(image via Facebook/CMT) CMT (Country Music Television) tried to do a little something for Pride Month by changing its logo/profile image on Facebook to include the colors of the rainbow flag on Monday. Since that time the image has received 1,200+ comments and 4,000+ reactions. It probably won’t surprise you to learn the majority appear to be unhinged anti-LGBTQ folks who couldn’t stop themselves from ranting at CMT for the rainbow move. Here are just some of the lame, hateful reactions on the CMT Facebook page. The saddest thing is none are very original:
Kurt: “Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve!!” (We told you they weren’t very creative…)
Melody: “It’s ridiculous to celebrate an entire month just for being gay yet our Veterans get one day. Veterans deserve better.” (Umm, May is National Military Appreciation Month, but whatevs…)
Steven: “So sad and juvenile that CMT caves to political correctness.”
Calvin: “Great so now CMT done jumped on the gay pride band wagon what a joke no more CMT for me.”
Mike: “Well the kind of so called country music now days fit their wussafide pop rap crap”
Daryl: “I’m proud to be white and straight.”
Gar: “What you do behind closed doors carry on but when everyone is ramming this in our faces gets beyond a joke. Are we going to have straight day ? Worlds gone mad”
Jason: “Every time I see a rainbow I unlike the page I’m sick of seeing it where is the straight flag”
Sammi: “Disgusting, pandering, money obsessed fools. Country music is officially Godless.”
Perhaps the funniest part of the comments were the number of people still bent out of joint because CMT apparently stopped airing Dukes of Hazzard reruns. There were dozens of remarks about the booting of Bo and Luke Duke.
Keith: “Wrong. Just wrong. Y’all over do the gay and lesbo. I don’t care if you are… but we sure as hell don’t need a whole month of this crap. And bring back Dukes of Hazard you nazi’s.”
(screen capture from Dukes of Hazzard) But it wasn’t all ugly. There were many responses thanking CMT for the gesture as well as sharing gifs from Brokeback Mountain and rainbow flags.
Sarah: “Thank you so much! We can love country music and believe in basic human rights!”
H.M.: “Thank you, CMT for standing with ALL OF US!”
Tony: “Happy for CMT I’m gay. It’s not a political thing. It’s to support the LGBTQ. Because there are a lot of haters out there. And it’s time to stand up and support people.”
Tracey: “Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It’s not pie.”
Arlo: “OOOH Yall gonna make the hillbilly bigots maaaaaad!!!!!! But we thank you for those who support !!!! Sincerely, the next transgender country singer”
Kathleen: “I love this. Thanks for posting. As a queer Southern person, I feel seen!”
How horrible do you have to be to spray paint over some kids Pride sign? When two teens went to paint a rainbow on a bridge – which the community reportedly uses as a free speech space – Tabitha Dardeau Travis decided it was a good time to show her bigotry. It wasn’t enough to show them she’s homophobic, she had to make clear that she’s racist, too, claiming she has “more” rights than the young folks. “Because I work, I pay taxes, I’m an American…” Some on Twitter say Travis works at a hospital. Can you imagine how unsafe POC and LGBTQ folks are?
(screen capture from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) Some news items you might have missed: • Gallup Polling: U.S. support for legal same-sex marriage continues to trend upward, now at 70% – a new high in Gallup’s trend since 1996. This latest figure marks an increase of 10 percentage points since 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all states must recognize same-sex marriages. • Gothamist: Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today that the vast majority of New York’s coronavirus restrictions and safety measures will be lifted once 70% of adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine—which he estimated could happen within the next two weeks. • Washington Blade: An East Texas bakery shared a photo of rainbow Pride cookies on Facebook and immediately got slammed with homophobic hate including customers cancelling huge orders. But by the next morning, the owners were deluged with orders offering to buy the cancelled cookies and a line of customers down the block buying out the entire bakery in a show of support.
