Tag: bigotry

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NFL’s Chris Kluwe: “I Was An NFL Player Until I Was Fired By Two Cowards And A Bigot”

NFL punter (formerly of the Minnesota Vikings) and LGBT ally Chris Kluwe has written a detailed and compelling history of his commitment to LGBT equality AND how that intersected his football career leading to his ultimate release from the Vikings.

He begins like this:

Hello. My name is Chris Kluwe, and for eight years I was the punter for the Minnesota Vikings. In May 2013, the Vikings released me from the team. At the time, quite a few people asked me if I thought it was because of my recent activism for same-sex marriage rights, and I was very careful in how I answered the question. My answer, verbatim, was always, “I honestly don’t know, because I’m not in those meetings with the coaches and administrative people.”
This is a true answer. I honestly don’t know if my activism was the reason I got fired.
However, I’m pretty confident it was.

As he writes of the events that he says led to his firing, Kluwe describes an incident where he alleges special teams coach Mike Priefer used violent language in a team meeting:

“As [my teammates and I] sat down in our chairs, Mike Priefer, in one of the meanest voices I can ever recall hearing, said: ‘We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and then nuke it until it glows.’ The room grew intensely quiet, and none of the players said a word for the rest of the meeting.”

I highly recommend you read the entire essay as Kluwe courageously shares what he says was the unraveling of his last season with the Vikings. The title says it all.

Chris closes with this:

Never be afraid to do what’s right. If no one ever says anything, nothing ever changes. —Chris Kluwe, former NFL player

Read Chris Kluwe’s essay on Deadspin.

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Pat Robertson: Don’t invite lesbians over, they might convert you

 Today on The 700 Club, Pat Robertson answered a question from a viewer who was worried about inviting a lesbian friend over to her home, Right Wing Watch reports.

Robertson responded that she is right to be wary because if her kids see a lesbian they might decide to become one.

Says Robertson:

“You keep love, you loved her, you were close and your influence may have something significant to her, the idea is you don’t gain anything by shunning.

“But at the same you don’t want your children to grow up as lesbians, that’s what you’re talking about.  You don’t want to show them that that’s an acceptable lifestyle for your family.

“It doesn’t hurt to tell somebody: I love you, we are going to do what we can to be friends if we can. I have my lifestyle, it’s Christian and you have yours, it’s not; I’m sorry we can’t indulge in certain things together.”

(via Towleroad)

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Michigan: RNC member says gays want free healthcare because AIDS

Dave Agema

While speaking against marriage equality, Republican National Committee member Dave Agema said that gays want free healthcare benefits because they are dying of AIDS.

“Folks, they (gay people) want free medical because they’re dying (when they’re) between 30 and 44 years old,” he said. “To me, it’s a moral issue. It’s a Biblical issue. Traditional marriage is where it should be and it’s in our platform. Those in our party who oppose traditional marriage are wrong,” said Agema.

Equality Michigan has called on Republican leadership to denounce Agema’s remarks and is seeking his removal as a committeemember of the Republican Party. The organization is also encouraging the healthcare community to correct Agema’s remarks, saying they perpetuate a harmful stigma about people living with HIV.

“It is unconscionable that in 2013 a political figure in a prominent position would feel so comfortable spewing lies about real people in a pathetic attempt to deny fundamental rights to families in Michigan,” said Emily Dievendorf, Managing Director of Equality Michigan.

Earlier this year, Agema came under fire from members of his own party after he posted an excerpt on Facebook from an article titled “Everyone Should Know These Statistics On Homosexuals.”
Among the claims in the article by Dr. Frank Joseph is that gay people “account for half the murders in large cities” and that “part of the homosexual agenda is to get the public to affirm their filthy lifestyle.”

More at LGBTQNation

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Kansas: Waiter stiffed by Christians for being “queer”

From Raw Story: A group of customers refused to tip their 20-year-old server at a Carraba’s Italian restaurant in Overland Park, KS on the grounds that his homosexuality is “an affront to God.” According to KCTV Fox 19, the server went to the table after the group of customers left and found a note explaining their decision.

“Thank you for your service, it was excellent. That being said, we cannot in good conscience tip you, for your homosexual lifestyle is an affront to GOD. Queers do not share in the wealth of GOD, and you will not share in ours,” said the note. “We hope you will see the tip your queer choices made you lose out on, and plan accordingly. It is never too late for GOD’s love, but none shall be spared for queers. May GOD have mercy on you.”

Friends and supportive customers plan to dine at the restaurant Friday evening as a show of support for the waiter who received the hateful note. He has declined to give his name or go on camera and has asked people not to try and give him money.

FOX19.com-Cincinnati News, Weather

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Straight, white male walks a mile in the shoes of a gay man

This weekend while traveling, One Sleepy Dad blogger Aaron saw his suitcase emerge on the Perth airport carousel with the message “I Am Gay.”

Aaron is not gay. But the reaction he felt as he carried his suitcase through the airport opened his eyes to just a small part of what it’s like to be treated like a minority.

His articulation of the experience has gone viral on the internet today:

I am a white heterosexual male. This trifecta of privilege means that I’m not routinely subjected to prejudice. But for a few minutes I got to walk in the shoes of a gay person in a public place. For no good reason I had had a slur marked over my luggage. I was degraded. I was shamed. I was humiliated.

For me, this was only a few minutes of one day of my life. If what I felt for those few minutes is extrapolated out every day over a lifetime, then I can fully understand why our gay friends feel persecuted and why they have such high rates of suicide. It is unacceptable.

