Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Meet Gambian President Jammeh, the Human Rights Violator Next Door

This week, HRC ran a full-page advertisement in the local Potomac, MD newspaper The Gazette highlighting the horrific anti-LGBT human rights abuses of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. Jammeh owns a home in the suburban community that is reported to be worth $3.5 million. 

“The citizens of Potomac should know that an individual with a truly horrific anti-LGBT human rights record lives just a few doors down from them,” said Ty Cobb, Director of HRC Global. “Those who target LGBT people, throw them in prison, and subject them to torture should not be welcome in our towns, our neighborhoods, or our country. We hope that this ad raises awareness about President Jammeh and the state of human rights in The Gambia.”

In November, HRC condemned the passage of draconian new anti-LGBT legislation that could lead to life in prison for LGBT people in The Gambia. Immediately after signing this into law, Jammeh’s security forces began detaining those they suspected of being LGBT, and torturing them to provide “names” of others. Three LGBT people now await trial for “committing unnatural offenses,” while others have fled.

In December 2014, HRC presented a petition with over 18,000 signatures to the White House, calling on the Obama Administration to take action against President Jammeh, in December 2014. HRC’s call was accompanied by a videohighlighting the abuses of President Jammeh and his anti-LGBT rhetoric. 

Later that month, the White House announced that it had suspended The Gambia’s eligibility for trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA). A White House spokesperson confirmed to BuzzFeed News the connection between that suspension and the human rights situation in The Gambia.

“The United States must send a message to all Gambians -- and others around the world -- that it does not support the human rights abuses being committed by President Yahya Jammeh’s regime,” said Ty Cobb, Director of HRC Global. "The U.S. government can send this critical messages by immediately implementing visa bans on Gambian officials involved in these abuses, and investigating whether the Department of Justice has legal authority to freeze their assets in the United States.”

In January, HRC joined 13 other human rights groups in urging the Obama Administration to take additional action against Gambian leaders following the regime’s ongoing crackdown and persecution of LGBT citizens, and called on it to demand that the Gambian government provide more information about the health and safety of individuals who have been detained on the basis of their sexual orientation.The letter also called on the U.S. government to to bar President Jammeh and his associates from entry to the U.S.; and to consider freezing his assets currently held in the U.S.

Nonetheless, President Jammeh continues to act with impunity, imprisoning an unknown number of LGBT people without charge, while spreading fear throughout his country. He appears to be following up on his declaration last year that “we will fight these vermins called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes, if not more aggressively.”

HRC PUBLISHES 114TH CONGRESS ANTI-GAY 'FACES OF INEQUALITY'

The Human Rights Campaign has published a listing of six of the 114th Congress’s most ardently anti-LGBT members. The six Republicans featured in the “Faces of Inequality” hail from a wide range of different professional backgrounds, but their track records regarding gay marriage, ENDA, and anti-bullying legislation are all exactly what you would expect:

• Jody Hice (R-GA): compared marriage equality to bestiality and incest, and said “The concept of ‘love’ is not the issue when it comes to marriage!”
  
• Glenn Grothman (R-WI): promised to be “an outspoken” opponent of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) because it gives “preferences” to LGBT employees.
  
• Tom Emmer (R-MN): said he would not sign anti-bullying legislation to promote safe schools because “I don’t want the government doing that for us.”
  
• Cresent Hardy (R-NV): was one of only 13 lawmakers who voted against Nevada’s bill banning housing and job discrimination against transgender people.
  
• Mike Bost (R-IL): opposed any form of relationship recognition for same-sex couples, saying, “I didn’t vote for civil unions and I won’t be voting for gay marriages.”
  
• Thom Tillis (R-NC): has continued his fight against marriage equality in North Carolina, hiring a rabidly anti-LGBT activist attorney from the fanatical anti-equality National Organization for Marriage.

Check out the full list here.

Kid Rock Calls Rap-Rock 'Gay,' Says He's Not Looking Forward to Marrying Gay Couples As An Ordained Minister

As far as rock stars go Robert James Ritchie, better known as Kid Rock, has never come off as being the most tolerant when it comes to members of the gay community, but he’s also never really been an explicit homophobe.

Rock showed off that trademark, middle of the road thinking in a recent interview with the Guardian in which he admits that while he’s down with the idea of gays being able to marry, actually officiating a gay wedding would give him pause. Later on in the interview, however, Rock regrettably goes on to describe the the current state of rap-rock music as “gay.”

“Rap-rock was what people wanted at the time, and they still love those songs at shows,” he said of the genre that made him famous. “But it turned into a lot of bullshit and it turned out to be pretty gay. If someone says you can’t say “gay” like that you tell them to go fuck themselves. You’re not going to get anything politically correct out of me.”

Unsurprisingly, this isn't a first for Rock. Back in 2009 when asked if he was using Twitter, the self-described “redneck” rocker pejoratively called the social network gay. Three years later, however, Rock appeared in a public service announcement alongside Sean Penn that hinted at his actual support for same-sex marriage.

Though Rock identifies as a Republican, he made no qualms about expressing his discontent with the party in a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone in which he reaffirmed his ideological support of same-sex marriage and suggested that he’d consider voting for Hillary in 2016.

CBS Films Looking Into Removal Of Gay References From U.S. DVD Cover of 'Pride'

The first image above is the original promotional artwork for Pride — the critically acclaimed 2014 film about gay activists who supported a bitter strike by British coal miners in the 1980s. 

The second image is the back cover of the Pride DVD released in the US on Dec. 23. 