• NBC4i: An anti-vaccine physician told Ohio lawmakers Tuesday that COVID-19 vaccines can magnetize people. “I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures all over the internet of people who have had these shots and now they’re magnetized. They can put a key on their forehead. It sticks.” • NBC News: Wisconsin pharmacist Steven Brandenburg has been sentenced to 3 years in prison after pleading guilty to destroying 500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine in January. Brandenburg admitted he removed doses of Moderna vaccine from refrigeration storage overnight knowing it would render them ineffective. • Buzzfeed: Check out this list of 33 great LGBTQ-themed shows to watch on Hulu for Pride Month like Love, Victor or that awesome coming out dance sequence on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (top image).
The one and only Brody Some news items you might have missed: • TheOUTfront: My pup Brody (above) is famous! The Brody-o makes an appearance in TOF’s post on the upcoming Broadway Barks event this Sunday! #AdoptDontShop #RescueDogs • Pink News: Andy Cohen says there have been ‘talks’ about a gay Real Housewives franchise for Bravo. • Right Wing Watch: Right-wing pastor Andrew Wommack recently announced that homosexuality is “three times worse than smoking.” In his view, gays should have a label across their forehead, ‘This can be hazardous to your health.’ #Assholery #homophobes
Right-wing pastor Andrew Wommack claims that being gay is “three times worse than smoking,” so gay people “ought to put a label across their forehead, ‘This can be hazardous to your health.'” https://t.co/kQWBHESBwRpic.twitter.com/KzrevwYJ1O
• LGBTQ Nation: Out Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg reversed a Trump administration policy this week, allowing for more federal dollars spent on public works projects to go to minority and disadvantaged workers. “As we invest in world-class infrastructure for Americans, we want to make sure that our investments create jobs for people in the communities where the projects are located.” • The Daily Beast: Former New York City police officer and current Queens GOP district leader Philip Grillo admitted to the FBI that he breached the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection pro-Trump—but said he “was drunk at the time.” The FBI says he was turned in by two childhood friends. • JoeMyGod: The hate group that hired accused sexual molester Josh Duggar now wants Lego cancelled for celebrating Pride Month with its first rainbow Lego set. “The Left is tearing down mainstream values — brick by brick! Lego, the latest company to pander to the woke, just decided to test the waters with a rainbow set of “LGBTQIA+” figures.”
TJ Osborne (screen capture via YouTube) The Tennessee state legislature was all set to honor Brothers Osborne country star T.J. Osborne (who recently came out as gay in February) but a Republican lawmaker suddenly objected and killed the tribute. Even though the state Senate voted unanimously (30-0) in favor of the resolution, Rep. Jeremy Faison used his position as chair of the House Republican Caucus to block the honor. “We have some concerns” said Faison from the floor of the state House about Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 609. NBC News reports that when asked what those “concerns” were, the GOP lawmaker said, “It wasn’t heard in committee, and I feel like it needs to be.” That move effectively killed the resolution because the committee that would discuss the SJR has closed for the year.
WATCH: “We have some concerns.” @JeremyFaison4TN and the @tnhousegop block a resolution to honor out gay country music star TJ Osborne of the @brothersosborne for no reason other than blatant bigotry and spite.
While Faison makes it sound like a procedural issue, other lawmakers responded saying “a lot of SJRs aren’t “heard in committees” yet they receive votes and are passed. Most folks are attributing Faison’s objections to the fact that Osborne is gay and Faison has a history of supporting anti-LGBTQ legislation. According to NBC News, SJR 609 states that “though T.J. Osborne is not the first country music artist to come out as gay, he is the first and currently only openly gay artist signed to a major country label.” “Though it may have been merely a consequence of being true to himself, he has nonetheless become a trailblazer and a symbol of hope for those country music artists and fans alike who may have become ostracized from a genre they hold dear,” continues the resolution. As folks on Twitter criticized Faison, the Brothers Osborne chose to reach out to the Republican publicly instead of attack. “We’ve lived in this state for over half of our lives,” wrote the brothers before pointing out that Faison had voted to honor conservative pundit Ben Shapiro who doesn’t even live in Tennessee. “Jeremy, let’s have lunch one day,” continued the tweet. “On us. Would really like to know more about you as a person.”
