depending upon your point of view. The latest brown object to hit my inbox is titled “Sean Spicer Gets Religious Liberty. But Will President Trump Act?” It begins:

The other day, presidential spokesman Sean Spicer was asked about protecting religious liberty, and he nailed his answer. Spicer told the media that religious liberty is not just about being able to believe your faith’s teachings, but to live them out in your daily life.

A clueless hate group leader has an "URGENT" petition

Tim Wildmon, leader of American Family Association has sent out an “URGENT” request for supporters to view a video and sign a petition. The petition urges Trump to sign the religious liberty executive order that was leaked to The Nation about two weeks ago. Tim is not terribly bright.

In  the video Wildmon claims:

Christian businesses are being shut down because they won't participate in homosexual wedding ceremonies.

Study: Social transition significantly reduces anxiety and depression in gender nonconforming kids

Transgender girl Avery Jackson as she
appeared on the cover of National Geographic

A new study on gender nonconforming children has been published in the February edition of the prestigious Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The intent of the study was to evaluate the mental health and ego-strengths of gender nonconforming children who had socially transitioned. Results were then compared to gender nonconforming children who had not transitioned.

Tony Perkins fumbles

Tony Perkins doesn't need any help to look like a fool. On Friday the hate group leader — head of Family Research Council — got what must have been an unwelcome assist from the National Football League.

It was only last Tuesday that Perkins was delighting in the fact that the NFL chose Houston for the Super Bowl in spite of a controversy over pending legislation that would harm transgender people — particularly trans kids. Perkins was claiming that the fact that the Superbowl took place in Houston proved that big events would continue to be held in the state, regardless of discriminatory laws.

The real cost of insanity

A meltdown in my doctor's waiting room; an informative post by a psychologist at ThinkProgress and a sanctimonious polemic from some preacher at Alliance Defending Freedom. These things have me thinking about mental health — my mental health and the stigma associated with it.

The simple facts are that, in order to put the brakes on an internal audit, an employee paid someone to (presumably) murder me. I was ambushed and shot from behind, point-blank with a .45. I will never fully recover from the injuries that I sustained. Worse yet, the employee (Angela Sugrim) was in a common-law marriage. Her husband made an incriminating statement to police outside the presence of counsel that could never be used. While Sugrim did a very short stint in prison no one was ever brought to justice for the violence perpetrated against me. There exists no one for me to forgive which is essential for closure.

Advancing bigotry through legislative ambiguity in Virginia

In a shameful display of bigotry, Virginia's House has advanced an anti-gay bill in the guise of “religious freedom.” Religious conservatives have found a new tool to indirectly overrule the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges: Intentional ambiguity.

Since the decision in Obergefell in June of 2015 we have seen a myriad of state bills that permit, and even encourage, discrimination against gay people. The Commonwealth of Virginia's effort is among the most pernicious due to a lack of specifics. It effectively permits anyone to discriminate against gay couples. They can demonstrate their disapproval by legally withholding goods and services with their actions all neatly packaged in scripture.

LifeSiteNews goes after Ivanka and hubby as "pro-homosexual"

LifeSiteNews.com has a rather interesting piece on Thursday  written by hate group leader Peter “Porno Pete” LaBarbera. It begins:

Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, are being credited in the media for sinking a potential Trump executive order designed to protect the freedom of conscience for people of faith.

The power couple, though identifying as Orthodox Jewish, have a history of supporting homosexual activism, including co-hosting a fundraiser for a leading pro-homosexual “marriage” group in 2011.

North Carolina teacher suspended for playing anti-bullying video has been reinstated

Kimbery Fernetti, a teacher at North Lincoln High School had the temerity to air Love is All You Need for her class. This produced a torrent of complaints from parents, the usual conservative Christian bigots. According to them, the video approves of homosexuality. Fernetti was suspended while the matter was being investigated. Local media report that Fernetti is back at work.

Tug of war over LGBT nondiscrimination protections in Arkansas

In brief, Arkansas is one of those states with a law passed in 2015 that is intended to invalidate  municipal nondiscrimination protections for LGBT citizens. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that Bill Clinton was once the governor of Arkansas for a total of 11 years (with a two year interruption). Either the state was less self-righteous or Bill Clinton did a remarkable evolution. Clinton was succeeded by Democrat Jim Guy Tucker who was succeeded by Mike Huckabee (I have omitted the usual middle name for Huck). It's been all downhill from there. But I digress.

Joseph Backholm and Christian supremacy

Prior to Obergefell Backholm led a failed petition effort
to ban same-sex marriage in Washington

Joseph Backholm, leader of Family Policy Institute of Washington sent out an email Thursday afternoon oddly titled: “Trump and Religious Liberty at Risk.” Backholm is taking that leaked draft of a Trump executive order very seriously. At the risk of repeating myself, Trump is quite capable of issuing an odious anti-LGBT executive order. However, unless proved otherwise, that early draft of questionable provenance is meaningless.

Moreover, religious liberty has never been at risk. It has been protected in accordance with Supreme Court precedence while balanced against other constitutional rights and the Establishment Clause. Mr. Backholm seeks to redefine religious liberty to mean the liberty to discriminate against other citizens.

Alabama moves towards state funded bigotry

On Tuesday, January 7, the Health Committee of the Alabama House voted in favor of House Bill 24 titled: Child Placing Agency Inclusion Act. If enacted the bill would allow adoption and foster care agencies funded by the state and doing the work of the state to discriminate against LGBT citizens. According to the text of the bill:

          This bill would prohibit the state from discriminating against child placing agencies on the basis that the provider declines to provide a child placement that conflicts with the religious beliefs of the provider.

Ousted transgender boy is a Cub Scout again

Joe Maldonado and his mother Kristie
Joe, a trans boy, just wanted to be a Cub Scout last fall.
Joe has now been reinstated.

Eight-year-old Joe Maldonado and his mom, Kristie fought the good fight and they won. Last fall Joe was kicked out of the Cub Scouts because he is transgender. The kids were fine with Joe but some parents complained.

Apparently in response to this incident, in late January the Boy Scouts of America changed their policy. At that time Joe said that it was too late for him.  Joe has now rejoined his Cub Scouts Pack 87 in Secaucus, NJ.