Gary Glenn's Anti-Gay Agenda

Let me get this queer: in Indiana, the GOP-controlled House and Senate, along with the GOP governor, Mike Pence, have decided that religious “freedom” means telling The Gays you don’t want their business. Sick, that, but in Michigan one GOP State Representative, Gary Glenn, doesn’t even want a gay man to get a new job.

See, Glenn has issued an "Agenda Alert" all over social media in response to news that his hometown newspaper, Midland Daily News, has :::gasp::: appointed Tony Lascari, an openly gay man, to the position of news editor.

Most folks think, and I tend to agree, that Glenn’s use of the phrase “Agenda Alert” is in direct reference to a supposed “Homosexual Agenda” that, except for the idea of full equality under the law, doesn’t really exist. But Glenn insists that the community has a right to hold the newspaper accountable and to question anything that could influence how they "represent our community's values" because, you know, the values of The Gays are in direct contradiction to the values of Glenn and his ick, er, ilk:

"I posted the paper's own report — without comment or criticism — except to alert readers to the reasonably observed possibility that this new position might be used to promote a political agenda or bias that's at odds with our community's values." — Gary Glenn

Tony Lascari, for his part, has said he has not been contacted by Glenn, though he’s seen Glenn’s “alert” on social media:

"I am aware that Michigan Rep. Glenn has issued an 'agenda alert' on Facebook and Twitter to let his supporters know about my marital status. I welcome him to contact me to speak about any topic at any time. In my new role as news editor at the Midland Daily News I look forward to helping my team produce quality stories that are accurate, interesting and important."

Isn’t it funny … though, really, it’s not … that the gay man wants to sit and talk to the bigot, but the bigot just wants the gay man not to have that job? But Gary Glenn, who believes that Tony Lascari might turn the paper gay, issued this Tweet:

The sad/funny/stupid thing is that if you follow that link, it takes you back to the Midlands Daily News article announcing Lascari’s appointment, along with all of his qualifications for the job and, there, right there near the very end of the piece, you learn that Tony Lascari lives in Midland with his husband Mark, and there you have the ALLEGED agenda.

Glenn likes to point out that in 2004, Midland County "voted overwhelmingly in favor" of the statewide proposal amending the Michigan Constitution to define marriage as between "one man and one woman" only and so the idea that a gay man, a gay married man, be allowed to have a job in that county is, well, it’s just too much. And because of that, Glenn says, he can question how the sexual orientation of a newspaper editor relates to the community's values.

"When it comes to holding people in positions of public influence accountable, the more public awareness, the better," he said.

Tony Lascari, however, published a column in the Midland Daily News, in response to Gary Glenn:

“As a professional news reporter, I have always worked to keep my articles balanced and accurate as I report on people in our community, no matter their views. I respect people’s right to hold their beliefs and to share them as they see fit. If Glenn wants to post alerts about me, that’s fine. But, I don’t see why having a political science major and a husband are an issue. No one else in Midland has ever brought up my marriage as a concern to me. Nearly 200 of our friends, family and coworkers joined me and Mark at our reception at a Midland hotel, with a cake from a Midland bakery and flowers from a Midland florist. I live a pretty average life in this community, and have for 10 years. I work hard and am involved in the community, as is the Midland tradition. I don’t think my marriage is worthy of an ‘Agenda Alert.’”

And let’s look again and see who really has The Agenda:

Gary Glenn is a Republican, and we know that most of the GOP is not at all gay-friendly, or marriage equality friendly.

Gary Glenn also serves as president of the American Family Association of Michigan; the AFA is a conservative religious organization that opposes the so-called "homosexual agenda."

Gary Glenn is also one of two co-authors of Michigan's Marriage Protection Amendment, which in 2004 enshrined a ban on same-sex marriage in the state's constitution.

Gary Glenn frequently voices his opposition to same-sex marriage and has stood against attempts to add sexual orientation and gender identity to protected classes in anti-discrimination laws and policies across the state.

It doesn’t seem like Tony Lascari has an agenda, unless it’s to be a good newspaper editor, while Gary Glenn seems to work overtime being a bigot and a homophobe … with a Hate Agenda.

Consider yourselves alerted.

story/photo: mLive
also: Lascari: My Marriage is a Non-issue in Midland

Random Musings

Last weekend we had a houseguest, and you know what they say about houseguests …

He’s a friend of ours that I met when I met Carlos at the beginning of the century. He’s funny, smart, and a bit of a perv. I love when he wants to talk politics and architecture and history, but then he suddenly veers into a conversation of dick size, and wouldn’t you f**k him, and, well, it’s all a little much. But, he came bearing gifts, or so he said, so I thought it might be a nice weekend. He came out of his room carrying an object and said it was for Carlos.