We’ve lived in this state for over half of our lives. @JeremyFaison4TN honored Ben Shapiro who doesn’t even live here. Jeremy, let’s have lunch one day. On us. Would really like to know more about you as a person. https://t.co/00w2rdwCec
For his part, Faison responded to the band saying he would be ‘honored to break bread’ with the Osborne bros, although ‘honored’ seems to be an awkward word choice given he had just done the exact opposite in objecting to the resolution. Brothers Osborne continued their classy approach saying they would follow up via direct messaging.
Still, the political gamesmanship didn’t sit well with many in the Nashville music scene. Country star Kacey Musgraves tweeted she was “massively disappointed” in the House Republicans for the ugly move.
As a lifelong Tennessean & a First Family of Tennessee, please let me apologize for our hateful leadership. Most Tennesseans are kind, generous, loving people, as I’m sure you know. We will try our best to rid our government of these hypocrites.
It’s so disturbing that there are still ppl out there in 2021 that are bothered by the way others harmlessly live their lives. It’s time for a clean slate in congress because I’ve about had it with the nonsensical way they supposedly “represent” their constituents.
In a recent CBS Sunday Morning interview, T.J. shared that he’s received “an incredible amount of support” since coming out. “And there’s been some people saying some off-color things to me,” continued Osborne before adding, “But it was a lot, a lot less than I expected.”
(image via Depositphotos)Dear Abbyclapped back at a homophobic senior who wanted advice after calling his own gay brother “disgusting.” The man, who admits he has “some beliefs” that others find old-fashioned, shared with the advice maven that he consciously tries “to be tolerant of others’ feelings and beliefs.” But when it comes to his younger brother, who is gay, the man’s coping mechanism has been to ignore that side of his life. Since the brother lives in another state, their relationship has been primarily long-distance via phone calls. But a few months ago, it seems the “tolerant” approach went out the window during a phone chat. “While we were talking, the subject of sexuality came up, and I told him I find the fact that he is gay ‘disgusting,'” shared the senior before admitting “it was a poor choice of words.” The man went on to say that what he “meant” was that he himself has always been heterosexual and never experienced any attraction for members of his own sex. How that translated to the word “disgusting” is still unclear. Explaining that he never intended his remark to be perceived as “judgmental.” And he added he’s left several messages for the brother apologizing for anything “objectionable” he said, but the younger bro now refuses to take his calls. He closes his missive to Dear Abby asking for whatever advice she might have as he’s “desperate.” The senior signs his request Feels Like A Fool In Washington. You can read his full note here. (image via Dear Abby website)Dear Abby, in her inimitable style, gets straight to the heart of things explaining she’s “never understood why so many straight people spend so much time obsessing about what gay people might be doing behind closed doors.” The wise one added, “THAT, to me, is disgusting.” BAM! And we’re off and running… Noting that the younger brother would have to be “a saint” to forgive the ugly remark, Dear Abby explains that the brother is merely doing what emotionally healthy people do – “erasing a negative influence from his life.” She adds that he could try to pen a “heartfelt letter of apology and remorse” that includes a promise to never use the “disgusting” word again. Dear Abby pointedly advises him that should the brother remain unreceptive, “you will just have to live with it.” This isn’t the first time Dear Abby (also known as Jeanne Phillips) has stood up for the LGBTQ community. In 2018, a “shocked” mother wrote to the advice column after her daughter came out as lesbian. DA told the woman straight away to “apologize and tell her you overreacted.” In 2015, a heart-broken lesbian grandmother asked for advice when her son and daughter-in-law stopped talking to her and effectively shut her out of her new grandson’s life. Dear Abby urged the woman to “find other outlets for your maternal instincts and go on with your life because any child would be blessed to be a part of it.” And back in May 1981, the advice column came back with one of its most famous pieces of advice on gay matters. Some residents in San Francisco’s Nob Hill wrote saying they were ‘concerned’ after what appeared to be a gay couple moved in across the street. Asking what they could do “to improve the neighborhood,” the original Dear Abby, Pauline Phillips, replied, “Dear Residents: You could move.”
