I Didn't Say It ...

Kamala Harris, responding to a Tweet from Junior saying she’s the only one who laughs at her jokes:

“You wouldn’t know a joke if one raised you.”

And snap!

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Shepard Smith, longtime Fox News anchor, quitting the network because _____ and Fox:

“Even in our currently polarized nation, it is my hope that the facts will win the day. That the truth will always matter. That journalism―and journalists―will thrive.” Smith said in an apparent nod to President Donald Trump’s war on what he calls “fake news.”

Smith has no plans to move to a different news outlet but will instead spend more time with his boyfriend, Gio Graziano.

Sad to see the one sane voice leave the crazy.

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Elizabeth Warren, responding to a question at CNN’s Equality Town Hall about an “old fashioned” supporter telling her that marriage is between a man and a woman:

“Well, I’m going to assume it’s a guy who said that, and I’m gonna say, then just marry one woman. … I’m cool with that. Assuming you can find one.”

Gotta give it to her, she’s quick on her feet.

And right.

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Marco Rubio, attacking Elizabeth Warren for that remark:

“Vividly captures the condescension of elites & their incessant ridicule of Americans with traditional values. It elicits glee among celebrities & blue check brigade. But for the millions sick of being disrespected it elicits support for fighting back, even in a crude or vulgar way.”

Oh Marco, don’t you have a foam party to attend.

The LGBTQ community has been attacked for decades and decades and what Warren said wasn’t an attack, it was an opinion.

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Kerron Clement, Olympic gold medalist track and field athlete, has come out as gay:

“I was tired of loving in the dark. I have been through what a lot of people have been through which is being afraid of being who you are. I struggled with my sexuality for 17 years. Over time, as you get older, you care less. Now it’s time to just be yourself and be free. That’s what I’ve become, free. I’m just telling my story, finally being free and comfortable.”

Welcome out, Kerron, and please accept, as out gift from HOMO HQ, a copy of the Gay Agenda and the Official Coming Out Toaster Oven™.

Welcome out.

PS He’s kinda hot, no?

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_____,  playing the race card this week in Minnesota where he once again attacked Representative Ilhan Omar and the entire Somali refugee community in  the state:

“As you know for many years leaders in Washington brought large numbers of refugees to your state from Somalia without considering the impact on schools and communities and taxpayers. You should be able to decide what is best for your own cities and for your own neighborhoods and that’s what you have the right to do right now, and believe me, no other president would be doing that.”

By all means let’s have people decide who can be their neighbors. Let’s go back to the days when families of color were ostracized and threatened and beaten out of their homes.

Racist fuck, and everyone who attended that rally and cheered.

Racist fucks all.

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Geraldo Rivera, on Fox News, about the so-called “satire” video in which _____ murders top Democrats and journalists:

“I was very, very outraged by Kathy Griffin when she had the head of the president, remember, and she was excoriated for it, almost wrecked her career, which rebounded because Trump hatred was sufficient and brought her back and made her popular again. But I think it’s very dangerous when you start going there. I don’t like it. It’s not funny. It may be satire, but it’s a bridge too far for me. I think that you’ve got to, you know, you have to condemn it and have no tolerance for it.”

I, too, thought Griffin went too far, but ain’t it funny how, when the rightwingnuts do the exact same vile thing it’s all good?

Even better, _____ has ignored calls for him to denounce the video because, and I’ll paraphrase, ‘some mass murderers are nice people.’

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Judy and Dennis Shepard, Matthew Shepard’s parents, rebuking Attorney General William Barr and _____’s DOJ for endorsing discrimination against transgender Americans and taking other anti-LGBTQ actions:

 “We find it interesting and hypocritical that [Barr] would invite us to this event commemorating a hate crime law named after our son and Mr. Byrd, while at the same time asking the Supreme Court to allow the legalized firing of transgender employees. Mr. Barr, you cannot have it both ways. If you believe that employers would have the right to terminate transgender employees just because they are transgender, then you believe they are lesser than and not worthy of protection. If so, you need not invite us to future events at the Department of Justice that are billed as celebrating the law that protects these same individuals from hate crimes. Either you believe in equality for all or you don’t. We do not honor our son by kowtowing to hypocrisy ... As the head of the Department of Justice, [Barr] can take a stand as a member of this administration to disavow and condemn any person who fuels the fires of hate with their words and actions. He must lead and demonstrate his refusal to accept hate in all its manifestations. He must demonstrate courage, even if it means disagreeing with the administration. So far, he has done none of these deeds.”

