Spreading lies about 2020 election leads to bankruptcy for anti-LGBTQ site The Gateway Pundit

 

Jim Hoft

Far be it from me to celebrate in someone's misfortune, but when an anti-LGBTQ publication is having serious problems, it's party time.

From Raw Story

In a message posted to the conspiracy theory-laden site that he founded, Jim Hoft announced that The Gateway Pundit has declared bankruptcy. “TGP Communications, the parent company of The Gateway Pundit, recently made the decision to seek protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the Southern District of Florida as a result of the progressive liberal lawfare attacks against our media outlet," Jim Hoft wrote in the post

. In December of 2021 Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss sued the site alleging that Hoft and his twin brother Joe Hoft used the site to engage in "a campaign of lies” that “instigated a deluge of intimidation, harassment, and threats that has forced them to change their phone numbers, delete their online accounts, and fear for their physical safety.” 

 The site grew to prominence and saw its traffic surge in 2020 by repeating false claims about mass voter fraud in that year's election -- claims that helped spark the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. As Mediaite points out, the site saw around 1.7 million unique readers in January of 2020 alone. A year later, that number dropped by around 50 percent. 

 “This is not an admission of fault or culpability. This is a common tool for reorganization and to consolidate litigation when attacks are coming from all sides. It allows TGP to consolidate this lawfare in one court for ultimate resolution," Hoft wrote in his statement. 

Well before 2020 and Trump's false claims about a rigged election, Hoft had a reputation of spreading conspiracy theories and outright lies. Media watchdog site Media Matters has an extensive file on Hoft while calling him "the dumbest man on the internet."

 Hoft, who came out as gay in 2016, has also targeted LGBTQ people. In 2009, he made several accusations against Dept. of Education official Kevin Jennings. His claims included accusing the openly gay appointee of "promoting fisting to 14-year olds" and personally pushing books which instructed kids to meet gay men at bars for sex

 I wrote extensively about the attempts to smear Jennings, including one of the above incidents (which at the time was referred to by some on the right as "Fistgate." In 2012, I was able to personally question Hoft on these accusations as well other lies he's told.  He wasn't as bold in defending the claims as he was in creating them.

Even now years after he's come out, Hoft's Gateway Pundit contains a plethora of articles whose only purpose is denigrating LGBTQ people.

All things considered, the next time you look up "karma" in the dictionary, don't be surprised if you see a picture of Hoft next to the definition.

'Blacks for Trump' make a rap video and it's the most bullsh!tiest bullsh!t of any bullsh!t you've ever seen.

Nothing says respect to Black voters like a half- naked female gyrating during a music video. At least in the eyes of Donald Trump supporters.

A while back, a prominent poll came out which inferred that Donald Trump was getting a good percentage of the Black vote. Of course, black folks disputed this on several credible grounds, but the media in general never listens to us anyway so they proceeded to push a "Joe Biden is losing Black voters" narrative. It's similar to the one they pushed before Biden was elected in 2020 and before the 2022 midterms. Hell, they even pushed an "Obama is losing Black voters" narrative during his presidency.

One would think that the media would at least conduct interviews or nuanced discussions with Black voters about this narrative, but no such luck. Our media (who has the uncanny ability to find Trump voters to interview whether it be on Atlantis, Mars, or even in the sewer visiting that clown from 'It') decided to limit their conversations to Black figures they appointed as our spokespeople, i.e. rappers and radio show hosts. And then these folks, with their limited knowledge, made arguments about "stimmy checks. Or asked rhetorical questions of "what has Biden done for us;" which could easily be answered if they amplified credible Black pundits instead of chasing nonsense about who is sleeping with whom or some ridiculous ho-tep ideas of Black masculinity and femininity.  

And that is partly the reason why we are stuck with mess like below. A small and obscure group calling itself Blacks for Trump and led by some wannabe rapper (who I refuse to mention) has put together a video claiming that Black voters are coming out in large volumes for Trump.

