Pence wants you on your knees
No, really, he said that, because of course he did.
A new study suggests that transgender people are on the whole more conservative than even cisgender men, but non-binary people are more liberal than anyone else queer or otherwise. This wouldn’t be true of most of my trans friends, but I do wonder how they themselves perceive this finding!
It will also be interesting to see if the political distinction is apparent at the National Transgender Visibility March on Washington on Saturday, September 28. Mark your calendars!
And now, onto the LGBTQ news!
Ohio lawmaker too proud of her homophobia to resign
Despite increasing calls for her to resign, Ohio state Rep. Candice Keller (R) is standing by her comments suggesting that, among other things, LGBTQ equality is to blame for mass shootings. In fact, she plans to continue with her plans to run for the Senate.
"Establishment moderates have never been fans of mine because I ran against their endorsement and won,” she told the Cincinnati Inquirer. “As the only conservative in this race, I will be taking my Senate campaign to the voters to decide."
Pence wants you on your knees
Vice President Pence has spent a lot of time this week talking to anti-LGBTQ organizations, including the hate group Alliance Defending Freedom. That’s not exactly in line with the message of unity Trump has been pretending to put forth in the wake of recent shootings. In fact, ADF supports criminalizing homosexuality abroad, which the Trump administration hypothetically opposes.
Pence used his ADF speech to defend his wife, who was criticized for working for a Christian school that discriminates against LGBTQ students and employees — exactly the kind of school ADF likes to defend from legal challenges.
He also dispensed some pretty interesting advice: “Spend more time on your knees than on the internet.”
His words, not mine.
Presidential candidates court homophobia too
Pence wasn’t the only one making some problematic visits this week. Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) all recently made campaign stops at Victory Missionary Baptist Church in Las Vegas. The church’s pastor, Rev. Robert E. Fowler, Sr., has not only condemned homosexuality as sinful “enough to send you to hell,” but compared it to child molestation as well.
Missouri teachers launch successful rainbow protest
One group that did not want to spend time in an anti-LGBTQ church was the teachers at Lee’s Summit School District in Missouri, who deployed one of my favorite tactics: “Kill ‘em with kindness.” The school holds a mandatory “back-to-school convocation” every year, and was planning to hold it at Abundant Life, an anti-gay evangelical church, where it held it last year. Rather than protest the event they were required to attend, the teachers organized to wear as many pro-LGBTQ rainbow shirts, stickers, and buttons as possible. The plan worked and the school agreed to move the event.
Former IA governor appeals discrimination ruling
Last month, a jury agreed that former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) had discriminated against a state employee because he was gay, rewarding Christopher Godfrey with $1.5 million. Branstad insisted at trial he always “treated everyone, gay or straight, with respect and dignity,” but the jury didn’t buy it. Branstad has now appealed, however, calling the case a “charade” and “political circus.”
His lawyers actually warned, “All citizens of this state should hope that the Godfrey trial will not be remembered as a harbinger of the end of the American democratic experiment.” What does that even mean?
Another reprieve for homophobia
A Nevada man is facing murder charges for shooting his 14-year-old son back in 2017, and the boy’s mother says it’s because he didn’t want a gay son. Not only is the case not being charged as a hate crime, but suspect Wendell Melton has now been released on $200,000 bail and placed on house arrest while awaiting trial. Veronica Melton says she feels “betrayed” that it seems less and less likely that her son will receive justice.
14-year-old ex-YouTuber threatens violence
Okay, so apparently there’s a 14-year-old named Soph who had over a million followers on YouTube thanks to super racist and anti-Muslim videos. Then she posted an anti-LGBTQ video, encouraging her followers to “make sure to blame me in your manifestos” — i.e. after they commit mass shootings. YouTube banned her, prompting her to tweet a photo of herself with an assault rifle and the caption, “youtube headquarters here I come.” She’s since deleted the tweet, calling it “obviosly [sic] a joke.”
I don’t even know what to do with this information, because I’m still stuck on her being 14 and having views so extreme.
California lawmakers and sports teams ignoring the law
California law prohibits state funding to pay for travel to states with anti-LGBTQ laws, including when it comes to college athletes at public universities. Currently the law applies to ten states across the Midwest and South, but according to new reporting from the Los Angeles Times, both schools and lawmakers are simply circumventing the law by finding other ways to pay for the trips.
Elected officials are simply using campaign contributions to pay for their visits, while universities are relying on private funding, like booster donations and corporate sponsors. In one sense, the law is technically working, but with no real consequences for the states impacted.
How to make an exit
Joshua Harris used to be a well-known evangelical pastor, perhaps best known for his 1997 sexual purity book I Kissed Dating Goodbye. But over the past three years, he’s slowly walked away from that life, denouncing his book’s teachings, separating from his wife, apologizing to the LGBTQ community for his religious condemnations, and ultimately no longer calling himself a Christian.
As reported by the anti-LGBTQ Christian Post, conservative evangelicals seemed to fully mourn his departure this weekend after seeing him post multiple photos actively participating in the Vancouver Pride Parade.
When activists like me condemn people as hateful for their anti-LGBTQ language, it’s because we want them to not only question those beliefs, but work to undo the harm. We always want more allies, but we want people to earn that title as opposed to just apologizing. I don’t know Joshua Harris, but it sure looks to me like he’s putting in the work.
Disney star comes out as bi after playing first out character
Disney’s tween show Andi Mack made history by featuring the first Disney Channel character to come out as gay. The show recently ended its run, but not before featuring the network’s first same-sex dating relationship as well. Now, the actor who played the out character of Cyrus Goodman, 17-year-old Joshua Rush, has come out as bi himself.
In a Twitter thread, he wrote about his own struggles with identity while playing an out character. He also showed his support for GLAAD.
Congrats Joshua, and welcome to “the family.” Thanks for the amazing work you’ve already done to support LGBTQ young people!
To add one more positive note to end on, check out the photos from this beautiful Indian wedding between a trans man and a trans woman.
And lastly, I want to give a little shout-out to my friend Amy Dickinson, who you may know as “Ask Amy” or recognize from her appearances on NPR’s Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me. Amy was kind enough to promote this little newsletter of mine, which I really appreciate. Maybe you have a few nice things to say about it too?
Until next time, stay platinum!
(Mike Pence photo credit: Flickr/NASA HQ PHOTO.)