To me, it looked like a flashlight, and since Carlos has issues with his night vision, that’s what I thought. But Carlos was twisting off the top and when it came off, I thought I saw a lens on the top; flashlight. Oh wait, there’s a slit in the ‘lens’ and, yes, not a flashlight, but a Fleshlight; a toy some men use to, um, choke their chicken, spank their monkey, audition their hand puppet, clean their rifle … you get the idea.

Anyway, not the kind of ‘gift’ you’d expect from a sixty-six-year-old retired attorney from New York City who sounds more than a little like Beverly Leslie from Will and Grace.

But the best part? After the houseguest left, Carlos and I were talking about the gift and Carlos said … “At first I thought it was a martini shaker.” And that was no euphemism for the Five Knuckle Shuffle. And then he says, “When the lid came off I thought it was a bathroom deodorizer.”

Oy, Carlo. You gotta love him. I know I do.

I remember a couple of years ago when word came out that Target was supporting an anti-LGBT candidate for political office in Minnesota. I, and many of my gay brethren, opted to voice our dismay by boycotting Target—not hard for me since I’d been in Target maybe a  handful of times in my life, but still…

And the rightwingnut Christians thought the boycott was cruel and mean and began calling the LGBT community ‘homofascists’ who boycott any and all groups who don’t agree with us.

Cut to last month when Target came out in support of marriage equality in Wisconsin and what happened? Those same rightwingnut Christians began calling for a Target Boycott since the retailer didn’t agree with their agenda.

F**king hypocrites.

In TV Hot Guys News, I’ve become kind of addicted to the new USA show, You’re The Worst, about a couple of toxic people who fall in love and their toxicity doubles.

 It’s irreverent humor — which I love — and features Brit Chris Geere — with a delicious accent which I love — and his best friend played by Desmin Borges, who is almost always in his underwear — which I also love.

Just sayin’.

The folks in Michigan have gone crazy, y’all. How else do we explain how Gary Glenn, the president of the American Family Association of Michigan, won the GOP primary for a seat in the Michigan state House?

Glenn supports  Michigan’s 2004 constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage; he backed loon,  and “very special friend”, Mike Huckabee’s failed 2008 presidential bid; he wants to recriminalize homosexuality; he warns companies not to hire The Gays; he wants schools to ban Gay Straight Alliances because  they promote “homosexual propaganda” and “risky behavior”; he was a plaintiff in a lawsuit to stop the 2009 Federal Hate Crimes law because he said, falsely, obviously, it would criminalize the Bible.

WTF Michigan? You don’t wanna move ahead?

Last week we talked about Mary’s Gourmet Diner, the restaurant in North Carolina where the owner gave discounts to people who openly prayed before each meal because she thought it showed what good Christians they are.

Not so much anymore. Elizabeth Cavell, staff attorney at the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the largest national association of freethinkers, or people of no religious beliefs, began receiving complaints about the discount and sent a letter to diner owner, Mary Haglund, asking her to stop offering the discount.

“As a place of ‘public accommodation,’ it is illegal for Mary’s Gourmet Diner to discriminate, or show favoritism, on the basis of religion. Your restaurant’s restrictive promotional practice favors religious customers, and denies customers who do not pray and nonbelievers the right to ‘full and equal’ enjoyment of Mary’s Gourmet Diner.”

The next day a note was posted to the door at Mary’s announcing they would no longer offer the prayer discount:

“While you may exercise your right of religious freedom at this restaurant by praying over your meal to any entity or non-entity. We must protect your freedom from religion in a public place.”

Good.

In other TV news, the amazing Patti LaBelle is said to be joining the cast of American Horror Story: Freak Show this fall.

LaBelle will be playing Gabourey Sidibe’s mother in this next arc of the show, set in 1950s Jupiter, Florida, where it will focus on a series of mysterious murders centered around one of the few remaining side-show attractions in the country.

LaBelle’s character will delve into the truth about the “secrets of Twisty the clown killer.”

Twisty the clown killer? I am so in!

Hell hath no fury like a homophobe whose wife left him for another woman.

Jonathan Saenz, a virulently anti-gay activist and President of conservative group Texas Values, was divorced in August 2011 and court records show that his wife left him for another woman just months before he joined that hate group.

I guess when your wife leaves you for a woman, your only option is to run out and join an anti-gay group?

I watched a news report on Robin Williams' suicide the other night, and they were "reporting" on how many people felt that the press conference following Williams' death was so bad, so inappropriate and so full of salacious information.

After that snippet, the news channel began speculating on Williams' marriage, his finances, and whether or not he was sober in his last few days.

Pot.Kettle.STFU.

But ... if you want to read an amazing blog post on depression, what it can feel like, and how one person copes with it as best they can, go to A Heritage of Humor - Stories from my Kitchen to read Joe's account of depression.

It brilliant.