Some staggering Joe My God stories have I in open tabs. With this post one open window of tabs cleared!

Read the full article. According to the piece, the flag was re-popularized in 2013 by Christian nationalist Dutch Sheets and is now often seen at far-right and QAnon events. Rioters brandished the flag during the attack on the US Capitol. As I reported this morning, Johnson is presently attending a far-right conference in Paris.

 

Read the full article. The piece notes that $1.7 million is more than Ohio dioceses spent running local Catholic Charities programs last year.

Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis Schnurr last appeared here in 2014 when he launched a “prayer in defense of marriage” campaign as the Sixth Circuit Court considered the same-sex marriage case that ultimately would be folded into the Obergefell case before the Supreme Court.
Read the full article. The original clip has nearly 10 million views at this writing. As you can see below, Salzman appears to be a supporter of Moms For Liberty. Salzman has one of the wildest Wikipedia entries that you’ve likely seen.

Read the full article. The same group was reportedly behind earlier similar cyberattacks that impacted residents in Oregon and Louisiana.
Yesterday CNN reported that “a plumber, a maid, a chauffeur and a woodworker are among Mar-a-Lago staffers and contract workers who federal prosecutors may call to testify against former President Donald Trump.”

Dems win big, anti-trans and LGBTQIA hatred loses big. Republicans lose big. What they are pushing which is minority rule by fundamentalist Christian fascism is not wanted. Let people live their lives in peace, equality, and openly as who they are.

Moms For Liberty Gets Clobbered In Pennsylvania

 

 

Hungary Fires National Museum Director Over World Press Photo Exhibit That Includes Five LGBTQ Images

This is what the M4L and other fundamentalist Christian racist bigot groups want here in the US.  This is what they are trying to do.  Wipe the existence of LGBTQIA people from public sight / society.  They want us gone, outlawed, a progressive society of equality for all so all can live freely as themselves without oppression from government or other people.  Instead, they want to replace it with the regressive oppressive society of the 1950s and worse only allow the public display of church approved doctrine.   Remember when on TV married couples could only be shown going to bed in separate beds, because god forbid people get the idea that married people slept together back then.  The idea that non-married actors would lay down on the same surface was pornographic even if they had their clothing on and were playing a married couple.   Remember when the only way a gay or lesbian character could be shown is as a depraved villain who got destroyed somehow by the end of the film, showing that good church doctrines triumph over such evil beings every time.  See that is the society they think everyone should be forced to live today, by church doctrines, never letting on people have sexual desires or that anything other than straight cis people exist or are good people.  This is the person Orbán, that the right wing pushes as the perfect way to run the US, he is a complete authoritarian driven to change the country and government to his view of morality and under his personal control.  Former rights and liberties have been restricted and outlawed.  When people show you who they are, believe them.  This who the fundamentalist right wing Christian majority are.     Hugs.  Scottie


The Associated Press reports:

Hungary’s cultural minister on Monday fired the director of the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest, accusing him of failing to comply with a contentious law that bans the display of LGBTQ+ content to minors.

The dismissal of Laszlo L. Simon, who became director of the museum for a five-year term in 2021, came after Hungary’s government determined in late October that five photos on display at the prestigious World Press Photo exhibition violated the law restricting children’s access to content that depicts homosexuality or gender change.

The museum subsequently put a notice on its website and at the entrance to the World Press Photo exhibition — which showcases outstanding photojournalism — that the collection was restricted to visitors over 18.

Read the full article. Writing this morning on his Facebook page, Simon notes that the age restriction went into place immediately upon the government’s order, adding, “As a father and grandparent of four children, I strongly refuse that our children should be protected from me or the institution I manage.”

As I noted last week, the five offending photos merely portray elderly queer Filipinos caring for each other in a group home they’ve shared for decades. Speaking this weekend to Florida Republicans, Trump again lavished praise on Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban and again falsely claimed that Hungary and Russia share a border.

 

 

For years we were lectured about how easily triggered we were…. Again projection.

I assume they wouldn’t even know the subjects of the photos were gay except the descriptions of the photos informed them of it? Image how delicate and unstable they must be to be trigger just by knowing that someone is gay.

One of the five photographs. I’m using it in my week of lectures on Southeast Asia in ten days.

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Hannah Reyes Morales for The New York Times (2022) “Members of the Golden Gays community unwind at home after a show, in Manila, the Philippines.”

Clay, you know Joe’s rules about lewd, graphic, and salacious imagery here. 😉

I have no idea what’s LGBTQ about that pic.

The people are queer. That’s enough for the fascists to censor. Other images in the show are more distinctly queer, but none of them are sexual.

 

‘Look queer’ hmmm that’s a conundrum.

Idiotic, but that’s the way fascists roll. I saw the exhibition in Montréal in August. If you’re a normal person, the elderly queer Filipinos caring for one another were among the most hopeful and least disturbing in the show. Other images feature bloody war, famine, terrorism, environmental catastrophe etc. But it’s the caring queens that’s supposedly too much for youths. It should be noted that Budapest is NOT Orban-friendly like other parts of Hungary.

