All Things LGBTQ+ (3 Viewers)

[Farb]

Didn't really see a place for this so I thought I would start a thread about all things LGBTQ since this is a pretty hot topic in our culture right now

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/17/sup...y-that-refuses-to-work-with-lgbt-couples.html

• The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a unanimous defeat to LGBT couples in a high-profile case over whether Philadelphia could refuse to contract with a Roman Catholic adoption agency that says its religious beliefs prevent it from working with same-sex foster parents.
• Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in an opinion for a majority of the court that Philadelphia violated the First Amendment by refusing to contract with Catholic Social Services once it learned that the organization would not certify same-sex couples for adoption.

I will admit, I was hopeful for this decision by the SCOTUS but I was surprised by the unanimous decision.

While I don't think there is anything wrong, per se, with same sex couples adopting and raising children (I actually think it is a good thing as it not an abortion) but I also did not want to see the state force a religious institution to bend to a societal norm.

 

[Optimus Prime]

What an annoying dipshirt.

These people have no original thoughts and are incapable of critical thinking. They're just a mindless group of minions latching on to whatever right wing outrage is fed to them next.

take a shot every time he says 'propaganda"

 

[SFIDC3]

One of the saddest but relevant quotes I've seen circulating around the internet is: "There is no hate like Christian love".

Christianity is already on the decline in the country and there are many starting to complain about being "persecuted" over it. Their "persecution" is just people not blindly accepting their faith and not agreeing with them... but the more they act like this, it will definitely not only hasten Christianity's decline, but it will also make Christians less welcome in society, and if the rest of us Christians don't counter it in a meaningful way, we will deserve it.

Spot on.....

 

[Optimus Prime]

wow

and will blame cancel culture when they go out of business

 

[Optimus Prime]

 

[SystemShock]

One of the saddest but relevant quotes I've seen circulating around the internet is: "There is no hate like Christian love".

I think that Islam still takes the cake, but I can see the why of that statement.

Christianity is already on the decline in the country and there are many starting to complain about being "persecuted" over it. Their "persecution" is just people not blindly accepting their faith and not agreeing with them... but the more they act like this, it will definitely not only hasten Christianity's decline, but it will also make Christians less welcome in society, and if the rest of us Christians don't counter it in a meaningful way, we will deserve it.

The complaints of persecution among Christians aren't new. I've heard them literally for decades.

I don't think there is a meaningful way to counter the decline of Christianity. Christianity (and most other religions, really) only has indoctrination and the desire of people to live past death as means of survival. Surely neither science or humanism is on its side.

 

[zztop]

I read that Target removed some of the items from shelves b/c employees were getting threats of violence etc. Edit: I see a page back it was already mentioned. I think if these people are going into stores doing this, hopefully charges get filed against every one of them. Ideally that happens... in reality I feel like Target might not bother b/c it would be too much effort to go through the process

Target becomes latest company to suffer backlash for LGBTQ+ support, pulls some Pride month clothing

Target is removing certain items from its stores and making other changes to its LGBTQ+ merchandise nationwide ahead of Pride month, after an intense backlash from some customers including violent confrontations with its workers. Target declined to confirm which items it was removing but among...

apnews.com

well well

 

[MT15]

Lol

 

[MT15]

Another lol, these people are scum of the earth for their crusade against LBGTQ people:

 

[MT15]

 

[Optimus Prime]

A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump said a first-in-the-nation Tennessee law designed to place strict limits on drag shows is unconstitutional.

In a 70-page ruling handed down late on Friday, the US district judge, Thomas Parker, called the law “unconstitutionally vague and substantially over-broad”, and said it would encourage “discriminatory enforcement”.

“There is no question that obscenity is not protected by the first amendment,” Parker wrote.

“But there is a difference between material that is ‘obscene’ in the vernacular, and material that is ‘obscene’ under the law. Simply put, no majority of the [US] supreme court has held that sexually explicit – but not obscene – speech receives less protection than political, artistic or scientific speech.”

A Memphis-based group, Friends of George’s, filed the complaint in March, saying the law would negatively impact it because it produces “drag-centric performances, comedy sketches and plays” with no age restrictions.

Initially, the complaint listed the Republican governor, Bill Lee, the attorney general Jonathan Skrmetti and the Shelby county district attorney general Steven Mulroy as defendants. The plaintiffs later agreed to dismiss the governor and top legal chief, though Skrmetti continued to represent Mulroy…….

