Muslims Leaders Say Yes to Love

In an unprecedented outpouring of solidarity with the LGBTQ community, Muslim civil rights and religious leaders lined up to extend the Islamic tradition of love and compassion to victims and their families after the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history left at least 49 people dead and more than 50 injured at an Orlando, Fla., LGBTQ nightclub.  

LGBTQ Muslims are especially affected by the shooting, living at the intersections of their LGBTQ identities and religion. And they have been providing voices of reason and love in the wake of the massacre. In a statement released Sunday, Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity (MASGD), a national organization working to support, empower and connect LGBTQ Muslims, appealed for solidarity and for peace-loving people to resist Islamophobia and anti-LGBTQ bigotry.

The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) also released a statement urging “our community and allies to refrain from rhetoric that lays responsibility on any one community. The acts of an individual are not representatives of any one ethnicity, race or faith.”

Brenda Abdelall, director at the Muslim Advocates, joined HRC at a press conference on Sunday. “We stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community. Your grief is our grief,” she said. “Your outrage is our outrage. We are one family together.”

MASGD is devastated by the massacre at “Latin Night” at the Pulse gay nightclub… Full statement: t.co/WQrSX40kku #PulseNightclub

— TheMASGD (@TheMASGD) June 12, 2016

.@NQAPIA: “We are proud to be both queer and Muslim, and cherish both of our communities.” #OrlandoUnited t.co/YlAhramteu

— NCAPA (@NCAPAtweets) June 13, 2016

Violance against LGBTQI is un – Islamic. Please share our press release t.co/M1HVSPWe7s t.co/P3VDg5jQvR

— MPV (@mpvusa) June 13, 2016

American Muslim leaders have also emerged as among the strongest supporters of the LGBTQ community during these difficult times. National Muslim organizations including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Islamic Society of North America, Muslim Advocates, American Islamic Congress, Muslim Students Association of US & Canada, the Mosque Foundation and the The Fiqh Council of North America have been repudiating violence against the LGBTQ community.

“For many years, members of the LGBTQIA community have stood shoulder to shoulder with the Muslim community against any acts of hate crimes, islamophobia, marginalization, and discrimination,” said Nihad Awad, Executive Director of CAIR. “Today, we stand with them shoulder to shoulder. The liberation of the American-Muslim community is profoundly linked to the liberation of other minority groups–Blacks, Latinos, gay, Jewish, trans, and every other community that has faced discrimination and oppression in this country.”

Meanwhile, Muslim clerics have turned to Twitter to condemn the attack, and offering prayers and support to the Orlando victims and their families.

On behalf of American Muslims, I want to express our outrage and shock of the mass shooting in DT Orlando, FL…. t.co/nxR1j9pVKc

— Imam Muhammad Musri (@ImamMMusri) June 12, 2016

My thoughts and prayers are with you all. #OrlandoShooting pic.twitter.com/VExFMVRfGY

— Khalid Latif (@KLatif) June 12, 2016

In addition to condemning the Orlando shooting on social media, CAIR appealed to American Muslims to donate blood for victims of the attack.

“We’ve organized a blood drive, organized an online fund drive to raise funds for the victims,” said Hassan Shibley, the chief executive director of CAIR Florida. “We’re also coalition-building to unite the community and send a very clear message that we, regardless of your race, religion or sexual orientation, will stand united as Americans and as human beings.”

Muslim community, @CAIRFlorida condemn #Orlando attack, calls for blood donations t.co/iFlSIJRSOl via @CAIRFlorida @CAIRenEspanol

— CAIR Florida (@CAIRFlorida) June 12, 2016

​In this tragic time when others are responding with hatred and divisiveness, it is critical that we amplify these powerful voices of love and unity.

To learn more, please visit www.hrc.org/muslim.

www.hrc.org/blog/muslims-leaders-say-yes-to-love?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

PHOTOS: Birmingham Prays for Orlando

www.advocate.com/crime/2016/6/14/photos-birmingham-prays-orlando

Tennessee Republican Giving Away AR-15 Assault Rifles as Prizes

Rep. Andy Holt refuses to change the prizes set for his “HogFest” fundraiser.

www.advocate.com/politics/2016/6/14/tennessee-republican-giving-away-ar-15-assault-rifles-prizes

Here Are The Victims Of The Orlando Shooting At Pulse Nightclub

In the early morning of June 12, 2016, the deadliest mass shooting in America took the lives of at least 50 people. These people are not a statistic or a number. We will not let them be nameless or faceless numbers. They are our partners, friends, our family, our allies. That is why we have created a special In Memoriam page listing each person along with their photo.

Please visit the page. Add your memories and reflections. And if you know of a victim who is missing from this list (or if we are missing their picture), write to holla AT queerty DOT com and we’ll add them.