Barr did not attend the event, but Eric Dreiband, chief of the DOJ’s civil rights division, “sat stoically” as the Shepard’s statement was read; when it was over the crowd stood.

Hate; it’s the ______ administration’s way.

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Give Them Life In The Name Of Gabriel Fernandez

Gabriel Fernandez was an abused child; one day, his mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, discovered him playing with dolls and sent him to school the next day wearing a dress. That was the least of it; Gabriel; was regularly beaten, with a baseball bat — several of his teeth were knocked out one time; he was shot with a BB gun in the groin; he was doused with pepper spray, forced to eat his own vomit, locked in a cabinet with a sock stuffed in his mouth and was whipped with a belt.

All because his mother and her boyfriend thought he was gay.

One particularly bad day, Gabriel was taken to his room by his mother while Isauro followed with a baseball bat. One of his siblings later said you could hear Gabriel screaming, and then suddenly it stopped.

His mother called 911 that day, May 22, 2013, to report that Gabriel was not breathing, and when paramedics arrived they found Gabriel in his bedroom naked, with a cracked skull, several broken ribs, and BB pellets in his lung and groin.

Gabriel Fernandez died two days later.

Aguirre and Pearl Fernandez were charged with capital murder shortly thereafter, though now Pearl — I’ll stop calling her Gabriel’s mother because mother’s shouldn’t do that to their children — and Aguirre are expected to take a plea deal in the case to avoid the death penalty; they would received life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Now, some may say that Fernandez and Isauro deserve to die for what they did, but I beg to differ. I want them locked up, without the possibility of parole, with no chance at appeals, for the rest of their lives; I want them to wake up each and every day for the next several decades knowing they will never be free again for what they did to an innocent child.

I’ve always been anti-death penalty because we know it’s not a deterrent to crime; if it was, we’d have no more murders, because everyone would know they’d be put to death for that crime. No, people still kill people, and little boys, and their own children, without even thinking about the death penalty, so why give it to them? Punish them for life for what they’ve done.

I remember at the sentencing of Aaron McKinney for the murder of Matthew Sheppard, when Dennis Shepard said this:

“I would like nothing better than to see you die, Mr. McKinney. However, this is the time to begin the healing process. To show mercy to someone who refused to show any mercy. To use this as the first step in my own closure about losing Matt. Mr. McKinney, I am not doing this because of your family. I am definitely not doing this because of the crass and unwarranted pressures put on by the religious community. If anything, that hardens my resolve to see you die. Mr. McKinney, I’m going to grant you life, as hard as that is for me to do, because of Matthew. Every time you celebrate Christmas, a birthday, or the Fourth of July, remember that Matt isn’t. Every time that you wake up in that prison cell, remember that you had the opportunity and the ability to stop your actions that night. Every time that you see your cell mate, remember that you had a choice, and now you are living that choice. You robbed me of something very precious, and I will never forgive you for that. Mr. McKinney, I give you life in the memory of one who no longer lives. May you have a long life, and may you thank Matthew every day for it.”

That’s what I wish for Isauro Aguirre and Pearl Fernandez; that, for me, would be a greater punishment then a few minutes of pain followed by nothingness. Live every single day knowing that you are where you are because of whom you are and what you did.

But Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre aren’t the only guilty parties.

It has come to light, following Gabriel’s’ death, that social workers investigated the home several times and left Gabriel there; social workers had responded to multiple reports of abuse from both Gabriel Fernandez's teachers and his grandfather, but they determined that Gabriel was not at risk. It has been revealed that eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez wrote a suicide note but since the note offered no “specific” plan for how he would take his own life, social workers did nothing; nothing. Teachers at his school saw him come to class beaten and bruised and did nothing.

In my mind, they are just as guilty. They deserve to lose their jobs; they deserve to be banned, for life, from any kind of social work, from any kind of work that would involve them protecting a child.

