Good afternoon, one and all! Time for some quickies to keep your afternoon moving.
First, it’s a couple of days old, but I’ve been waiting for a chance to share this post from Libby Anne about why it’s not ok to support equality and still hold anti-gay beliefs. It sounds all nice and equal, but it still causes harm to thousands of children every day. “It’s none of my business what happens legally, but it’s still a sin” is not a pass, and that particularly toxic belief doesn’t become less so because you take the most basic action of not standing in the way legally.
Throughout my life, Brunei has been considered one of the more progressive Muslim countries. Turns out that that was a fleeting dream, and now the Sultan of Brunei has announced that stricter sharia law will be in effect, including punishments like stoning and dismemberment for blasphemy, drinking alcohol, getting pregnant outside of marriage, and of course “sodomy,” because no repressive, authoritarian regime is complete these days without brutality toward queer people. Just one more country that could have been a respected part of the international community twisted by inhuman beliefs.
Want to be blamed for rich white guy privilege? Matt Barber’s Barbwire website has got you covered! All the nonsensical excuses you could want for why rich white dude Robert Richards’ complete lack of punishment for child rape is really the fault of the gays. Remember when they used to say that when a man rapes a male child, it’s homosexual rape and when a man rapes a female child, it’s heterosexual rape? Apparently it’s our fault either way.
This story about the Arizona state senator who tried to oust Sen. Steve Gallardo from his leadership position is being pushed as her asking him to “act more gay,” but as I read this, I think it’s burying the lede. She’s clearly trying to oust him because he voted to oust one of her allies several months ago, which is fine, but the way she keeps bringing up his sexuality is bizarre. “(Gallardo’s) just now saying he’s gay, and I was questioning why he put out Landrum Taylor because she was running for office.” What the fuck does the first part of that sentence have to do with the second part?
And finally, just like I said would happen, as soon as the media firestorm died down about the gay segregation bills, a state would pass one while nobody was looking. That state will probably be, to nobody’s surprise, Mississippi. All it takes now is for Phil Bryant to sign it, and there is very little chance he won’t though he hasn’t said yet if he will. Well, I guess that’s why we have checks and balances.
