Trump Judge Overrules Alabama Town, Allows Local LGBTQ Pride Group To Participate In Christmas Parade

Trump Judge Overrules Alabama Town, Allows Local LGBTQ Pride Group To Participate In Christmas Parade

I posted about this before.  Now I need to post an update.  Rule by gang violence must always be rejected and pushed back against as hard as possible.   Hugs

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December 7, 2024 Christianists, LGBT News

 

The Birmingham News reports:

A few hours before the city of Prattville’s annual Christmas parade was to start, a federal judge ordered the city to allow an LGBTQ pride group’s float to be included. Prattville Pride called the order “a powerful affirmation of the importance of visibility, representation, and inclusion for all members of our community,” in a Facebook post.

In his order, U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker of the Middle District of Alabama wrote: “While there are areas of unprotected speech, such as incitement of violence, the City makes no argument and provides no evidence that Prattville Pride has engaged in any speech or behavior that would remotely fall into an unprotected speech category. It is undisputed that Prattville Pride has complied with the City’s regulations.“

“The City removed Prattville Pride from the parade based on its belief that certain members of the public who oppose Prattville Pride, and what is stands for, would react in a disruptive way. But discrimination based on a message’s content “cannot be tolerated under the First Amendment,” the order continued.

From yesterday’s Alabama Political Reporter report:

An LGBTQ+ float has been denied participation in the Prattville Christmas parade, with Mayor Bill Gillespie citing safety concerns. “This morning, it was brought to the City’s attention from Prattville Pride that there are serious safety concerns regarding Prattville Pride’s participation in the Christmas parade,” Gillespie said in a statement Thursday morning.

Asked to clarify these safety concerns, Gillespie said the safety concerns were brought to the attention of the city by Prattville Pride itself in a Thursday morning email:

“Subsequent to the city council meeting held on Dec. 3, there have been some additional threats made against our organization referencing harmful actions to be taken against us and our float during the Prattville Christmas Parade. At this time, Prattville Pride is requesting Prattville police officers to specifically monitor us and our surroundings during staging, as well as assign two officers to walk near the crowd alongside our float.”

From yesterday’s Courthouse News report:

After a hearing for an emergency injunction Friday morning, an Alabama LGBTQ organization is waiting for a ruling from federal judge about whether it can participate in the city of Prattville’s annual Christmas parade, scheduled for Friday evening. Prattville Pride filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the city after it withdrew permission for the organization to march.

Caryl Lawson, vice president and co-founder of Pratville Pride, told the council the group had been subjected to “hateful pushback and rhetoric.” On social media forums, there have been suggestions the group will be clad in lingerie or will toss sex toys and LGBTQ literature to children along the parade route. There were also threats to vandalize the group’s float or toss objects including “rotten tomatoes” at members of the organization.

From my first report last month:

Prattville Pride was the very first organization to enter the City of Prattville’s annual Christmas parade this year. The group paid the fee like other organizations and says they plan to abide by the city’s rules. However, Clean Up Alabama, the group that originally formed to challenge LGBTQ+ titles in the Prattville library, is calling on the city to reverse course and deny Prattville Pride the opportunity to participate.

“The Christmas parade is a celebration of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ the Messiah. It is NOT a time to celebrate someone’s sexual preferences. And it is certainly not a place for a drag show,” Clean Up Alabama said in an email pushing for the removal of Prattville Pride. The fervor started after a far-right website highlighted Prattville Pride’s participation in the event.

Trump nominated Judge Huffaker to the federal bench in 2019 and he was confirmed by the Senate in a lopsided 89-4 vote with the support of Democratic then-US Sen. Doug Jones. There’s more in the video report below. Prattville Pride is celebrating with a suggestion for donations to the Trevor Project.

Prattville Pride

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**Official Statement from Prattville Pride**

We are thrilled to share the news that a federal court has granted us an injunction upholding Prattville Prides right to participate in the city’s Christmas parade. This ruling is a powerful affirmation of the importance of visibility, representation, and inclusion for all members of our community. The Christmas parade is a cherished holiday tradition, and we are excited to celebrate alongside our neighbors and friends in the spirit of love, joy, and unity.

We want to express our deepest gratitude to our attorney, Julia Collins, and the Harris Law Firm for their incredible support and timely response. Their willingness to prioritize this case as soon as they heard about the city’s decision was crucial in getting the motion filed in time. We also want to extend a special thank you to Keirsten Wallace for her invaluable assistance in preparing parts of the brief. Her hard work and dedication played an important role in this success.

