“North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson again made disparaging remarks about LGBTQ+ people, this time at a Winston-Salem church, according to a video of the sermon made on Sunday,” the Raleigh News and Observer reports.
“Robinson, a Republican who is expected to run for governor in 2024, questioned the ‘purpose’ of being gay; said heterosexual couples are ‘superior’ to gay couples; and that he didn’t want to explain to his grandchildren why two men are kissing if they see that on television.”
A Navy ship named for slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk, who served four years in the Navy before being forced out, was christened and launched in San Diego Bay on Saturday, the AP reports.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin again attacked Western liberalism in a fiery address on Thursday, blasting so-called cancel culture and advances in gay and transgender rights,” the Washington Post reports.
He also said the notion that children are “taught that a boy can become a girl and vice versa” is monstrous and “on the verge of a crime against humanity.”
He also suggested that transgender rights supporters were demanding an end to “basic things such as mother, father, family or gender differences.”
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) “has doubled down after his comments calling transgenderism and homosexuality ‘filth’ drew widespread rebukes and calls for him to resign,” the Fayetteville Observer reports.
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) said that Christians must take control of public schools because children are being abused by being taught “filth.”
Said Robinson: “There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth.”
He added: “And yes I called it filth. And if you don’t like that I called it filth, come see me and I’ll explain it to you.”
“I love my sister very much and am so proud of her. It took a ton of courage to admit that she was wrong back in 2013 when she opposed marriage equality. That is something few politicians would ever do. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the strength of character she continues to show on a daily basis.”
— Mary Cheney, writing on Facebook about her sister, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY).
“In interviews with Republican operatives, former Trump administration officials, and conservative leaders, there is a widespread acceptance that debate over marriage equality is settled,” Politico reports.
“But on transgender rights issues in particular, fierce opposition within GOP ranks persists. The Trump-era Education Department eliminated guidance that sought to extend protections around the treatment of transgender students. And Trump himself issued an executive order, via tweet, prohibiting transgender individuals from serving in the military — a move later overturned by President Joe Biden.”
Said one Trump adviser: “I think even with Christians the gay issue, that ship has sailed. But the trans issue is different.”
“The Supreme Court on Friday turned away a challenge from a Washington State florist who declined to create an arrangement for a same-sex wedding, the latest development in a long running dispute over LGBTQ rights,” USA Today reports.
“The court refused to hear the case without comment, as is its usual practice. Three conservative associate justices, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, said they would have taken the case. The high court’s decision not to take the case leaves in place a Washington State Supreme Court ruling against the florist.”
“California has banned state-funded travel to five more states because of laws that discriminate against the LGBTQ community, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Monday, bringing the total number of banned states to 17,” Axios reports.
“California employees are now unable to pursue state-funded travel to Florida, North Dakota, Montana, West Virginia and Arkansas.”
Washington Post: “Friday’s warm presidential embrace of the LGBTQ community was remarkable for not being all that remarkable because of how much and how quickly the country and the Democratic Party have changed. Public opinion among Democrats is overwhelmingly supportive of LGBTQ rights, and Biden talks so frequently on the subject that it’s become routine, another agenda item he ticks off in his public remarks.”
Associated Press: “The U.S. Education Department on Wednesday expanded its interpretation of federal sex protections to include transgender and gay students, a move that reverses Trump-era policy and stands against proposals in many states to bar transgender girls from school sports.”
Popular Information: “This month, corporations are plastering their social media avatars with rainbows, sponsoring Pride parades, and declaring their unwavering commitment to the LGBTQ community. Many of these companies, however, are spending millions supporting the campaigns of anti-gay politicians at the federal and state level.”
“A Popular Information investigation found that 25 major corporations have spent more than $10 million since 2019 supporting members of Congress with a zero rating on the latest Congressional scorecard produced by the Human Rights Campaign, the most prominent LGBTQ rights organization in the United States. These same corporations have also donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to state legislators who have sponsored anti-trans legislation this year.”
Gallup: “U.S. support for legal same-sex marriage continues to trend upward, now at 70% — a new high in Gallup’s trend since 1996. This latest figure marks an increase of 10 percentage points since 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all states must recognize same-sex marriages.”
A new PRRI poll finds a majority of Americans within all partisan groups, including Republicans, now support same-sex marriage.
The Vatican decreed Monday that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions since God “cannot bless sin,” the AP reports.
A new PRRI poll finds 70% of Americans stating that they are in favor of allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally.
“Pope Francis, in a new documentary, has called for the creation of civil union laws for same-sex couples, in what amounts to his clearest support to date for the issue,” the Washington Post reports.
“Priests in some parts of the world bless same-sex marriage, but that stance — and Francis’s new remarks — are a departure from official church teaching.”
“A small universe of Republican Party activists will drive through the parking lot of a central Virginia church on Saturday to decide the fate of Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA),” Politico reports.
“A one-term congressman with a libertarian streak, Riggleman has found himself locked in a fierce intraparty battle after he enraged local officials in his district by officiating a same-sex marriage last year. His reelection prospects are further hampered by Virginia’s insular election system, which allows a paltry number of GOP delegates to choose the nominee at a convention.”
☑️ Life in the Middle: Marginalized Moderate Senators In the Era of Polarization is available on Amazon. It takes a deep dive into the power of moderates and why we see them behave so precariously.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
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