Tag: homophobic

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Sports Radio Host Called ‘Fag’ By Radio Station’s Own Twitter

In response to the recent kerfuffle regarding New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees filming a video PSA for the virulently anti-LGBTQ group Focus on the Family, New Orleans sports radio host Seth Dunlap penned a thoughtful, candid open letter to the Super Bowl MVP. In the essay, posted to Dunlap’s personal Facebook page, he took time to express his sympathy for Brees’s position after catching blowback for the “Bring Your Bible to School Day” video. Dunlap noted Brees’ public position of his personal Christian faith and acknowledged the quarterback most probably had no idea of the ugly policies promoting by Focus on the Family which include battling marriage equality, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, any anti-bullying programs and enacting hate crime laws. But the open letter also addressed Brees’ response to the backlash he received wherein the quarterback clapped back “negativity spread about” him by folks who pointed out the uncomfortable connection between a football hero and a group certified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. I won’t dissect Dunlap’s full essay here, but I encourage you to read it here.

Thoughtful, pensive, and very non-adversarial, the radio host picks up on a word used by Brees in his response – ‘shame’ – and connects it to shame he’s experienced at times being an openly gay man. At every turn in the letter, Dunlap is respectful in his attempt to perhaps educate Brees on who and what Focus on the Family represents to the LGBTQ community. So it must have come as a shock to the sports radio show host when the Twitter account for his own station tweeted an ugly response to him. After posting a topic to listeners on his Twitter account asking “Which of these 5 ‘overreactions’ isn’t actually an overreaction?’ in the sports world, Dunlap received a response (that was quickly deleted) reading, “That you’re a f*g.” It would take about five hours for the station to address the homophobic tweet. This was the statement issued via tweet – please note that there is no apology to Mr. Dunlap included. “We are aware of a tweet that went out today from the WWL account,” read the statement. “The content of the tweet is categorically offensive and abhorrent to the station. We are actively investigating this incident and will take swift and appropriate action once we determine how this occurred.”

Listeners were not impressed with the non-apology:

 

 

 

 

 

For his part, Dunlap played the classy move and stayed above the fray:

Big Easy Magazine notes that when Dunlap opened his show on Tuesday night, he focused on how Monday night’s Saints game brought everyone together. “White, Black, Latinx, men, women, straight, gay – nobody caring,” said the veteran radio host. “If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to be a part of something like that, it could be a truly religious experience. And that camaraderie, that togetherness, is what makes sports so special. We can set everything aside and just be ourselves.” Bravo, Mr. Dunlap, bravo. (source: BigEasyMagazine)

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Homophobe Screams ‘You Are Desecrating The Name Of God! You Will Be Murdered!’

On Sunday afternoon, as Adam Eli, a community organizer in New York City, made his way out of the 28th Street subway station, he was followed and verbally harassed for being gay. Eli, who is openly gay and Jewish, told local news station PIX 11, “I’m sort of assuming they read that I was gay cause of the purse and also I have a patch on my butt,” referring to a pink handbag he was carrying and a gay pride patch on his jeans. The man had apparently tapped Eli on the shoulder on the subway and ordered him to remove his yarmulke. Eli declined. As Eli exited the station, he began recording the encounter on his phone which quickly went viral. https://twitter.com/aewerner/status/1171062243317997568 As the man followed him, he pointed directly at Eli and demanded he remove his pink yarmulke (kippah). On the video, you can hear Eli ask, “Because I’m gay and wearing a kippah…is that why?” “You’re desecrating the name of God,” said the homophobe as he began quoting verses from Leviticus. “You will be murdered! Take the kippah off.” Continuing down the sidewalk, Eli told the man, “No – this is my life and my city. I don’t have to take my kippah off.” “Stay in the closet!” yelled the man, his voice rising in volume. “Make sure your closet is in another closet! Take your kippah off! This is not Judaism!” “I’m cisgender, white, I have a social media platform I have resources and that’s the type of violence that I’m getting,” Eli told PIX 11 in an interview. “If that’s the type of violence that one of the most privileged members of our community is getting, can you imagine what it’s like every day in the subway to be a trans person or a gender non-conforming person or a queer person of color?” In a series of tweets, Eli explained his reasons for sharing the encounter with his followers. “ I spent the first 18 years of my life listening to people tell me I couldn’t be gay and Jewish,” he began. “Today I love my queer Jewish identity and nobody is taking that away from me.”