Trump-appointed judge says Tennessee anti-drag law is unconstitutional

Thomas Parker says law designed to place limit on drag shows would encourage ‘discriminatory enforcement’ in ruling

www.theguardian.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

Brandishing her own scissors in front of guest services in a Target store in south Florida, the customer chopped up her store credit card while lambasting the retail chain for carrying Pride Month merchandise. “I am never shopping here again,” she warned.

This episode — recounted by an employee to supervisors — was just one of several tense encounters that workers have reported over LGBTQ+ items at the South Florida location, said the manager, who spoke on the condition of anonymity over fear of losing his job.

Target is the latest brand to be engulfed in culture wars, as polarizing social issues spill into store aisles and shoppers become more emboldened to engage in confrontational, even threatening, behavior.


Though Pride Month and other inclusivity initiatives have been around for years, they’ve increasingly become litmus tests for consumers, forcing companies to fully commit on social issues or yield to critics.

Retailers such as Kohl’s, Walmart and PetSmart have also felt backlash from the far right for stocking items that extol equal rights and acceptance for gay, lesbian and transgender individuals.


In Target’s case, though, it has pulled its Pride merchandise and promotional materials back from store windows in recent days after a string of threats and harassment against employees. The move then sparked multiple bomb threats, targeting stores in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah, from people claiming to be angry about the removal of merchandise.


“It’s not like any of this is all that unpredictable,” said Lindsay Schubiner, who studies violent movements for the Western States Center, an anti-extremism watchdog.

“We don’t always know exactly where these sort of anti-democracy actors are going to point to next, but the increase in threats and harassment from anti-democracy movements in the U.S. has become so frequent that this is something that absolutely just needs to be planned for.”

At the Target in South Florida, shoppers have called employees “child groomers,” a far-right slang term for pedophiles, and accused them of “shoving your woke agenda down our throats,” according to the manager who spoke to The Washington Post.

When he donned a bright safety vest over his company-issued Pride-themed T-shirt to help a customer carry goods to his car, the shopper looked at him and said, “Oh, is that so I could shoot you easier?”


That interaction leaves the supervisor with conflicting feelings about Target’s decision to pull back its Pride merchandise.

“It’s 50-50,” he said. “I hate it, but I kind of understand it.”
On one hand, he felt the company had abandoned its LGBTQ+ employees. But he also can see reasons for backing down because the harassment from customers makes him feel unsafe……

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/06/04/target-lgbtq-culture-wars/

 

[MT15]

Stochastic terrorism. They love it, they use it.

 

[Optimus Prime]

I’m also conflicted about Target

On the one hand they should tell all these protesters to fork off

But employees (often low paid employees) are being threatened with abuse and violence and they should be protected

But you give in to the demands once and who know how many people see that and think ‘that works?!’

Then you have a ton of copycats at any store that recognizes pride month in any way

 

[coldseat]

I’m also conflicted about Target

On the one hand they should tell all these protesters to fork off

But employees (often low paid employees) are being threatened with abuse and violence and they should be protected

But you give in to the demands once and who know how many people see that and think ‘that works?!’

Then you have a ton of copycats at any store that recognizes pride month in any way

Conceding only makes the problem worse. Just call the police and have the people doing this arrested. Then file restraining orders against them from entering any Target store for threatening behavior towards employees. Do it enough and these idiots will get the hint.

Now that Target's backed down due the right wing mob threat, the bigots know they can threaten Target any time and get what they want.

 

[Optimus Prime]

A high school in Florida will offer refunds and reprints to parents and students who argued its yearbook featured “disgusting and wrong” LGBTQ+ content.

Students at Lyman high school in Seminole county received their yearbooks a few weeks ago. Several conservative parents complained.

Among 256 pages, two pages highlighted LGBTQ+ students. In addition to pictures of smiling students, the pages featured terms including “genderfluid”, “sexual orientation”, “queer” and “nonbinary”, as well as the rainbow Pride flag……

Florida school offers yearbook reprints after objections to LGBTQ+ content

Several conservative parents of students at Lyman high school complained about two pages highlighting LGBTQ+ students

www.theguardian.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

Conceding only makes the problem worse. Just call the police and have the people doing this arrested. Then file restraining orders against them from entering any Target store for threatening behavior towards employees. Do it enough and these idiots will get the hint.

Now that Target's backed down due the right wing mob threat, the bigots know they can threaten Target any time and get what they want.

I agree that’s how they should be handled

My worry is that one of these incidents of threatening behavior turns into a vicious beat down in apparel before the cops are called

 

[MT15]

Sane people have been knowing this will be a problem.

 

[MT15]

Stochastic terrorism. They love it, they use it.