Tag: antigay

Continuing with its litany of anti-LGBTQ policies this month, the Trump Administration and Republican party have further maligned the LGBTQ community by confirming yet another ardently antigay judge to a lifetime appointment on the federal bench. Happy Pride! 42-year-old Matthew J. Kacsmaryk has a long and nasty history of opposing LGBTQ equality, including criticizing the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, claiming members of the queer community are not protected by the Civil Rights Act, and characterizing transgender people as suffering...

The president of the University of Central Arkansas ordered a sign quoting Lady Gaga be removed from the school’s library, claiming it advocated “a personal viewpoint” that could potentially corrupt the minds of young children. Earlier this month, staff members of the university’s Torreyson Library made a Pride sign that said: “Being gay is like glitter. It never goes away. — Lady Gaga.” They displayed it on a bulletin board typically used for making special event announcements and activities or to...

Ryan Thompsen was riding his bike home from work last Thursday in San Jose, California when the driver of a grey Nissan illegally blocked the bike lane. When Thompsen stopped his bike to confront the man about it, the driver went off on a homophobic tirade. And the whole thing was caught on tape. “That’s the bike lane,” Thompsen can be heard saying in the video, which appears to have been recorded from his helmet cam. “Hey, no sh*t,” responds the driver. When...

Bestselling author Nicholas Sparks is fielding a public relations nightmare and it doesn’t show signs of letting up anytime soon. It all started last week when Saul Benjamin, the former headmaster at the Epiphany School of Global Studies, a faith-based prep school founded by the Sparks in 2006, accused the author of trying to ban an LGBTQ student group. A series of leaked emails showed that in 2013, Sparks ordered Benjamin to break up the group and threatened at least two...

Sad news for fans of sappy romance novels: literary giant Nicholas Sparks tried to have LGBTQ curriculum banned from the Epiphany School of Global Studies, a faith based prep school started by the author. Sparks, the popular author of romance novels like The Notebook and The Longest Ride, helped found the school in 2006. Newly leaked emails, however, show a bitter feud among school employees and Sparks. Saul Benjamin, a former headmaster at the Epiphany School, has accused Sparks and other school Trustees...

The owner of Langer’s Deli, a popular eatery in Los Angeles, has come under fire after he allegedly demanded a gay couple leave his restaurant last Saturday when he saw them kissing. But he insists he wasn’t being homophobic and that the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. Earlier this week, Rachel Curry, accused the deli’s owner, Norm Langer, of creating an “unsafe space” for LGBTQ people when he hovered over her table with a walkie-talkie and humiliated...

Grayson Fritts is a deputy with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in Knoxville, Tennessee. He also moonlights as a pastor at All Scripture Baptist Church, where he recently gave a fiery sermon about the evils of homosexuality. In the sermon, which was delivered on the first Sunday of Pride month and then uploaded to Facebook, Fritts called LGBTQ people “f*gs,” “freaks,” and “animals” and said it was the duty of police officers like himself to enforce the homophobic teachings outlined...

A homophobic preacher showed up to an Ariana Grande concert last weekend and she and her fans weren’t having any of it. The singer is currently on the road with her Sweetener World Tour, where she played in Atlanta over the weekend. Outside the venue, a man marched around wielding a rainbow banner with the word “Pride” crossed out. He was screaming into a megaphone, telling Ariana’s fans, “God wants you to repent!” Someone captured the spectacle on video and uploaded it...

Republican Florida state Rep. Mike Hill might want to start updating his resume because he may soon be out of a job. Last weekend, audio of Hill making homophobic comments during a forum held by the group Women for Responsible Legislation leaked online. In the recording, the 61-year-old lawmaker is heard saying that being gay is a choice and therefore unworthy of protections in the Civil Rights Act, like those for race and gender. When a man in the crowd calls for...

Things aren’t looking so good for Republican Florida state Rep. Mike Hill, and his desperation is starting to show. Over the weekend, audio of Hill making the homophobic comments during a forum held by the group Women for Responsible Legislation leaked online. In the recording, the 61-year-old lawmaker is heard saying being gay is a choice and therefore unworthy of protections in the Civil Rights Act, like those for race and gender. “My fundamental problem with that is someone’s sexual orientation or...

Ex-congressman Aaron Schock’s public outing just got even more scandalous; a collection of private text messages and revealing photos leaked. Although the former Illinois Representative’s political career is over, his hypocrisy and suspicious financial activities are still making headlines.Since taking office in 2009, Schock’s life in the public closet has made him a target for criticism around his hypocritical policies. The rumors around his sexuality started after he appeared in an issue of Men’s Health magazine shirtless.Then, in 2010,...

(images via Pexels)Kenya’s High Court has upheld the African country’s laws which criminalize homosexual behavior. LGBTQ activists had argued the laws are discriminatory, lead to increased harassment of the LGBTQ community, and serve to discourage people from seeking HIV testing or treatment.  The plaintiffs involved in the case also said the laws violate the Kenyan Constitution which reads the “state shall not discriminate directly or indirectly against any person on any ground,” including...

Earlier this week, out politician Jerry Windle abruptly resigned from his seat on the Morrisville Town Council in North Carolina halfway though his four-year term, claiming he was sick and tired of being bullied by his homophobic colleague while his other colleagues did nothing to stop it. In an emotional statement given at a town hall meeting on Monday, Windle, who was first elected in 2017, told his fellow council members, “I cannot in good conscience serve on a council...

Last week, Jerry Falwell Jr. made national headlines when it was reported that Michael Cohen allegedly helped stop the release of x-rated photos of the antigay activist shortly before he endorsed Trump for president in 2016. According to Reuters, Falwell contacted Cohen in 2015 seeking assistance regarding an “embarrassing personal matter” involving him, his wife, and their 20-something pool boy, er, pool attendant from Miami. Related: Jerry Falwell Jr.’s alleged x-rated photos could get him fired from his own university Rumor had it, the pool boy possessed dirty pictures of...