Eli says he didn’t report the incident to the police because he “didn’t see how that could help.” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio became aware of the encounter and tweeted his support writing, “It takes courage to confront homophobia and tell a story like this.” “I’m sorry you had to go through this, Adam,” continued the mayor. “But we’re proud of how you responded. There’s no place for hate in this city.” https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/1171230660104740865

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News Round-Up: September 9, 2019

L-R Shannen Doherty, me, Ian Ziering, Jennie Garth, Michael Caprio
Some news items you might have missed: • Monday Memory: One of those “Can you believe this is happening?” moments – back when Beverly Hills 90210 star Ian Ziering was the celebrity guest host of Chippendales here in Las Vegas, and his two 90210 co-stars Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth came to see Ian in the show. This was snapped backstage before the show. #Goodtimes • Yahoo News: Four months before the wedding of a gay couple in the UK, the mother of one of the grooms received an anonymous note claiming it was the ‘consensus of the village’ that if the wedding was going to happen then “it should do so far, far away from the village.” The mother did not tell her son before the nuptials, but police are investigating the homophobic note. • OUT: Only five of the long list of Democratic presidential candidates have confirmed for both of the upcoming LGBTQ-centric events – the GLAAD-sponsored LGBTQ presidential forum in Iowa, and the HRC-sponsored LGBTQ CNN Town Hall. • TIME: Hollywood’s wonder gay Ryan Murphy has announced he is adapting the legendary Broadway musical A Chorus Line into a 10-episode miniseries for Netflix. #Hmmm • Hollywood Reporter: The cast and creators of the CW series Riverdale, as well as actress Octavia Spencer, will be honored at this year’s GLSEN Respect Awards on October 25 in Los Angeles. •  Out Music: Last month, I shared out singer/songwriter Kyle Motsinger’s groovy anthem for positivity, “Love On Each Other,” and today he drops the equally groovilicious music video. He’s paired his 70s disco beat bop with images of hippie love kids dancing and prancing in the park. Check it out below.

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Brazil’s Largest Newspaper Trolls Homophobes, Prints Superhero Kiss On Front Page

Last week, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro called for a ban on superhero comic book because of ‘sexual content’ he deemed unsuitable for minors. The ‘content’ in question occurs in the three-year-old Marvel publication Avengers: The Children’s Crusade. In one panel of the graphic novel, the characters Wiccan and Hulkling, who are in a committed relationship, engage in a kiss. Why the 2016 publication suddenly caught the eye of the Mayor Marcello Crivella, a former evangelical pastor, now is unclear. But Crivella called for the comic to be banned from the Riocentro Bienal do Livro, Brazil’s most important literary event. Rio de Janeiro’s councilman Alexandre Isquierdo also made a statement calling the imaging an “attempt to propagate homosexuality.” But before authorities could remove the graphic novel, word spread and all copies were almost instantly snapped up by fans. And now, Brazil’s Supreme Court has blocked the efforts to censor the Marvel publication. “Attorney General Raquel Dodge challenged the move by Crivella, a former evangelical pastor,” reports ABC News. “She said allowing the mayor to remove books goes against freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas.” According to the report, a lower court initially supported the mayor, but chief justice José Dias Toffoli “ruled in favor of Dodge on Sunday, blocking the mayor from removing any books.”

And just to put a point on the subject, Brazil’s largest newspaper Folha De S.Paulothrew shade by printing the image on the front page of the publication. Ha! It’s perfectly legal to be LGBTQ in Brazil (the country has legalized same-sex marriage), but thanks to statements and actions by virulently anti-LGBTQ president Jair Bolsonaro, the gay community has reasons to be concerned. Bolsonaro has announced plans to remove mentions of LGBTQ people from textbooks and classrooms in schools; he’s posted tweets denouncing the country’s annual Carnival event for being too risque; told the world “Brazil can’t be a country of gay tourism” because “we have families.” He’s even told publications he’d rather have a dead son than a gay son. But, today, we celebrate this small triumph (and epic trolling) over hate. (source: ABC News)

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Homophobe Israel Folau Sues For $10 Million & His Old Job

Israel Folau pictured center (image via Wikimedia)

Homophobic Australian rugby player Israel Folau has filed a $10 million lawsuit to the Fair Work Commission against Rugby Australia alleging he was sacked for his Christian beliefs.