It's a video you simply have to see to believe. But not here.  There is no way in HELL I'm putting that mess on my blog. The following is a short, but highly nauseating snippet followed by screenshots of the full video, which should be enough to make the point that this is going to be a long election cycle.  

Lord Jesus, I'm gonna need a drink AND an edible to get through this sh!t.

Blacks for Trump release song, say Donald Trump is the first black President. They're behind him 500 percent. WATCH pic.twitter.com/8ofk4PnOLu

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) April 22, 2024

And to the right is "Uncle Cleophas" with the bad perm which he thinks makes him a 'mack daddy'.

I guess she thinks she's the white girl at the end of MC Hammer's 'You Can't Touch This' video.

Oh look, it's Sexxy Redd's cousin - Stanky Greene.

I don't know who this man is, but you have to give him points for trying to keep up.

Editor's note - Top photo courtesy of Joe Jervis.

20 anti-LGBTQ bills fail as Iowa legislative session adjourns

The LGBTQ community received a wonderful bit of good news in Iowa and LGBTQ activists and journalists are hoping that it is the sign of a new trend.

From Bil Browning of LGBTQ Nation:

In state after state, GOP-dominated state legislatures are adjourning without passing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Now, Iowa has become the latest state to fail to pass any of the numerous bills introduced this session. 

 . . .Iowa Republicans saw bill after bill fall this session despite prioritizing them. A last-minute effort to push one through as an amendment to another bill also collapsed. More than 20 bills were introduced during this session. Some were introduced by the governor herself. 

 One bill tried to remove trans people from the state’s civil rights laws and declare them “disabled” instead. Another would have redefined the word “equal” in state law to specifically exclude trans people from the standard definition of “same” or “identical.” A third bill would have banned transgender from bathrooms that match their gender identity. 

One of the worst, known as the “pink triangle law,” would have required special markers on trans people’s birth certificates and driver’s licenses. The proposed change to Iowa’s civil rights law was so drastic and loathsome that even Republicans refused to entertain the idea. A crowd of hundreds erupted into cheers when the members of a subcommittee who had heard an hour of testimony against the bill announced they would not advance it any further. 

 Trans blogger and activist Erin Reed pointed out in The Washington Blade that though Iowa was the latest state legislature which failed to pass anti-LGBTQ bills this year, there is still work to be done.

 Iowa is not the only state to witness significant victories over anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans legislation this year. Earlier, all explicitly anti-LGBTQ+ bills—20 in total—were defeated in Florida, prompting a statement from local HRC advocates that “The tide is turning.”

 Similarly, over 20 bills failed in West Virginia, leading to celebrations. In Georgia, every anti-LGBTQ+ bill also failed, despite similar last-minute attempts to amend anti-LGBTQ+ legislation into entirely unrelated bills. 

 Although attacks on trans and queer individuals have encountered significant obstacles in Iowa and other states historically targeting LGBTQ+ people, some states are advancing with particularly severe legislation.  These states include Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, all of which have introduced bills that would ban transgender people from bathrooms, allow individuals with religious objections to adopt LGBTQ+ children, and more.

Meanwhile, Ohio is moving forward with a bathroom ban that could affect transgender adults in colleges, and Utah has already passed a sweeping bathroom and locker room ban this year. Additionally, the United States presidential election is already witnessing political attacks on transgender individuals, which may intensify in the coming months.

'Told you so' moment regarding book ban is latest embarrassment for 'culture warrior' Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis

While many eyes are on Donald Trump's trial, former presidential candidate FL Gov Ron DeSantis is facing another embarrassment which comes from laws he pushed while hyping himself up as a conservative culture warrior. DeSantis pushed for certain laws in an attempt to get the GOP presidential nomination. Now that the road to the White House has been cut off from him (at least for now), Mr. "Never Back Down" is actually backing down.  And with rapid speed.

From The Associated Press:

Two years ago, Democrats repeatedly and forcefully warned Republicans and Gov. Ron DeSantis that a new law making it easier to challenge schoolbooks was so broadly worded that it would create havoc across the state. 

Now they can say, “I told you so." 