While we celebrate this important step forward, we must also acknowledge the challenges and hateful rhetoric that have been directed towards our organization and the LGBTQ+ community during this process. Such negativity can have a profound and damaging effect on LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly youth, who often face heightened risks of isolation, mental health struggles, and rejection.

This is why Prattville Pride exists—to ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals feel safe, seen, and supported. Our participation in the Christmas parade is more than just a celebration; it is a statement of belonging and a reminder that love and acceptance are integral to the fabric of our community.

In addition to our ongoing Point of Pride fundraiser, we are calling on our supporters to consider donating to The Trevor Project, a vital organization dedicated to serving at-risk LGBTQ+ youth. By contributing, we can help ensure that young people in our community and beyond receive the support and resources they need to thrive.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has stood by us and advocated for equality. Together, we are building a more inclusive Prattville where everyone has a place to belong. We look forward to spreading holiday cheer and representing the spirit of pride and love during this year’s Christmas parade.

Thank you for your continued support. Let’s keep working together to create a community where every individual feels valued and celebrated.

With pride and gratitude,

**Prattville Pride Leadership**

https://give.thetrevorproject.org/give/63307…

Donate to The Trevor Project

give.thetrevorproject.org

Donate to The Trevor Project

Your life-saving gift today will help us provide them with the affirmation

Alabama Town Boots LGBTQ Group From Xmas Parade After Group Received Threats And Asked For Protection

Alabama Town Boots LGBTQ Group From Xmas Parade After Group Received Threats And Asked For Protection

Some more to the story.  Please notice the religious hate and bigotry along with the crazy idea the Christmas a country wide holiday belongs only to Christians due to their beliefs.  Notice the misinformation deliberately thrown out to confuse and mislead the public over what the Pride float was about.  Notice the attempt to make the LGBTQ+ in to degenerate perverts trying to corrupt and harm children.  Save the kids from a threat that doesn’t exist by banning the Pride float along with LGBTQ+ people.  It is the entire Russian playbook being enacted here by religious and maga gang thugs.  Hugs

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December 6, 2024 Christianists, Hate Groups

 

The Alabama Political Reporter reports:

An LGBTQ+ float has been denied participation in the Prattville Christmas parade, with Mayor Bill Gillespie citing safety concerns. “This morning, it was brought to the City’s attention from Prattville Pride that there are serious safety concerns regarding Prattville Pride’s participation in the Christmas parade,” Gillespie said in a statement Thursday morning.

Asked to clarify these safety concerns, Gillespie said the safety concerns were brought to the attention of the city by Prattville Pride itself in a Thursday morning email:

“Subsequent to the city council meeting held on Dec. 3, there have been some additional threats made against our organization referencing harmful actions to be taken against us and our float during the Prattville Christmas Parade. At this time, Prattville Pride is requesting Prattville police officers to specifically monitor us and our surroundings during staging, as well as assign two officers to walk near the crowd alongside our float.”

Courthouse News reports:

After a hearing for an emergency injunction Friday morning, an Alabama LGBTQ organization is waiting for a ruling from federal judge about whether it can participate in the city of Prattville’s annual Christmas parade, scheduled for Friday evening. Prattville Pride filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the city after it withdrew permission for the organization to march.

Caryl Lawson, vice president and co-founder of Pratville Pride, told the council the group had been subjected to “hateful pushback and rhetoric.” On social media forums, there have been suggestions the group will be clad in lingerie or will toss sex toys and LGBTQ literature to children along the parade route. There were also threats to vandalize the group’s float or toss objects including “rotten tomatoes” at members of the organization.

From my first report last month:

Prattville Pride was the very first organization to enter the City of Prattville’s annual Christmas parade this year. The group paid the fee like other organizations and says they plan to abide by the city’s rules. However, Clean Up Alabama, the group that originally formed to challenge LGBTQ+ titles in the Prattville library, is calling on the city to reverse course and deny Prattville Pride the opportunity to participate.

“The Christmas parade is a celebration of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ the Messiah. It is NOT a time to celebrate someone’s sexual preferences. And it is certainly not a place for a drag show,” Clean Up Alabama said in an email pushing for the removal of Prattville Pride. The fervor started after a far-right website highlighted Prattville Pride’s participation in the event.

There’s much more at the first link above.

https://twitter.com/ALReporter/status/1864751986924548594
https://twitter.com/TabithaK/status/1864779575840100476
https://twitter.com/BakerCreek63/status/1865104975002542428
https://twitter.com/jgray78/status/1865141868037603692
https://twitter.com/MaraMiro93/status/1864787221850574890

Prattville caves to threats, pulls LGBTQ float out of Christmas parade

https://www.alreporter.com/2024/12/05/prattville-caves-to-threats-pulls-lgbtq-float-out-of-christmas-parade/

Again notice the gang thugs threatening violence to get what they wanted.  All it takes for places to cancel LGBTQ+ events or participation is to make a threat against them.  Seems to me to show these people did not want the LGBTQ+ event or participation in the first place. There goal is to remove us from society and public view.   Why are we letting these thugs, these brownshirts drive us out of public life.  We must fight back with everything we can.   Hugs.  