Not only is the former Wallabies player demanding his job back, but 30-year-old also wants $10 million in compensation.

The Guardian reports Folau issued a statement regarding the lawsuit which read, in part, “No Australian of any faith should be fired for practicing their religion.”

But Rugby Australia maintains that it was Folau’s breach of the players’ code of conduct via his anti-LGBTQ social media posts that caused his dismissal, not “practicing his religion.”

The code of conduct requires players to “treat everyone equally, fairly and with dignity regardless of gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, cultural or religious background, age or disability.”

This is what Folau characterizes as “practicing” his religion:

Those that are living in Sin will end up in Hell unless you repent. Jesus Christ loves you and is giving you time to turn away from your sin and come to him. _______________ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these , adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19‭-‬21 KJV _______________ Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:38 KJV _______________ And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Acts 17:30 KJV _______________
A post shared by Israel Folau (@izzyfolau) on Apr 10, 2019 at 1:18am PDT

“Whilst Israel is entitled to his religious beliefs, the way in which he has expressed these beliefs is inconsistent with the values of the sport,” said Rugby Australia at the time. “We want to make it clear that he does not speak for the game with his recent social media posts.”

In June, Folau launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to pay for his anticipated legal fees. But GoFundMe canceled that effort saying, “While we welcome GoFundMes engaging in diverse civil debate, we do not tolerate the promotion of discrimination or exclusion.”

But the Australian Christian Lobby, an extreme religious group, jumped in and helped Folau raise over $2 million for his legal battles to come.

It’s worth noting that Folau is a millionaire several times over. According to TheAustralian.com, he owns 8 homes worth over $5 million and a $500k Lamborghini.

So, why does he need fans to pay his legal bills?

In April of 2018, Folau said he has “no phobia towards anyone” but would not recant his social media antics. At the time he told rugby officials he would “walk away from his contract” if he comments hurt his sport.

I guess $10 million sounds better to him today.

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Alabama Senate Candidate: “We’re Too Interested In Homosexual Activities”

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill

A Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Alabama told supporters over the weekend the problem with the United States today is Americans are too “preoccupied with homosexual activities” and “the wife swap shows.”

It would seem the Senate race is also a race to prove who is the most homophobic politician in Alabama…

John Merrill, currently serving as Alabama’s Secretary of State, is one of many Republicans looking to unseat Sen. Doug Jones (D) in the 2020 election cycle.

The senate seat was held for 20 years by former Donald Trump toadie, Jeff Sessions, who vacated the position to become U.S. Attorney General, which didn’t work out too well for him, but that’s another story.

At a town hall event in DeKalb County this past weekend, Merrill was asked his thoughts on “culture shift” in the country (that’s code for the gays emergence in the mainstream) and the erosion of moral principles.

“[T]hat’s what we’ve allowed to happen,” said Merrill first reported by YellowHammerNews. “How have we allowed it to happen? There are no more good TV shows on like ‘Gunsmoke,’ ‘Bonanza,’ ‘The Virginian,’ ‘Andy Griffith,’ ‘I Love Lucy.’”

“We don’t have those shows anymore,” continued Merrill. “We’re too interested in homosexual activities. We’re too interested in seeing how this family’s finding a way to mess on this family or to see how people are trying to date on TV, or having wife-swapping on TV. That’s what we watch.”

Bolding is mine.

So, basically, Merrill longs for the good old days of TV shows that glorified guns and had wives stay at home in the kitchen.

The comments were confirmed by Alabama news site AL.com on Monday evening during a phone interview.

“The foundational principles which we have grown up as a nation are no more,” lamented Merrill. “There’s no more TV shows like ‘Gunsmoke’ or ‘Bonanza’ or ‘The Virginian’ or ‘I Love Lucy’ or ‘Andy Griffith.’ I said people are too interested in homosexual activities. They’re too interested in the wife swap TV shows and the shows that are not morally uplifting. That’s the problem.”