Lady Gaga (image via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • LGBTQ Nation: Lady Gaga (above) and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow were among the LGBTQ folks who scored Grammy Awards Sunday night. Check out the list of artists honored at the intimate (but live) event last night. • The Advocate: A group of local merchants have proposed changing the name of Montreal’s historic Gay Village to simply “The Village” or “Montreal’s Village” in an effort to be more inclusive of the entire 2SLGBTQ community. The 2S stands for two spirit. Not all residents are on board with the proposed change, however. • The Gaily Grind: A disgruntled Trump supporter, Michael Challans, is playing the victim after he was caught on tape shouting homophobic slurs at his gay neighbor for flying a flag on his front porch celebrating Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss. After yelling phrases like “faggot ass flag,” “f*cking fag” and “mother f*cking queer,” Challans told police he “has no problems with gay people.”
• HuffPost: Amazon announced plans last week to stop selling all books that frame transgender and other sexual identities as mental illness, a decision it reached after four Republican senators complained to CEO Jeff Bezos last month when the company pulled a single book on the subject from its virtual shelves. • Mediaite: A new poll shows 57% of Republicans believe the COVID-19 pandemic is “exaggerated.” Plus, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll shows 49% of Republican men have no plans to get vaccinated. • Outsports: Conor McDermott-Mostowy just won 2 US Championships in speed skating. Now he’s coming out as gay.
On Thursday, an anonymous man phoned MILK+T, an LGBTQ-owned boba tea shop in Las Vegas, and threatened to ‘blow up’ the business over a Pride flag and a Biden/Harris sign on display. Caroline Sadorra, the manager of the tea shop’s Las Vegas branch, answered the call. Sadorra told local NBC News affiliate KSNV that while the Pride flag was a regular fixture at the business, the Biden/Harris sign was left there after a recent campaign event by Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV). (screen capture via KSNV) In a recording of the two phone conversations shared on social media, the man asked Sadorra, “I’m wondering why a f**king company would have a f**king faggot sign outside your store? You have a candidate that’s running for the new world order. What’s wrong with you?” When the manager tried to bring the call to a close, he cursed at her, “Go f**k yourself, losers!” Five minutes later the man called again having decided that the tea shop had an “anti-American owner,” and promised to “blow up” the store before hanging up.
One of the owners, Beyah Delmundo, told KSNV she plans to file a police report with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Monday morning. The business’s phone recorded the caller’s phone number. Delmundo says she considered removing the Biden/Harris sign after the call, but decided, “Right now is not the time to be silent and to be shy about what you stand for.” In sharing the recording on Facebook, MILK+T wrote, in part:
To attack us was simply unwarranted. It shocked us and made us realize how much hate there is in our country. More than ever, we have to come together.Choose kindness and love, not the route of tearing another apart and threatening violence because of our differences.
LGBTQ rights ARE human rights. At MILK+T, we believe that Black Lives Matter. Women’s rights are human rights. No human is illegal. Science is real. Love is love, and kindness is everything.
Even though this shook us to our core, we stand firmly on what we believe. It takes courage to stand for what you believe in, and despite everything, we have courage and hope in the good there is in the world.