It is said that words can’t hurt you. That it is true. But it isn’t the words that hurt, it’s the intention behind them. “I am gay” was not emblazened across my luggage as a celebration. It was used as a pejorative. It was used to humiliate. It was used as a slur.

[snip]

Until our political/religious/community leaders acknowledge and address these inequalities, until we de-normalise prejudice, we can’t expect the “losers” to follow.

As for the people calling me a whiner and telling me to toughen up, I would like to quote Lieutenant General David Morrison: The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.

This incident isn’t about me, it’s about what we as a society find acceptable.

In addition to the blog post and the author tweeting the picture of his suitcase, any major outlets have also published the photo, including The Huffington Post, The Sydney Morning Herald, and International Business Times.

The airline has since apologized.  “We are taking this matter very seriously and we have contacted the passenger to apologise for any distress caused,” a Jetstar spokeswoman said in response to the media storm.

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Meme of the day: Betty Crocker makes ‘Devil’s Food’

Relating to my post yesterday where hate group leader Tony Perkins had to piss and moan calling for a boycott of Betty Crocker because the gay-friendly corporation gave away cakes to early newlyweds in Minnesota.

Remember – when the haters want to boycott – it’s free speech.  When we do it, we’re trampling on First Amendment rights.

Lord…

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Hypocrisy, thy name is Tony Perkins

On Tony Perkins’ daily “Christian” radio show, hate group leader Tony Perkins urged his listeners to join NOM’s sadly misguided failure of a boycott of General Mills.

Why, you ask?

Because Betty Crocker has the nerve to donate wedding cakes to same-sex weddings:

At Betty Crocker, the only thing they’re mixing up is their priorities.

Hi, I’m Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C.

If you ask conservatives, Betty Crocker’s latest promotion is a recipe for disaster. This summer, the famous dessert line decided to jump on the same-sex “marriage” bandwagon-and bring cakes to celebrate.

In Minnesota, where parent company General Mills is headquartered, Betty Crocker decided to donate wedding cakes to the first homosexual couples who exchanged vows on the first day that counterfeit marriage was legal. “Betty celebrates all families,” said manager Laura Forero. “We don’t want to be old fashioned,” the company explained.

Unfortunately for General Mills, the majority of Americans think natural marriage is anything but old fashioned. And they’ve made it tough on companies like Target, Starbucks, and JC Penney who disagree. Know where your money is going.

When you’re at the store, think outside the Betty Crocker box! For a full list of products that are undermining marriage, check out DumpGeneralMills.com.

First of all – when it comes to a majority of Americans, multiple recent pools show Americans support marriage equality:

• an ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 55 percent of Americans say they support the right of same-sex couples to legally tie the knot
• An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released in April found that 53 percent of Americans favored allowing same-sex marriages
• 52 percent of respondents in a new Gallup Politics poll would support a law that would legalize same-sex marriage across all 50 U.S. states

You know, the anti-gay Christian groups love to start these boycotts over things they don’t like or find “icky.” And when they do it’s “good and true” in the name of morality, marriage and protecting the children.

BUT – when LGBT groups boycott over bigotry, suddenly the use of a boycott is “intolerant,” “bullying,” and “intimidation” as we are clearly trying to shut down someone’s First Amendment rights.

Got that? When we do it – we’re the bad guys.  When they do it, they’re the good guys.

Riiiight….

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Oregon: Bigoted bakery owner decides to close up shop in the face of state discriminatory charges

Bakery owner Aaron Klein

Big crocodile tears for the bakery bigots in Oregon. They’ve decided to close up shop due to the ramifications of their discriminatory practices.

The Oregon cake shop that was investigated by state officials after refusing to fulfill an order by a lesbian couple has closed its doors, the Williamette Week reported.

According to a Facebook post on Friday, Sweet Cakes by Melissa’s store in Gresham, Oregon closed as of Saturday, with owners Aaron and Melissa Klein saying they would operate their business out of their home.

The Kleins were heavily criticized after refusing to serve a lesbian couple, citing their religious faith and opposition to marriage equality. Their stance made them the focus of not only demonstrations, but an investigation by the state Bureau of Labor and Industries to see if they violated a 2007 law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.

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San Antonio Councilwoman recorded talking anti-gay bigotry

From the My San Antonio news site:

“So disgusting!” That exclamation escaped the lips of District 9 Councilwoman Elisa Chan on May 21 in her City Hall office, where she was meeting with members of her staff to discuss the city’s proposal to update its nondiscrimination ordinance, adding protections for sexual orientation and gender identity.

In the course of the conversation, Chan expressed her unvarnished views on homosexuality, which range from befuddled to intolerant. She revealed that she believes being gay is a choice and that gay people should not be allowed to adopt children, and she voiced revulsion toward the LGBT community.

Unbeknown to the councilwoman, an aide, James Stevens, was secretly recording the meeting on his iPhone. (He’s now a former aide; Stevens, 28, quit this week.)

Chan’s former chief of policy, Jeff Bazan, who now works as the chief of staff for a different city council member, is heard suggesting that the growing acceptance of gay marriage will lead to “incest and being able to marry animals, that’s all going to happen.”

Yesterday Bazan pulled back and gave some CYA explanation regarding his comments, telling the San Antonio Express-News, “I was basically explaining the viewpoint that some people have on the gay marriage issue. What I said was wrong and I deeply regret it.”

Councilwoman Chan has not apologized as of today.

I think the discussion itself proves why the ordinance needs to be addressed and updated.

(source)