Visit the In Memoriam page.

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If Only There Was Something We Could Do About Mass Shootings. Oh Wait, Sam Bee Gets It.

If you haven’t been watching Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, you’re missing out on the closest thing to Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show currently on the air (no disrespect to Trevor Noah and John Oliver, who are both excellent at what they do).

On her most recent episode, Sam had a few things to say about America’s gun laws.

It’s embarrassing how often we are forced into having this debate, and unconscionable that nothing ever seems to be done about it.

Watch below: 

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Georgia Judge Denies Transgender Man’s ‘Dangerous’ Name-Change Petition

A transgender Georgia man’s petition to change his name to reflect his gender identity was denied because it might offend the “sensibilities and mores” of other state residents.

Augusta resident Rowan Feldhaus filed a name change petition in the Superior Court of Columbia County in July 2015. He provided all necessary documentation at a hearing in February, including an affidavit from his therapist confirming he is transgender and that changing his name would be an important part of his treatment.

However, Georgia Voice reports that Superior Court Judge J. David Roper (right) denied the request unless Feldhaus chose a middle name other than Elijah because it is not gender-neutral and he doesn’t “approve of changing names from male to female – male names to obvious female names, and vice versa.”

Roper also said it could be “dangerous” for people not to know someone’s gender by someone’s name. Feldhaus refused to choose a gender-neutral name. Roper denied Feldhaus’ petition in March because of “this court’s policy” of denying names that are not indicative of a gender. Roper added that Feldhaus’ name might offend the “sensibilities and mores of a substantial portion of the citizens of this state.” It has also been alleged that Roper said “I know who Elijah is – one of the greatest men who ever lived,” referring to the Christian prophet.

RELATED: Georgia Transgender Teen Elected to School’s Homecoming Court

Last Thursday, Lambda Legal filed a brief in the Georgia Court of Appeals on behalf of Feldhaus, arguing that the court abused its discretion and that the decision was arbitrary and based on insufficient reasons. The brief also argues that the petition denial was unlawful discrimination based on sex and a violation of Feldhaus’ First Amendment right to freedom of expression.

A note to the press: do NOT deadname people. It is NOT necessary to your story.

His name is Rowan Elijah Feldhaus#RowansRights #transguy

— Clair Ellen Burrell (@ClairBurrell) June 10, 2016

Feldhaus said he “felt insulted and objectified to be told by the court that I would not be able to have the name that my family, my friends, and my co-workers all call me, based on sexist opinions about ‘appropriate’ names.” He added, “It can be a scary situation when I show up for work or the first day of class and my legal name does not match my public presentation and my gender identity. I just want to change my name so that it reflects who I am.”

Beth Littrell, senior attorney in Lambda Legal’s Southern Regional Office in Atlanta, said:

“For many transgender people, going to the court to change their legal name is an important first step towards aligning their legal documents with their gender identity.

“There are only a few exceptions that allow a court to deny someone the right to change their name. Being transgender is not one of those exceptions. Changing your name is time-consuming and costly and should not be denied based on sexist notions or transgender bias.”

You can read the Lambda Legal petition in full here.

(Feldhaus image via Twitter. Roper image via Augusta.gov)

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Conservative Blogger Jim Hoft Comes Out After Orlando Attack, Tells Gays to ‘Come Home’ to the GOP

Ultra-conservative blogger Jim Hoft, a man whom progressive media watchdog Media Matters has called “the Dumbest Man on the Internet” came out of the closet Monday, a day after the Orlando massacre, and invited fellow gays to “come home” to the Republican Party and elect Donald Trump as president: “There is only one man who can lead this nation and protect all gays and all Americans. His name is Donald Trump,” he wrote. “In 2016 only one candidate will protect gays from another Islamist attack.”

Hoft is the owner of The Gateway Pundit, a prominent right-wing, anti-Obama political blog, known for committing gaffes here and there. (Hoft also proudly announced on his blog that a group called LGBT Phoenix had endorsed Donald Trump on Twitter, but the Twitter account turned out to be fake.)

True to form, he went after President Obama, saying that he had lost it:

After the deadliest Islamist attack on American soil since 9-11 Barack Obama blamed hatred and guns. His inability to called the attack what it is – Islamic jihad – has progressed from denial to psychosis. It’s never been more apparent than Sunday, when Barack was comparing the Pulse club attack to a movie theater shooting by a schizophrenic, that our poor president has lost his own grasp of reality.

He also insulted some “leftwing gay activists” who posted “ridiculous and ignorant remarks” about the attack, namely CNN commentator Sally Kohn, who “blamed all religions”  and blogger Perez Hilton who blamed the NRA.