Thom Brennaman (screen capture) Thom Brennaman, longtime Fox Sports broadcaster for major league baseball’s Cincinnati Reds, is the latest sportscaster to experience a hot mic gaffe and it may cost him his job. Moments after the Fox Sports Ohio broadcast returned from a commercial break before the top of the seventh inning in the first game, the 56-year-old sportscaster apparently didn’t realize his mic was hot as the listeners heard Brennaman say, “One of the fag capitals of the world.” He went on to call the remainder of the first game and the first four innings of the second game while a clip of the slur went viral on social media. Then, more than two hours after the gaffe, during the fifth inning of the second game, Brennaman issued an apology for using the slur saying he was “deeply ashamed” — interrupting the mea cupla to call a home run — before turning over play-by-play duties to Jim Day. “If I have hurt anyone out there, I can’t tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart, I’m so very, very sorry,” Brennaman told his listeners. “I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith — as there’s a drive into deep left field by Castellanos, it will be a home run, so that will make it a 4-0 ballgame.” “I don’t know if I’m going to be putting on this headset again,” he added. “I don’t know if it’s going to be for the Reds. I don’t know if it’s going to be for my bosses at Fox. I want to apologize to the people who sign my paycheck, for the Reds, for Fox Sports Ohio, for the people I work with, for anybody I’ve offended here tonight.” “I can’t begin to tell you how deeply sorry I am. That is not who I am, it never has been, and I’d like to think that maybe I could have some people that could back that up. I am very, very sorry, and I beg for your forgiveness. You hear the clip that went viral below followed by his apology.
Brennaman is a Cincinnati native who has been doing play-by-play of MLB games for more than three decades including calling Reds games since 2007. The Reds issued a statement afterward saying the team was “devastated by the horrific, homophobic remark” and announcing Brennaman had been suspended.
Even before the Reds had issued their statement, Cincinnati pitcher Amir Garrett tweeted, “To the LGBTQ community just know I am with you, and whoever is against you, is against me. I’m sorry for what was said today.”
To the LGBTQ community just know I am with you, and whoever is against you, is against me. I’m sorry for what was said today.
Chris Seelbach, the Cincinnati’s first openly gay councilman, issued this statement about the incident: “The Brennaman family are Cincinnati sports icons with a powerful voice in our community, which makes it even more disgusting and totally unprofessional to hear such language used. The Reds have been proud supporters of their LGBTQ+ fans, and this language cannot be tolerated. Period. Cincinnati is leading the way for LGBTQ+ equality. We are on the right side of history and it’s incredibly disappointing to hear Mr. Brennaman use such language of hate when our country is begging for unity.” Reading opinions online, there seem to be two camps about this: one wondering if a single mistake should cost you your job, and the second saying there’s no room for homophobia in sportscasting. Of course, homophobia is bad and shouldn’t exist anywhere. I’ll add that after years and years of sitting behind a mic, it’s a bit staggering that Brennaman would such a mistake at this level of broadcasting. But, everyone screws up at some point. What strikes me in this situation is, listening to Brennaman’s voice, he says the word “fag” confidently and with conviction. It doesn’t sound like a word foreign to him, a word he ‘never uses.’ Even as he declares “This is not who I am,” this occurred in a moment he thought he was private. I do think it reveals him to the world a bit. Someone wrote on Twitter that in baseball it’s three strikes and then you’re out. Should Brennaman be terminated? Fined? Demoted? What do you think, readers?
April Anderson of Good Cakes and Bakes (images via Instagram) Last month, the LGBTQ-owned bakery Good Cakes and Bakes, located in Detroit, Michigan, received an online order for a special Pride cake. Seeing the word ‘PRIDE’ in capital letters in the order’s message, co-owner April Anderson (who’s baked cakes for Oprah Winfrey and appeared on The Today Show) initially thought it was for a six-layer, red velvet rainbow-themed cake which had been offered in June.