 DeSantis backtracked on the 2022 law on Tuesday when he signed a bill narrowing its focus. He blamed liberal activists for abusing the law, not the citizens whose objections to certain books account for the majority of book removals from school libraries and classrooms. 

 “The idea that someone can use the parents' rights and the curriculum transparency to start objecting to every single book to try to make a mockery of this is just wrong,” DeSantis said the day before the bill signing. “That’s performative. That’s political.” 

 But the organization which has been fighting DeSantis over this book bans, PEN, told the Associated Press that it's actually conservative groups like Moms for Liberty who have been "abusing the law." 

 “The majority of books that we see being removed are books that talk about LBTQ+ identities, that include characters of color, that talk about race and racism, that include depictions of sexual experiences in the most broadest interpretation of that understanding,” said Kasey Meehan, Pen America's Freedom to Read program director.

Those challenges are being made by conservative individuals and groups such as Moms For Liberty, Meehan said. 

 According to the article, DeSantis's office provided one name as proof that the law was being abused by "liberal activists" - man by the name of Chaz Stevens who made challenges in several school districts claiming that the Bible iis obscene. However, Florida Democrat House leader Fentice Driskell disputed that claim. He told the Associated Press that DeSantis was warned in 2022 that the law would be abused. 

 “We told him so. The Florida House Democrats on the floor — in our debate, in our questioning — pointed out the vagueness in the original law and how it could be subject to abuse,” she said. “Chaz is not the problem. It's the folks who are taking liberties with the law who are the problem.”

DeSantis's backtracking on book banning is the second time he has backed away from a position he adopted in an attempt gain the GOP nomination.  In March, a lawsuit settlement practically gutted the centerpiece of his political narrative, i.e. the infamous "Don't Say Gay" law. DeSantis tried to claim that the settlement was a victory for the law, but others pointed out that it actually eliminated the law's most powerful element - it's vague wording.

According to The Tampa Bay Times:

DeSantis and others who backed the legislation insisted repeatedly that they had no intention of stopping discussions about LGBTQ+ issues in schools. Their goal, they said, was to eliminate what they called gender ideology. They did not provide clear definitions, though, nor did they offer detailed guidelines explaining what is and is not allowed in classrooms. 

Some claimed that not providing clear definitions or guidelines was a deliberate intent of the law. While it didn't offer clear instructions, but the penalties for breaking it were made very clear. This caused a lot of fear and confusion:

The critics claimed the result was a chilling effect that led teachers to stop talking about children’s families, remove books relating to LGBTQ+ characters and themes from their shelves, and to pull back support for LGBTQ+ students. As part of their defense, lawyers for the state pushed back against the allegations that the law lacked clarity. The settlement, announced by lawyers for the plaintiffs, took those arguments and made them real.

Trans youth and athletes win temporary but important court victories in West Virginia, Ohio, and New York

While the country's attention seems to be somewhere else (ugh), the trans community, particularly our trans kids and athletes, received three court victories on Tuesday. While they are temporary for now, each victory is of vital importance.

From The Advocate:

A federal appeals court has ruled that transgender students in West Virginia may play on sports teams that align with their gender identity. In a landmark decision on Tuesday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a West Virginia law that prohibited transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports teams, deeming it a violation of Title IX, which bars sex-based discrimination in education. The Associated Press reports that this ruling impacts the case of 13-year-old Becky Pepper Jackson, who has identified as a girl since the third grade and is undergoing puberty-blocking treatment. 

 According to the AP, in February 2023, an interim court decision prevented the state from barring Jackson from her middle school track and field team under this law. Judge Toby Heytens, in his ruling, emphasized that the so-called choice between not playing sports or playing on boys’ teams offered no genuine option. 

“B.P.J. has been recognized by her community and legally changed her name, and West Virginia has issued a birth certificate listing her sex as female,” Heytens wrote, supporting the view that denying her participation in girls’ teams was discriminatory.