To me they are as culpable as Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre; they may not have swung the bat, they make not have shot that BB gun, but when it came to protecting Gabriel they all sat on their hands.

Now, sure, social work is hard, the system doesn’t work many time; social workers have huge caseloads. But when a child, a child, writes a suicide note and nothing is done about it”? When a child is bruised and beaten and nothing is done about it? When you are called over and over and over again to investigate reports of abuse and nothing is done about it?

Guilty.

UPDATE: Isauro Aguirre has not agreed to the deal that calls for life in prison without the possibility of parole and no appeals; now, both he and Pearl Fernandez have until a December 3 court hearing to accept the deal or not and go to trial on murder charges.

As I said, I hope whether they accept the deal or don’t that they aren’t given the easy out of a death sentence, and years and years of appeals paid for by California taxpayers. I hope they get life, with no parole and no appeals.

I hope they rot in jail until the day they die and think about Gabriel every single day.

LGBTQ Nation

The Advocate
Dennis Shepard's Full Statement

In Maryland, Martin O'Malley Signs Death Penalty Repeal

First off, I think he’s kinda hot. There, I said it. I’m shallow like that. But, secondly, he signed into law Maryland’s same-sex marriage law, so he’s hot and an LGBT ally. But now, Maryland Governor, Martin O’Malley has abolished the death penalty in his state, making Maryland the second state south of the Mason-Dixon Line to abolish the death penalty in nearly 50 years, alongside West Virginia. Maryland is now the 18th state to abolish the death penalty; Delaware also made a push to repeal it this year, but the bill has stalled.

"I don't know exactly what the timing is, but over the longer arc of history I think you'll see more and more states repeal the death penalty. It's wasteful. It's ineffective. It doesn't work to reduce violent crime."—Governor O’Malley

Here’s the deal, well, my deal on the death penalty. What good does it serve? Does it stop murderers and violent criminals? Does it miraculously bring the victims of violent crime back to life? Does it provide closure?

That last one, I’m not so sure about, but I do know that if murder is illegal—and it is—then how is state sanctioned murder acceptable? Murder is murder. And let’s not even raise the issue of anyone being put to death, only to discover, years later, that they were innocent of the crime. Think that doesn’t happen? Well, Kirk Bloodsworth, a Maryland man was the first person in the U.S. freed because of DNA evidence after a conviction in a death penalty case proved his innocence. He is alive and attended the O’Malley news conference.

For me, the death penalty is barbaric. It serves no purpose, it is not a deterrent, and it costs more money than convicting violent criminals and sentencing them to life without parole. There aren’t years and years of appeals, which cost the taxpayers’ money. The criminal is put away, for good. For good.

For me, putting a man, or woman, to death isn’t punishment; they’re dead, they don’t know anything, or feel anything. But, if you take that criminal and lock them up until the day they die, and they sit in prison day after day, year after year, thinking, and reliving, the reasons why they’re behind bars, that’s punishment. Oh, and before you say that these violent criminals have no remorse, I say, So what? They’re still locked up; their lives, as they knew them, are over.

I can go on and on about why I think this way, but the one person who said it better than me is the best person to quote now.

We all remember that Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson murdered Matthew Shepard in Wyoming in 1998. But, what some may not know is that Matthew’s father, Dennis Shepard, spoke at Aaron McKinney’s sentencing hearing [Henderson, at the time, had already pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life without parole.] With the agreement of Judy and Dennis Shepard, Henderson and McKinney will spend the rest of their lives behind bars. In a statement read to the court, Dennis Shepard said that the sentence means:

“I would like nothing better than to see you die, Mr. McKinney.

However, this is the time to begin the healing process. To show mercy to someone who refused to show any mercy. To use this as the first step in my own closure about losing Matt.

Mr. McKinney, I am not doing this because of your family. I am definitely not doing this because of the crass and unwarranted pressures put on by the religious community. If anything, that hardens my resolve to see you die.

Mr. McKinney, I’m going to grant you life, as hard as that is for me to do, because of Matthew. Every time you celebrate Christmas, a birthday, or the Fourth of July, remember that Matt isn’t.

Every time that you wake up in that prison cell, remember that you had the opportunity and the ability to stop your actions that night. Every time that you see your cell mate, remember that you had a choice, and now you are living that choice.