Asked by reporter Howard Koplowski what exactly that means, Merrill repeated himself.

“I meant what I said. People are too interested in anything that is not uplifting, edifying. They’re too busy being preoccupied with homosexual activities and the wife swap shows.”

According to Koplowski, Merrill demurred from offering any specific examples of how Americans are too preoccupied with “homosexual activities.”

The secretary of state did bemoan about the lack of TV shows “that are based on biblical foundations,” however.

I guess we should have seen that coming.

“Shows that promote family and culture with a father, a mother and children based on biblical teachings and biblical principles on which our nation was founded,” explained Merrill.

Merrill also told USA Today, “There are too many TV shows preoccupied with people’s sexual orientation instead of messages that edify our basic moral foundation.”

The Human Rights Campaign’s Project One America Director Meghan Kissell issued this statement regarding Merrill’s comments:

“This attack on LGBTQ people and our values only further underscores the fact that the Alabama Senate Republican primary is becoming a race to the bottom and a competition for who is the most virulently anti-LGBTQ. Alabamians deserve a leader who fights for the equality of everyone and every community, not someone who would feel more comfortable in America’s oppressive past.”

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Another Same-Sex Couple Denied Services For Their Wedding

Another wedding vendor has denied services to a same-sex couple for their upcoming nuptials.
Angel Lane and fiancee Tiffany Allen (via Facebook)

Another wedding vendor has denied services to a same-sex couple for their upcoming nuptials.

Angel Lane and her fiancée Tiffany Allen have plans to get married this October in Las Vegas.

In making plans for what to wear for the big occasion, they reached out to fashion brand D. Auxilly in New York City, specifically regarding a $1,500 jumpsuit.

The couple reached out to designer Dominique K. Galbraith about ordering the clothing.

But Galbraith refused to take the order after hearing the couple were lesbians. She said whipping up a wedding outfit for a same-sex wedding violated her Christian faith.

In an email, Galbraith wrote:

“I wouldn’t be able to make a piece for a same-sex wedding. It goes against my faith in Christ. I believe Jesus died for our sins so that we would live for him according to His Holy Word. I know you both love each other and that this feels right but I encourage you both to reconsider and see what the Lord has to say and the wonderful things He has in store for you both if you trust and obey Him.”

She added that she would “be available to talk and share more about Jesus if you’d like. Feel free to call me.”

Speaking to Metro, Allen said, “I hurt because I didn’t feel good enough.”

“A person who truly has that heart will tell you that God doesn’t make any mistakes,” she added. “I’m not a mistake. My fiancée is not a mistake.”

Since sharing their story on social media, the couple say many designers have reached out with offers to provide for their wedding ceremony.

It’s important to note that Lane and Allen live in Missouri where there are no public accommodation laws to protect people from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

However, Galbraith’s business is located in New York state which most certainly does prohibit turning away business due to anti-LGBTQ bias.

Metro reports Tiffany and Angel are filing now filing a formal complaint against D Auxilly, and are also considering taking a lawsuit against the company.

Galbraith reportedly hung up the phone without comment when contacted by Metro.

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News Round-Up: July 10, 2019

Anthony Bowens (via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Pro wrestler and InstaHunk Anthony Bowens (above) points out that “Summer is heating up…” One look at that pic and you know why 😉

• ABC News: Thanks to a police tip line, authorities say they have apprehended a suspect, 20-year-old Tyresse Singleton, who allegedly set fire to a rainbow flag outside of a Harlem gay bar. Gov. Andrew Cuomo had directed the State Hate Crimes Unit to assist in the investigation

• USA Today: Posters featuring U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe were vandalized with homophobic slurs at a New York City subway station Monday evening.

• FOX9: The mayor of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, is facing calls of homophobia because she won’t sign-off on a Pride event proclamation. The mayor claims the local LGBTQ organization failed to follow (brand-new) guidelines for proclamations.

• NBC News: Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Amy McGrath raised more than $2.5 million in the first 24 hours of her campaign against Mitch McConnell. McGrath campaign manager Mark Nickolas said it’s the most ever raised in the first 24 hours of a Senate campaign.