 Lambda Legal, representing Becky, highlighted the discriminatory nature of the law. “West Virginia’s effort to ban one 13-year-old transgender girl from joining her teammates on the middle school cross country and track team was singling out Becky for disparate treatment because of her sex,” said Lambda Legal staff attorney Sruti Swaminathan. “That’s discrimination, pure and simple, and we applaud the court for arriving at this just decision,” she added.

 . . . The ruling reflects broader national debates and legal battles over transgender rights in sports, healthcare, and public accommodations. This decision aligns West Virginia with states like Arizona, Idaho, and Utah, where similar bans have been temporarily blocked, while states like Alabama and Texas continue to enforce such prohibitions. 

 The other victory has to do with a temporary block on Ohio's law banning gender-affirming care for trans kids. From USA Today: 

 An Ohio judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked an impending law that would restrict medical care for transgender minors in the Buckeye State. The decision came weeks after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit challenging the state on behalf of two transgender girls and their families. The measure prevents doctors from prescribing hormones, puberty blockers, or gender reassignment surgery before patients turn 18. Attorneys contend the law violates the state Constitution, which gives Ohioans the right to choose their health care.

 “Today’s ruling is a victory for transgender Ohioans and their families,” said Harper Seldin, staff attorney for the ACLU. “Ohio’s ban is an openly discriminatory breach of the rights of transgender youth and their parents alike and presents a real danger to the same young people it claims to protect.” 

 The legislation was set to take effect on April 24 after House and Senate Republicans voted to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto. Proponents of the bill contend it will protect children, but critics say decisions about transition care should be left to families and their medical providers. 

And finally, a victory for trans athletes in New York. 

From LGBTQ Nation: 

 A federal judge has opened the door for New York State Attorney General Letitia James to challenge a Nassau County executive order barring trans girls from participating in girls’ sports in Nassau facilities. District Court Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury summarily dismissed a lawsuit against James from Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican official elected in 2021 and the architect behind the anti-trans policy. Blakeman’s suit attempted to stop James from being able to challenge the order. 

 “The law is perfectly clear: you cannot discriminate against a person because of their gender identity or expression. We have no room for hate or bigotry in New York,” James said in March. “This executive order is transphobic and blatantly illegal. Nassau County must immediately rescind the order, or we will not hesitate to take decisive legal action.” 

 The order doesn’t just affect trans girls. It also impacts over 100 athletic facilities throughout Nassau County, according to Newsday, since trans girls and women are now banned from participating on women’s teams at those sites. Groups looking for permission to use Nassau County facilities like swimming pools, football fields, and basketball courts must “expressly designate” the team members’ “biological sex at birth” as male, female, or coed.

Franklin Graham decries Nazi concentration camp, gets reminded about his anti-LGBTQ comments and support of Donald Trump

 Folks who follow this blog know how much I despise Franklin Graham. From his vile comments about the LGBTQ community to his basic hypocrisy in supporting Donald Trump, there are a plethora of reasons why I think he represents just how far Christianity in America has fallen.

And just like Trump, there is no bottom when it comes to stooping for Graham. Case in point is the following recent tweet:

Yesterday I visited Auschwitz, where 1.3 million people—mostly Jews—were tortured & killed. It is a chilling thought that something like this could ever happen again—but that evil is still in our world. The only solution is God’s transforming power through His Son, Jesus Christ. pic.twitter.com/0tTFYuSLYa

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) April 12, 2024

Using the suffering of Jewish people to encourage folks to embrace Christianity doesn't seem to be in good taste. Since I am not Jewish, though, I don't think it's my place to decipher Graham's intent in that respect. 

However, the basic hypocrisy of Graham's comment stands out. Gays suffered persecution during the Holocaust, including at Auschwitz. And over the years, Graham made some rather awful comments about gays. He's even praised world leaders who have cracked down on gay people in their own countries. In 2015, Graham praised Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin for passing laws which strip Russian gays of their basic rights:

I have met (Obama) on several occasions. He’s a very nice person. But he supports and promotes policies that contradict the teachings of God. As a Christian I believe that abortion is murder, he supports it. Homosexuality and same-sex marriage — those are sins against God, and the president is promoting them. I’m not against homosexuals as people. But God commanded that marriage should be between a man and a woman. And I very much appreciate that President Putin is protecting Russian young people against homosexual propaganda. If only to give them the opportunity to grow up and make a decision for themselves. Again, homosexuals cannot have children, they can take other people’s children. I believe that President Obama (and I’ll repeat, he’s a very nice person) is leading America down the wrong road. He’s taking a stand against God.