You robbed me of something very precious, and I will never forgive you for that.

Mr. McKinney, I give you life in the memory of one who no longer lives. May you have a long life, and may you thank Matthew every day for it.”

That, to me, says it all. And so, today, I’d like to thank Governor O’Malley for his efforts to abolish the death penalty in one more state.

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I Didn't Say It .... The Jason Collins Edition

Jarron Collins, Jason Collins’s twin brother, on his brother’s coming out as the first openly gay, still playing, professional athlete:

"I won't lie. I had no idea. We talked, he answered my questions, I hugged him and I digested what he had told me. At the end of the day, this is what matters: He's my brother, he's a great guy, and I want him to be happy. I'll love him and I'll support him and, if necessary, I'll protect him. What does Jason want out of this? He wants to live his life. He wants a relationship, he wants a family, he wants to settle down. He wants to move forward with his personal life while maintaining his life as a professional basketball player. That's all, really. This announcement will be surprising to some people. I already anticipate the questions: 'Are you the gay twin or the straight one?' This is uncharted territory, and no one can predict how it will play out. It's a big deal -- but it's also not a big deal. When the media crush is over, Jason will have the strength to deal with whatever challenges come from being openly gay. Today, Jason has taken a huge weight off his shoulders. And I've never been more proud of him." 

Coming out is hard.
Coming out to your family, and wondering if they'll still love and accept is harder still.
Coming out to a twin, who feels about you like Jarron Collins does towards Jason, is a great, great thing.

Chris Broussard, of ESPN, saying Jason Collins cannot be gay and a Christian:

"Personally, I don’t believe that you can live an openly homosexual lifestyle or an openly, like premarital sex between heterosexuals. If you’re openly living that type of lifestyle, then the Bible says you know them by their fruits. It says that, you know, that’s a sin. If you’re openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be, not just homosexuality, whatever it maybe, I believe that’s walking in open rebellion to God and to Jesus Christ. So I would not characterize that person as a Christian because I don’t think the bible would characterize them as a Christian."

I think the Bible might characterize Broussard as a person who judges others, and yet, doesn't the Bible say something about not judging.
And, by the way, if The Gays were allowed to marry we wouldn't all be having pre-marital sex. And, again by the way, the Bible lists all kinds of sins, Chris; and I'm sure you commit some of those 'sins' and still call yourself a Christian.

Frank Bruni, writing for the New York Times, on when gay folks will stop talking about famous people coming out:

"Many of us want to, and will: when a gay, lesbian or transgendered kid isn’t at special risk of being brutalized or committing suicide. When the federal government outlaws discrimination against people based on sexual orientation, which it still hasn’t done … When immigration laws give same-sex couples the same consideration that they do heterosexual ones. When the Defense of Marriage Act crumbles and our committed relationships aren’t relegated to a lesser status, a diminished dignity … When a Rutgers coach doesn’t determine that the aptly ugly garnish for hurling basketballs at his players’ heads is the slur 'faggot. When professional football scouts don’t try to ascertain that potential recruits are straight … When an athlete like Collins can be honest about himself without he and his co-author having to stress that he’s a guy’s guy, a godly man, someone who stayed mum about himself before now precisely so he wouldn’t disrupt his teams or upset his teammates, someone who’s inhabited locker rooms for 12 seasons already without incident … When a gay person’s central-casting earnestness and eloquence aren’t noted with excitement and relief, because his or her sexual orientation needn’t be accompanied by a litany of virtues and accomplishments in order for bigotry to be toppled and a negative reaction to be overcome."

One day it'll be no big deal.
One day it'll just be.

Ellen DeGeneres, on Jason Collins’ coming out:

"I applaud you Jason Collins, I applaud you. That is a very brave man. I would high-five you but I don’t think I can reach you. But when I see you, I am gonna hug your knees so hard. So, so brave. Really, you’re an incredible role model. Because of you, there’s a little boy playing basketball right now who knows that he can be who he is and play the sport that he loves. Now that little boy’s only obstacle is that he’s gonna be 5’4” and terrible at basketball. But you’ve done your part." 

As I always say, one person, any person, famous or not, coming out, makes a difference. You might not know it because it won't make the news, but every time once of us comes out, the world changes for the better.