• The Advocate: Michael Johnson, convicted in 2015 for one felony charge of “knowingly” transmitting HIV to one man and four charges of exposing four other men to the virus who didn’t contract it, was released this week 25 years early. His lawyers won an appeal after showing that prosecutors failed to turn over significant evidence. Because the charges he pleaded to fell under health statutes, Johnson will not be required to register as a sex offender.

• Out artist Billy Winn says the songs on his new EP, Dreamland II, are based on the idea that “it’s all fun and games until someone catches feelings.”

The first single from the EP, “Another Broken Heart,” an EDM/dance track, was inspired by circumstances in his own life, adding, “It’s a dance track with a strong, relatable message about something we’ve all been through at least once.”

Check out the new single below, and for more info head to BillyWinn.com.

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News Round-Up: July 5, 2019

David Harbour in Netflix’s Stranger Things (screen cap)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Dad Bod alert: Who’s a fan of the Netflix’s Stranger Things? Season four was released last night and folks think series star David Harbour (above screen cap) is the new poster guy for ‘dad bods.’ #woof

• CNN: Adding homophobia to racism, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents made a migrant hold an “I Like Men” sign as an anti-gay punishment.

• Washington Post: Congressman Justin Amash, who represents Michigan’s 3rd congressional district, has been one of the few Republicans to publicly criticize Donald Trump, and actually side with Democrats in calls for impeachment proceedings. In an op-ed yesterday, he quit the GOP and announced he now identifies as an Independent.

• NY Times: Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) surprisingly raised less than $12 million for her presidential campaign in the past three months; very disappointing considering her very strong debate performance last week. The figure pales in comparison to her primary rivals: Mayor Pete Buttigieg pulled in $24.8 million in the second quarter, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. reports $21.5 million in campaign donations, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took in $18 million.

• Gay Star News: Out musician Aaron Porter says his latest single, “Sorry,” comes from a very personal place for him. And, like life, it slowly evolved until coming to fruition.

“I was in a place of frustration and the track we created was a slow piano-led ballad, he told GSN. “I feel like the song has grown as I have dealt with my situation, and now it’s a fierce pop banger and I feel alive when I sing it.”

Check out the new R&B/pop bop below.

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Washington State Supreme Court Upholds Ruling Against Anti-LGBTQ Florist

The Washington State Supreme Court has upheld its 2017 ruling which found florist Barronelle Stutzman had violated the state’s anti-discrimination laws when she refused to sell wedding flowers to a gay couple in 2013.
Homophobic florist Barronelle Stutzman

The Washington State Supreme Court has upheld its 2017 ruling which found florist Barronelle Stutzman had violated the state’s anti-discrimination laws when she refused to sell wedding flowers to a gay couple in 2013.

Stutzman’s legal team had appealed the original ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, but last June the high court punted.

Instead of reviewing the case, SCOTUS vacated the Washington state Supreme Court ruling and ordered the state’s top court to take another look at the caseto ensure they did not rule with any religious bias.

On Wednesday, the state Supreme Court upheld its original ruling in a unanimous decision,

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued a statement which read, “Washington state law protects same-sex couples from discrimination based on their sexual orientation, the same way it protects Washingtonians from discrimination based on their religion, veteran or military status, disability, race and other protected classes.”

The case began when Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed were planning to marry in 2013 after Washington state legalized same-sex marriage the year before.

They approached Stutzman for flowers for their event, Stutzman refused citing her Christian beliefs.

Washington state’s public accommodation laws specifically prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Stutzman was fined $1,000 and ordered to sell floral arrangements for same-sex weddings if she were to continue selling arrangements for heterosexual weddings.

Although she cried about financial burdens due to the ongoing court case, it’s worth noting that over $174,000 was raised via crowd funding for Stutzman. GoFundMe eventually shut down the campaign based on the company’s policy that campaigns can’t be used to raise funds for legal cases where formal charges have been filed.

However, Stutzman was allowed to keep the $174,000.

Following Wednesday’s ruling, Stutzman’s attorneys (from the virulently anti-LGBTQ law firm Alliance Defending Freedom) say they plan to take their appeal (again) to the U.S. Supreme Court.

(Source: KEPR)