Hoft wrote that he came out to his family and friends in the 1980’s during the AIDS epidemic, a “scary time to be gay.” But he never felt the need to come out publicly: “Like most gay Americans, I don’t wear my sexuality on my sleeve. I go about my daily business.”

After this week’s attack he felt compelled to come out publicly.

I’ve been a conservative activist for years. But today I’m coming out as a conservative gay activist. In the past few years I’ve built one of the most prominent conservative websites in America. I created The Gateway Pundit because I wanted to speak the truth. I wanted to expose the wickedness of the left. I was raised to love my country. Today I serve my country by defending her from the socialist onslaught. But last night at least 49 gays were slaughtered at an Orlando club.

Despite this obvious Islamic attack, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are still in denial. I can no longer remain silent as my gay brothers and sisters are being slaughtered at dance clubs… I pray that gays will come back home to the Republican Party – no more death. Dear God, please no more death.

Hours after Hoft posted his coming out piece on both The Gateway Pundit and on the equally conservative political blog Breitbart News Network, it was time for the Charles Johnson, founder of Little Green Footballs, another political blog to start the fact-checking process:

The idea that gays should “come home” to the Republican Party is so delusional it beggars description; this is the party whose presidential candidates openly endorse a far right pastor who thinks gays should be executed, a party that works ceaselessly to deny basic rights to LGBT people, a party that has tried for years to pass amendments to the US Constitution that would permanently ban gay marriage, etc., etc. The list of Republican anti-gay positions is practically endless.

For Hoft to say he “tries not to harm anyone” and wants to “speak the truth,” well — wow. Again, this is the guy who for years has been propagating every fake and/or dishonest right wing conspiracy theory that bubbles out of the fever swamp, a guy who spread a completely phony story that the cop who shot Michael Brown in Ferguson had suffered major injuries after being attacked by Brown and used a crudely altered version of a CT scan to do it, a guy who often cites white supremacist websites and has even plagiarized them for his crummy right wing blog, a guy who often refers to black protesters with dehumanizing terms like “roaches.”

Right wing plot twist! After Years of Ugly Anti-Gay Rhetoric, Blogger Jim Hoft (@gatewaypundit) Announces He’s Gay t.co/Jrgm8Im13C

— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) June 13, 2016

Johnson wraps it up with a comment from a Breitbart reader, who was not exactly thrilled to find out that right-wing author Hoft is (surprise!) one of the gays.

You “pray”, yet call God a liar by trying to justify your homosexuality. God is very clear that homosexuality is an ACTION and an abomination in His sight. So according to God, there is no “gay”. Only a sinful act that He hates. As for me, the tragedy of it all is the 49 people who woke up in Hell yesterday because they knew not the Lord.

Photo: Facebook.

The post Conservative Blogger Jim Hoft Comes Out After Orlando Attack, Tells Gays to ‘Come Home’ to the GOP appeared first on Towleroad.

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Target Doesn’t Care What Hate Group American Family Association Thinks: VIDEO

Hate group the American Family Association (AFA) is livid that Target representatives failed to respond as they would have wished to concerns about the retailer’s trans-inclusive bathroom policy.

In April, Target announced that it would “welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.” Last month, Faith2Action, a “pro-active launching pad for the pro-family movement,” announced a protest called “Don’t Target Our Daughters Day” with a truly awful Christian music video. The AFA aimed to prove their theory that Target was inviting sexual predators by sending men into the store’s women’s facilities.

At a Target shareholders meeting last week, AFA said their attempts to “share the group’s concerns” were snubbed.

OneNewsNow reports:

“AFA’s Abraham Hamilton III went to today’s Target shareholders meeting in Southern California to raise concerns again about the company’s policy allowing transgenders to use the bathroom or changing room of the gender in which they say they identify. AFA’s concern has been that sexual predators may take advantage of the policy, thereby putting women and children at risk.

“It’s amazing. The response really was We don’t care what you have to say. We don’t care what the American Family Association represents. We don’t care what those people who signed your petition represent. We are committed to the complete overhaul of American society as it pertains to sex,” says Hamilton. “That literally is their response.”

Hamilton said that because Target is unwilling to change its policy, the AFA boycott will continue. “Father’s Day is right around the corner,” he said, adding, “so we plan to increase and expand our boycott effort because Target has put us in an unenviable position by saying, ‘We don’t care what you think’ — so we’re going to have to make them care what we think.”

RELATED: Bible-Bearing Christian Mom Goes on Anti-LGBT Tirade at Target: ‘Are You Gonna Let the Devil Rape Your Children?’

Last month, Target announced it had been monitoring sales and customer behavior closely and had not detected any impact on sales as a result of its new trans-inclusive policy.

Have a look at the Faith2Action video below (“No matter how loud its shouted, sin is not a civil right / and calling evil good will never make it right” – catchy!).

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