Bryan Fischer, of the ironically named hate group American Family Association, calling Jason Collins a sexual predator:

"I will guarantee you if the ownership of whatever team is thinking about bringing him back or thinking about trading for him - and they go to the players on that team and they say 'how do you feel about an out, active homosexual being in the same locker room sharing the same shower facilities with you' they'd say 'no way. I don't want that. I don't want some guy, a teammate eyeballin' me in the shower and my wife does not want that." 

I find it funny how much time and energy people like Bryan Fischer fantasize and sermonize about gay sex. Methinks he's a little too interested in it.
And, for the record, Jason Collins was gay last year, and showering with other men, and I didn't hear any uproar about him "eyeballin" the other men. Maybe it's because he's less obsessed with gay sex than Bryan Fischer.
And, lastly, Fischer is such a troll he need not worry about any man, gay or straight, trying to eye his balls.

Martina Navratilova, openly gay tennis legend, on Jason Collins’ coming out:

“When I came out, in 1981, I didn't have much public support and I know I lost endorsements. But I never had to worry about losing my job. In tennis, there are no bosses, no general managers and no coaches who can keep players from competing. So I was safe in that regard. For team sports athletes, this is not the case. A homophobic coach at any level -- high school, college or pros -- could keep a player from playing. …Now that Jason Collins has come out, he is the proverbial "game-changer." One of the last bastions of homophobia has been challenged. How many LGBT kids, once closeted, are now more likely to pursue a team sport and won't be scared away by a straight culture? Collins has led the way to freedom. Yes, freedom -- because that closet is completely and utterly suffocating. It's only when you come out that you can breathe properly. It's only when you come out that you can be exactly who you are. Collins' action will save lives. This is no exaggeration: Fully one third of suicides among teenagers occur because of their sexuality. Collins will truly affect lives, too. Millions of kids will see that it is OK to be gay. No need for shame, no need for embarrassment, no need for hiding."

She's right: it was easier for her to come out, even 30 years ago, because she wasn't part of a team, and there wasn't that stigma of 'What will the team do?'
And she's also right that, while she lost endorsements, the tide is changing and companies will realize that a gay player is just as "ad worthy" as a straight player.

Andy Roddick, tennis star, and longtime crush, on becoming an LGBT Athlete Ally:
"Yesterday was an incredible day for athletes everywhere. Jason Collin’s courage and leadership in coming out reminds me of how important it is for an athlete to be able to be true to him or herself. As an Athlete Ally, I want to support every athlete to feel comfortable and confident being themselves and to make sure that all people - players and fans alike – are welcome and included in tennis.”

All I got is: he's hot.
And an LGBT ally, which makes him even hotter.

President Barack Obama, on Jason Collins' coming out: 
"I had a chance to talk to him yesterday. He seems like a terrific young man. I told him I couldn't be prouder. One of the extraordinary measures of progress that we've seen in this country has been the recognition that the LGBT community deserves full equality, not just partial equality, not just tolerance, but a recognition that they're fully part of the American family. And given the importance of sports in our society, for an individual who's excelled at the highest levels in one of the major sports to say, 'This is who I am, I'm proud of it. I'm still a great competitor. I'm still 7 foot tall and can bang with Shaq and deliver a hard foul.' And you know, for, I think, a lot of young people out there who are gay or lesbian who are struggling with these issues, to see a role model like that who is unafraid, I think this is a great thing. And I think Americans should be proud that this is just one more step in this ongoing recognition that we treat everybody fairly and everybody's part of a family and we judge people on the basis of their character and their performance and not their sexual orientation. I'm very proud of him."

It was a great and brave thing to do.
Being the first at anything is hard, but someone had to do it.
Thanks Jason.

Judy and Dennis Shepard, on the story that Jason Collins chose #98 to wear in honor of Matthew Shepard [it's the year Matthew died]:

“(Collins) couldn’t have been that old (when it happened), so it must have had a tremendous impact on him, the story behind Matt, for him to want to do that. And then to wear it all this time without telling people why until today, that’s incredible.”

We all take our steps towards coming out, and Collins choosing that number was a way to remind himself that his journey toward being out was on its way.