Yeah, I can’t imagine there is much sexual content in a series of photos taken at a Philippine care home. I could be wrong.

You’re not wrong. A link to the photos and the young photographer. She did beautiful work for a project that was obviously personal for her.

https://www.worldpressphoto…

Edited to correct link.

Thanks for sharing that. Gender fluidity in precolonial Philippines tracks the tradition of other Pacific Island and First Nations cultures. Trans persons were referred to as Babaylan, Hawaiian and Tahitians were Mahu and held similar roles in pre-contact society. Generally perceived as shaman or spiritual beings.

It’s time to give dogs a shot at running the world

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How exactly would those photos damage children? Were there nudity? Sexual content? Or is it too much for the fragile Hungarians to see men taking care of other men?

Anti abortion is never about pro-life, anti drag queen is never about children grooming and so on and so forth. This is the standard fascist talking point.

The latter, not surprisingly. The images weren’t sexual. The caring and fluid gender roles were what disturbed the powers that be.

Harmless images of gay seniors somehow are more offensive than the scantilly clad beach goers? These fascists love to make a mountain out of a molehill to spin their lies.

Hungary has become a fascist state where there is neither freedom of expression nor freedom of sexual identity.

Freedom of any kind, pretty much.

 
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Born Created naked and the rest is drag…

If the Republicans win next year they will pass all kinds of laws against lgbtq and have setup the best supreme court to make them stick. When Lawrence v Texas is overturned we’ll all go back to being outlaws.

 

Bearing Bubba’s Burdens (2023-11-04)

The Birthing Persons SAGA will never end (Ana Kasparian on PBD podcast)

This is again another video on Anna’s hard right turn on trans people, which I guess is only to get her a better gig else where.   She keeps going on that she objects to doctors forms or offices calling pregnant trans males birthing persons.  But Anna has fervently claimed she doesn’t want kids and won’t have them.  So the term doesn’t apply to her at all.  She tries to claim the term is the same as the N word, but that is not used in any medical setting or forms at all.  She is tilting at windmills here.  She says she wants to be called a woman, and yes that is her right.  And if she was ever pregnant her doctor would honor that.   So why is she against what other people want to be called.   Her stance makes no sense when you look at it.   She got her plastic surgery nose out of joint and is making that the hill to die on.   Again the question is why?  But it is getting her a lot of attention and air time play on right wing podcasts / blogs.  So you ask why she has gone so far out on this that no one is calling her and making it her claim to fame?  Is she the new Riley Gaines, who made an entire media career over complaining she tied with a trans woman for fourth place!     Hugs.  

Is My Child Too Young To Learn About Being Gay? | Tim Ramsey | TEDxOxford

This is 4 years old and I guess the person speaking is from England.   But this is a great talk.  It covers so much of what I want to say.  It explains why the don’t say gay laws that in so many red states are so dangerous and harmful.  Please take 13 minutes and 41 seconds to learn about this issue, learn why it is so important to gay kids to see themselves in the surrounding society, and that yes there are gay kids, even young kids that know they are different, know they are gay, and are scared / worried about it that need support with love.  I love the question he asks, when was your child too young to learn about being straight?  Because from birth all around them kids see straight couples and symbols of being straight in society.  The same with gender, the haters say they don’t want the children to be taught gender in schools as they claim it sexualizes them.   But society is structured around gender.  We learn it from birth with nursery colors, types of toys, and the clothing we are put in.    Hugs.   Scottie

Can a child be too young to learn about being LGBT? The answer: no child is ever too young. In this humorous and moving talk, Tim Ramsey argues that only when every parent explores about LGBT identities with their child from birth will we address the well being crisis facing LGBT young people.

Tim Ramsey, the founder of award-winning non-profit Just Like Us, grew up believing that being gay was the worst thing he could be. Having come out, Tim launched Just Like Us to change the lives of other LGBT+ school students by empowering young people to challenge prejudice and champion LGBT+ equality at school and work. As the founder of School Diversity Week, the national celebration of LGBT+ equality in education, Tim has involved over 650,000 school students and teachers work to ensure every young person can be themselves and their best at school.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx Can a child be too young to learn about being LGBT? The answer: no child is ever too young. In this humorous and moving talk, Tim Ramsey, Founder of award-winning LGBT non-profit Just Like Us, argues that only when every parent explores about LGBT identities with their child from birth will we address the wellbeing crisis facing LGBT young people. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

One of these things is not like the other…

It’s not rhetoric, but action that proves how different the two parties are. Can we PLEASE stop treating them as if they’re two sides of the same coin? It’s not only lazy, but dead wrong.

Tennessee Republicans keep losing court battles with drag queens

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/10/tennessee-republicans-keep-losing-court-battles-with-drag-queens/

The republicans don’t care they keep losing.  This is a holy war for them.  They are doing god’s work of wiping the LGBTQIA from society and returning women to their submissive roles.  But their goal is to roll back and undo any progress in the US for equality and allowing others to enjoy civil rights.   They want a theocracy instead of a democracy.  Hugs.  Scottie


MUNICH, BAVARIA / GERMANY - JULY 13, 2019: A drag queen blowing kisses into the camera attending the Gay Pride parade also known as Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Munich, Germany.
Photo: Shutterstock

While Tennessee Republicans have done their best to vilify drag queens and ban drag shows, they keep getting knocked back by judges who rule that the bans are unconstitutional.