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The float’s removal follows counsel’s warning against “prior restraint,” urging narrowly tailored actions to address compelling safety concerns.

 

By

Published on December 5, 2024 at 1:20 pm CST

Updated on December 6 at 9:10 am

 
 
Prattville, Alabama, USA – May 12, 2017: Official seal for the City of Prattiville hanging at Stanley Jensen Stadium, the city-owned football stadium. 

An LGBTQ+ float has been denied participation in the Prattville Christmas parade, with Mayor Bill Gillespie citing safety concerns.

“This morning, it was brought to the City’s attention from Prattville Pride that there are serious safety concerns regarding Prattville Pride’s participation in the Christmas parade,” Gillespie said in a statement Thursday morning. “Until today, there has only been conjecture and speculation regarding potential safety concerns that Prattville Pride’s participation in the parade may cause. The City will not put the rights of parade participants ahead of the safety of its citizens. Because of the safety concerns for Prattville Pride, other parade participants, as well as parade bystanders, the City has made the decision to remove Prattville Pride from the Christmas parade.”

Asked to clarify these safety concerns, Gillespie said the safety concerns were brought to the attention of the city by Prattville Pride itself in a Thursday morning email. APR has obtained that email, sent from Prattville Pride Vice President Caryl Lawson to Prattville Police Chief Mark Thompson and Assistant Chief Jeff Hassell.

“Subsequent to the city council meeting held on Dec. 3, there have been some additional threats made against our organization referencing harmful actions to be taken against us and our float during the Prattville Christmas Parade,” Lawson wrote. “At this time, Prattville Pride is requesting Prattville police officers to specifically monitor us and our surroundings during staging, as well as assign two officers to walk near the crowd alongside our float.

Double Reblog!

This came from Jill Dennison’s music post.

My Christmas Wish

Sunday Poetry

Please click the link below to read about this poem, and the poet, too.

A Casualty List Mary Carolyn Davies

There was always waiting in our mother’s eyes,
Anxiety and wonder and surmise,
Through the long days, and in the longer, slow,
Still afternoons, that seemed to never go,
And in the evening, when she used to sit
And listen to our casual talk, and knit.
And when the day was dark and rainy, and
Not fit to be abroad in, she would stand
Beside the window, and peer out and shiver,
As small sleek raindrops joined to make a river
That rushed, tempestuous, down the window pane,
And say, “I wonder what they do in rain?
Is it wet there in the trenches, do you think?”
And she would wonder if he had his ink
And razor blades and toothpaste that she sent;
And if he read much in his Testament,
Or clean forgot, some mornings, as boys will.
But always the one wonder in her eyes
Was, “Is he living, living, living, still
Alive and gay? Or lying dead somewhere
Out on the ground, and will they find him there?”
She closed her lids each night upon that look
Of waiting, as a hand might close a book
But never change the words that were within.
And when the morning noises would begin
A new day, and a young sun touched the skies,
Again she woke with waiting in her eyes.

But that is over now. She does not read
The lists of casualties, since that one came
A week or two ago. There is no need.
She’s making sweaters now for other men
And knitting just as carefully as then.
There is no change, except that as she plies
Her needles, swift and rhythmic as before,
There is no waiting in our mother’s eyes,
Anxiety or wonder any more.

This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on December 7, 2024, by the Academy of American Poets.

Meet Nick Dumont: the Oppenheimer Actor Comes Out as Trans, Updates Pronouns

The actor shared the new name and pronouns in a major gender update to TMZ.

By James Factora December 6, 2024

Nick Dumont, the actor who played Jackie Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer, has come out as transmasculine and nonbinary.

As first reported by TMZ on Thursday, the actor recently changed their pronouns and name on their Instagram bio. Though their handle is still @emmadumont, their name is now listed as Nick Dumont on their profile, and their pronouns are listed as “they/them.” Their bio includes a collection of heart emojis that appear to correspond to the lesbian and nonbinary flags, as well as the phrases “Carmy coded,” as in the main character from The Bear, and “McCutcheon apologist,” as in the polarizing anti-hero Shane from the original L Word. Now that’s a transmasculine nonbinary Instagram bio if ever we’ve seen one.