But then Anderson read the full message the anonymous customer wanted to be written on the top of the cake: “I am ordering this cake to celebrate and have PRIDE in true Christian marriage. I’d like you to write on the cake, in icing, ‘Homosexual acts are gravely evil. (Catholic Catechism 2357)'” The cake was paid for in advance ($40) and included a $10 tip. Anderson, who is openly lesbian and married, showed the order to her wife, Michelle, who was just as stunned. “Why would somebody order this from us?,” Anderson said to the Detroit Free Press. “They know our bakery. It’s not like it’s a secret. It says it on our about page and social media pages and very clear that this bakery is owned by two lesbian women.” Anderson shared the story of the hateful order with a friend who utilized reverse phone lookup services on the internet. Within an hour, the customer was identified as David Gordon, according to Pridesource. Gordon apparently works for a nearby alt-right religious organization named the Church Militant. But don’t be fooled by the name – the group isn’t a ‘church’ but an extreme-right 501(c)(3) owned by St. Michael’s Media. Gordon’s Twitter profile lists him as “a copyeditor @Church Militant, Lawyer, theology MA, author, sportsman, family man.” David Gordon (via Twitter) Sensing a set-up regarding some kind of reverse discrimination, religious freedoms, and free speech, Anderson decided to call Gordon’s bluff and prepare the cake, but without the icing message. The bakery’s website clearly states custom cakes have to be ordered either in person or over the phone. Pridesource spoke to attorney Jay Kaplan, of the ACLU of Michigan’s LGBT Project, who said under Michigan’s public accommodation laws “the bakery had to provide” the cake that was requested. However, under the doctrine of ‘compelled speech,’ the business couldn’t be forced to create a message that goes against their moral compass or religious beliefs. While this sounds vaguely familiar in comparison to the case of homophobic baker Jack Phillips of Colorado, who fought all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to not have to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple, there’s an important difference here. RELATED: SCOTUS RULES 7-2 IN FAVOR OF ANTI-GAY BAKER Phillips didn’t argue over messaging on a cake – he refused to make a cake for the gay couple because it was intended for a same-sex wedding celebration. The couple never asked for a specific message to be inscribed on the requested cake. Phillips eventually prevailed at the Supreme Court but not on the issue of anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Instead, the high court found the Colorado Civil Rights Commission appeared to have lacked “the religious neutrality that the Constitution requires” when considering the case against Phillip’s Masterpiece Cakeshop and sent the case back for review. In the end, Anderson did bake the cake with the requested rainbow theme on schedule – but sans icing message. She also included a note for Gordon explaining “what our bakery stands for, and who we are.” “We feel the only ‘grave evil’ is the judgment that good Christians, like yourself, impose on folks that don’t meet their vision of what God wants them to be,” the letter said. “We stand against hate; we will always fight for peace, justice, and inclusion,” she added. She closed her note with, “We wish you PRIDE, rainbows, fairy dust and a good GAY!” Gordon reportedly called the bakery the day before the scheduled pickup to confirm the order and was told, “Oh, yeah, we’re making the cake.” Word got out on pro-LGBTQ social media about the cake order and a group decided to organize a peaceful rally in front of Good Cakes and Bakes at the time Gordon was to pick up his special cake. Of course, Gordon was a no-show. Cowards always are.
“I think he was trolling us and he wanted me not to make the cake so that he would have an argument about us being discriminatory against him for not making a cake,” Anderson told Pridesource. Five days later, Gordon phoned the bakery regarding the cake and was told it had been discarded. Anderson told him she would be happy to make another cake but he would need to order the replacement in person or over the phone for any special message to be Contacted for comment by the Detroit Free Press, Gordon said in a Twitter message the bakery “never had any intention of serving me and making me the custom red velvet cake that I duly requested and paid for.” Wrong – the bakery made your cake, dude. You didn’t show up even after confirming the order. He also claims he was “denied the services I requested at a place of public accommodation on the basis of the content of my beliefs.” Michael Voris, founder and president of St. Michael’s Media / Church Militant, said in a statement emailed to the Free Press: “The incident was an action taken independently of the apostolate by an individual employee; Church Militant had no prior knowledge of it. The employee has been spoken to and has apologized for unnecessarily involving his fellow workers in a private endeavor.” But wait – there’s more! The postscript to this little tale is a local resident, Oscar Renautt, who launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for signs to be legally posted near the Church Militant offices. “I figured we need to do something to spread the awareness because our community should know one of our own was attacked this way,” Renautt told Pridesource. “But we are not ‘militant’ like these guys are. We are not militant as Church Militant. Our message is peaceful.” The campaign quickly surpassed its goal and plans to order lawn signs that read “We are not Militant!” in order to deliver a peaceful message of equality. The balance of donations will be given to Corktown Health Center, the LGBTQ health center where Anderson’s wife works. (source: Detroit Free Press,Pridesource)