This was pointed out to Graham by some of the folks responding to his tweet about Auschwitz:

Irony. I live in the US, where you, Franklin Graham, have tortured 20 million LGBTQ people with your words (sometimes killing them through making them feel hopeless or inciting your followers to violence). Yes, that evil is still in the world.

— Lynne Eldridge MD (@AboutLungCancer) April 13, 2024

Well, you could quit acting as if homosexuality is a worse sin than adultery so that evil you mention is still within you, Frankie. Stop doing photo ops instead of the work to transform your own heart.

— Susan P. ☮️ (@pagesturnedblog) April 12, 2024

The Pink Triangle was also invented for Auschwitz too.. But your hatred and bigotry ignores that @Franklin_Graham Right??

— JamesDPitch (@jamesdpitch) April 12, 2024

Other responses to Graham's tweet brought up his unwavering support of Donald Trump and convenient silence when Trump has lied, made bigoted comments about various groups of people, and implied desires of wanting to be a dictator:

Frankie never called out Trump for his anti-Semitic response.

Over 200 white supremacist, alt-right, neo-Nazi, and pro-Confederates marched shouting “you will not replace us,” “Jews will not replace us.”

Trump's response: there were “very fine people on both sides.” pic.twitter.com/esrpsp4SAY

— Philly Pub Alum 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 (@vegasexpats) April 12, 2024

And yet you play footsies with a guy who uses the exact same playbook the architect of the Holocaust used: Fear, nationalism, & scapegoating.

— Jim Drumheller🐾☮️ (@JimDrumheller) April 12, 2024

Yet you support a Hitlerite who complains, like Hitler, about migrants “poisoning the blood” of the country, lunches with anti-semites and Holocaust deniers like Fuentes and Kanye, and supported the guys chanting “Jews will not replace us”. Sit down, Franklin.

— Q van Rheede (@QRheede) April 12, 2024

Evil is here, led by a guy who wears orange makeup, won’t be photographed w/his “fat” daughter, has conned and is still conning millions, cheated on his wife, inc. w/ a pornstar, got caught taking money from a kids cancer charity and yet YOU still choose to look the other way.

— wbbpuregame (@boilerbruinlove) April 13, 2024

Do you understand when you demonize Muslims and LGBT people you are engaging in the same rhetorical methods of the people who caused the Holocaust, @franklingraham

— mark academic (@markdalhouse) April 12, 2024

Oh, I could see it happening again if Donald Trump gets elected I don’t know what is in your mind to support that fascist.

— Bruce L Hart 🟧 (@BruceLHart) April 12, 2024

Yeah, you might want to sit this one out, Frank.

— DrMamaBear (@tlz1956) April 12, 2024

Trump is filled with hate for the marginalized and yet you promote him...something is seriously wrong with you

— 5280 CO ✌❤ (@prettypup) April 13, 2024

Well Trump said he wants to be a dictator and you are will to put your support behind him.

— James Chiasson (@badasspapa4) April 12, 2024

When people whine about 'wokeism,' this is what they really mean

 It always amazes me when I hear some folks gripe about having to deal with racism, homophobia, transphobia, and basic other bigotries nowadays. I understand their exhaustion with it all, but it's still an incredibly naive opinion. 

Bigotry has been with us from the beginning and it's not going anywhere. It's simply human nature to feel fear and superiority against something you don't or won't understand. And it's relatively easy to be manipulated into believing that the unknown thing facing you is trying to hurt you.

The only thing society has progressed in when it comes to bigotry is developing new ways to disguise it. The cartoon strip below from the webpage The Devil's Panties illustrates this point rather well. 

When we hear people whine about wokeism, this is probably what they're actually disturbed about.