The city of Murfreesboro became the latest municipality to find out the hard way when a federal judge blocked their attempt to interfere with a local Pride festival.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Tennessee sued over the city’s efforts to silence a local LGBTQ+ organization, including a city-wide policy denying the group permits to host events and a local ordinance banning drag performances.

The lawsuit accused the city of Murfreesboro of “flagrant and ongoing violations of TEP’s constitutional rights to free speech and expression, due process, and equal protection under the law.”

“Since at least October 2022, the City has engaged in a targeted campaign to silence TEP’s speech in support of the Murfreesboro LGBTQ+ community,” the suit claimed. “First, the City put in place a discriminatory policy, prohibiting TEP from obtaining permits to host its annual BoroPride Festival and any other events on City property. Then, it enacted a discriminatory ordinance meant to drive TEP and the City’s LGBTQ+ community—and, in particular, its drag performers—out of the City’s public spaces. These actions, which were driven by animus against the LGBTQ+ community, are blatantly unconstitutional.”

“We are relieved that the court has taken action to ensure that Murfreesboro’s discriminatory ordinance will not be enforced during the BoroPride festival. We look forward to a safe, joyful celebration of Murfreesboro’s LGBTQ+ community,” Tennessee Equality Project Executive Director Chris Sanders said in a statement.

Several other cities have made efforts to discriminate against LGBTQ+ groups and Pride festivals, but the efforts have consistently failed.

The attendance at Blount Pride Fest doubled from last year after a Tennessee attorney general threatened to prosecute the event’s drag performers.

A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump ruled against Tennessee’s ban on drag performances, saying that the law is both “unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad,” that it will encourage “discriminatory enforcement,” and that it violates the First Amendment’s free speech protections.

“There is no question that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment. But there is a difference between material that is ‘obscene’ in the vernacular, and material that is ‘obscene’ under the law,” Judge Thomas Parker ruled in June. “Simply put, no majority of the Supreme Court has held that sexually explicit — but not obscene — speech receives less protection than political, artistic, or scientific speech.”

 

Riley Gaines calls 71-year-old trans fencing champion an “entitled cheat”

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/10/riley-gaines-calls-71-year-old-trans-fencing-champion-an-entitled-cheat/

Riley Gaines rose to fame not from her own athletic ability which was lacking but by claiming she was cheated out of a win by tieing for fifth place with a trans woman.  Both of them got beaten for the first through fourth spots by other women.  She owes her fame and living to being a virulent anti-trans activist, spreading hate and misinformation everywhere she can.   She is held up as the wronged party because she tied with a trans woman for fifth place.  The anti-trans activists use her to claim that trans women have an unfair advantage and harm women’s sports.   But the facts show the opposite.   Hugs.  Scottie


Riley Gaines
Riley GainesPhoto: Screenshot

Anti-trans activist Riley Gaines took a swipe at a 71-year-old trans athlete who just became an eight-time world fencing champion.

Liz Kocab recently won the women’s 70+ division in the Veteran Fencing World Championships and now claims victories in the 50s, 60s, and 70+ age categories. In a post-victory interview with USA Fencing, Kocab said her continued participation in competitions is her “way of saying thanks to USA Fencing.” With tears in her eyes, she said winning “never gets old” and is “always special.”

But Gaines decided to rain on the parade by insulting and misgendering Kocab on X, writing that “winning a title as a male in the women’s category doesn’t make you a champion. It makes you an entitled cheat.”

Gaines’s followers joined in the heckling in the responses, calling Gaines a hero and referring to Kocab as an “old conman,” a “weirdo cheat,” and a “coward,” among other insults.

USA Fencing adopted a trans-inclusive policy in 2022, allowing athletes to compete as their gender, with varied participation requirements depending on the age level.

At the time, USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews declared unwavering support for trans fencers: “It is critical that we protect the rights of nonbinary and transgender athletes in fencing. Even as we plan to conduct more scientific research into the physiological effects of gender transition as they pertain specifically to the sport of fencing, we remain unanimously and steadfastly supportive of transgender athletes having their place in fencing. To be clear, even as this issue evolves, our support of transgender athletes will not waver.”

Gaines, on the other hand, has been crusading against the rights of trans athletes since she tied for fifth place with trans University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas in the women’s 200m freestyle final at the National Collegiate Athletics Association swimming and diving championships. She has claimed she was robbed of some sort of victory by having to share fifth place with a trans woman.

Most recently, Gaines celebrated her own created holiday, “Real Women’s Day,” which she established on October 10th since the Roman numerals for 10/10 are XX, symbolizing for Gaines that “real” women have XX chromosomes.

Speaking at Penn State that day, Gaines yelled to trans rights protestors: “What are you so scared of? The truth? Science? Common sense? Logic? Reasoning? I’d love to hear your argument here because what I’m here to talk about is men are men, women are women, and you cannot change your sex. It’s that simple.”

You Really Need To Watch This …