Though Dumont has changed their pronouns and name on their Instagram profile, they have not yet directly posted about their coming out to social media. A representative for the actor told TMZ that they identify “as a transmasculine nonbinary person.” “Their work name is still going to be Emma Dumont, but they will go by Nick with friends and family,” the rep said. (snip-MORE)

https://www.them.us/story/nick-dumont-oppenheimer-comes-out-trans-nonbinary-pronouns

Peace & Justice History for 12/7

December 8, 1886

Samuel Gompers, a founder and leader of the American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded at a convention of union leaders in Columbus, Ohio. It was an alliance of autonomous unions, each typically made up of workers within a particular craft.
Samuel Gompers, a leader in the Cigarmakers’ union, was a key person in creating the AFL, was elected its first president, and served as such virtually continuously for nearly 40 years.
On Samuel Gompers from the AFL-CIO 

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December 8, 1941
Jeanette Rankin (R-Montana), the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1916, cast the only vote (she was among eight women in the Congress at the time) opposing declaration of war against Japan, despite their attack on Pearl Harbor the previous day . She had also voted against the U.S. entering World War I (at the time called the war to end all wars). Rankin served served just two single terms in the House. She spent her early career working for women’s suffrage, later very active in several peace and justice organizations.

Jeannette Rankin in 1940
Jeanette Rankin timeline 
Chronology and oral history transcript of interview of Jeanette Rankin 
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December 8, 1953
U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower addressed the United Nations General Assembly, proposing the creation of a new U.N. atomic energy agency which would receive contributions of uranium from the United States, the Soviet Union, and other countries “principally concerned,” and would put this material to peaceful use.
The speech, known later as Atoms for Peace, included: “My country wants to be constructive, not destructive. It wants agreement, not wars, among nations. It wants itself to live in freedom, and in the confidence that the people of every other nation enjoy equally the right of choosing their own way of life.”

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December 8, 1987

U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the first treaty to reduce the nuclear arsenals of the two superpowers. The Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty eliminated and banned all ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of 500-5,500 kilometers (300-3,400 miles). By May 1991, all intermediate- and shorter-range missiles, launchers, and related support had been physically dismantled.

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December 8, 1988
On the first anniversary of the INF (Intermediate Nuclear Force) Treaty, twelve Dutch peace activists, calling themselves “INF Ploughshares,” cut through fences to enter the Woensdrecht Air Force base in The Netherlands.
They made their way to cruise missile bunkers where they hammered on the missiles, carrying out the first disarmament action in Holland.
Read more about this action 

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistorydecember.htm#december8

Let’s talk about espionage and your phone being compromised….

An important video to watch and try to understand.  Sensitive times.  I have encrypted mail and encrypted text on both computers.  Plus my computers have VPN’s of high quality that do not have any tracking, along with good security programs.  I have what I can also on my phone.  You might ask why I have such things.  I talk to people who have been abused.  I also have been abused.  All mainstream programs scan such communications with computers, AIs, and they don’t differentiate from this happened to me from I am doing this to a child now.  In the past I have known people who had police or other agencies target them thinking they were part of an abuse network when they were only talking to fellow survivors. 

Having said that it is going to get worse.  We know from Snowden the US government was illegally spying on all texts, calls, and other phone / computer activities of the public, now we must worry about foreign governments doing it also.   Please listen to the video and protect yourself.  Oh, for clarity I use NordVPN, no possible tracking, and I use Teleguard, Sessions, and Proton mail.  Hugs

https://signal.org/download/

And you wonder why people in this country are angry?

This is a must watch very short video.  Over 50 trillion dollars moved from the lower 90% to the top 1%.  Think of that as people became more productive and were driven by managers to do more with less, as those workers wages stagnated and did not keep up with costs, the upper top level of society raked in all the profit and benefits while providing nothing to the people that produced it for their effort.  Hugs

Some Sam Seder clips

This one address the mistaken idea that anti-trans stuff worked to win the presidency for tRump.  In fact it was not a factor according to surveys however the only ones talking about it were the tRump people.  Harris never mentioned trans except for one time saying that they followed the law on treating trans prisoners with the hormone care they were prescribed or needed before incarceration.  Again it is the law and tRump also did it in his first term.  Hugs

More on the trans issues and the bathroom ban for trans people in the capital. Trans issues in the 2022 midterms showed that trans issues was a losing issue for them.  It was the same this election.  The larger problem is the democrats being too cowardly to stand up for the abused minority.   Hugs  

We hear about the genocide by Israel of the Palestinians.  He talks about hate on the internet by right wing forced paid for and encouraged by people who want to normalize this level of violence and convince people it is good to be this bloodthirsty.   Hugs