Can you spot the difference? 

That's right, the banner in the background saying "Lesbians & Gays Support The Miners" has been removed.

 

Additionally, in the description of the film that appears on the back cover, the "London-based group of gay and lesbian activists" have been changed to just "a group of London-based activists," according to Pink News. 

The Hollywood Reporter has more: 

Ironically, those changes invert the plot of the film: Initially, the Welsh miners are more comfortable with the LGBT community’s monetary support than with its open sexual identity, but the miners ultimately become comfortable with their new supporters. Several characters come out during the course of the movie. 

The film won several prizes at the British Independent Film Awards last month: the best British independent film award, along with best supporting actor and actress prizes for its stars Andrew Scott and Imelda Staunton, respectively. 

Representatives for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, which released the disc in the U.S., and CBS Films, which acquired U.S. rights, did not respond to requests for comment.

CBS Films said on Twitter on Saturday afternoon that it's looking into the matter:

@pinknews we're looking into this now and our page for the film remains the same as it has for months: http://t.co/4q7JwtCJ5y
— CBS Films (@CBSFilms) January 3, 2015

Anti-gay hate group planning something big and especially homophobic for 2015

Tim Wildmon of AFA

"Early next year, AFA will launch a new project unlike any other in the pro-family movement. It’s been almost a year in the making and we’re just about ready to release it.

Because atheists and homosexual activists will go all out to attack AFA and this revolutionary new tool for Christians and their families, I can’t go into much detail right now. But…I can tell you that we have put an enormous amount of work and financial resources behind it."

I got an email asking for money from the anti-gay American Family Association and its president, Tim Wildmon, earlier this week. Included in the ask was the above statement. Apparently AFA has big plans for 2015 and those plans will involve attempting to make life for the lgbt community all sorts of hell.

No matter. I've a couple of plans myself. And knowing the American Family Association and its reluctance to put a kibosh on the mouth of its most visible member, Bryan Fischer, I'm willing to wager that my plans will succeed and theirs will fail.

ANTI-GAY BIGOT TED CRUZ RECEIVES DISHONORABLE 2014 AWARDS FROM THE ADVOCATE, PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY

Ted Cruz is undoubtedly making Papa proud. 

The anti-gay Texas tea party senator, whose bigotry at times seems matched only by his father Rafael's, has managed to capture both The Advocate's Phobie Of The Year Award and People For The American Way's Equine Posterior Achievement Award for 2014. 

The Advocate, which previously named Russian President Vladimir Putin its Person Of The Year, says it tapped Cruz for the Phobie honor based on his introduction of the State Marriage Defense Act, also known as "DOMA 2.0," in February: 

Now if a same-sex couple gets married in New York, for example, and then moves or visits Cruz's home state of Texas, the federal government continues to recognize their marriage as legal. But Cruz says those couples should only be considered married when within the borders of a state that recognizes marriage equality.  

As you might expect, the Tea Party favorite has blamed federal marriage recognition on President Obama and "an out-of-control administration" that is "trying to force gay marriage on all 50 states." 

...  

Cruz took his idea even further in October, after the Supreme Court refused to overturn lower court rulings favoring marriage equality, and he promised to introduce an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would bar courts or the federal government from ever overturning a marriage law made at the state level. 

Other 2014 Phobie Awards went to Gambian president Yahya Jammeh, televangelist Pat Robertson, reality TV stars Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, Texas Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert, U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman, Phil Robertson of "Duck Dynasty," Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Florida Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi, Colorado Republican State Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt, Republican National Committee member Dave Agema, Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, radio commentator Linda Harvey and the Minnesota Child Protection League. 

Right Wing Watch reports that Cruz captured the Equine Posterior award for the second consecutive year by a 21-point margin in a poll of PFAW members and RWW readers: 

An anti-gay crusader, Cruz threatened civil disobedience to block the enforcement of gay rights measures, introduced new measures to prevent marriage equality, said same-sex marriage is “heartbreaking” and causes his heart to weep and alleged that gay rights laws will put pastors in prison.

Right-Winger: Gay Kids Are Recruiting Vulnerable Christian Kids to LGBT Clubs and Ruining Their Lives

You know how LGBT people try to *recruit* others to join them in spreading the gay agenda?

*crickets chirp*

Apparently, “gay clubs” in public schools do the same thing. And word on the street is they target Christian kids.

You remember infamous pastor/politician Gordon Klingenschmitt, who claims that LGBT people want to execute Christians and that Obamacare causes cancer. He recently welcomed Brian Camenker, of the anti-gay group MassResistance, onto his program “Pray In Jesus Name” to discuss how gay kids are ruining education as we know it.

Here’s their conversation, from a video collected by Right Wing Watch:

Klingenschmitt: Do you think there’s an effort to recruit the children of Christians or Catholics in Massachusetts using taxpayer-funded education? What are the teachers’ unions trying to teach in the classroom?

Camenker: Well, I have seen over the years, a movement of, in general, where you have kids who are very vulnerable, maybe having troubles at home, maybe having their own issues and the gay clubs will say ‘the reason that you’re not fitting in is because you’re really gay.’ And they will take them under their wing and they will persuade them to come out because ‘this is who you really are.’ And pretty soon these kids are getting involved in these really horrible behaviors, horrible things at these meetings. We’ve seen it up close and we’ve seen the anxiety that the parents go through when their kids are suddenly taken over by this. And, yes they love getting kids from Christian backgrounds. That seems to be something that they particularly enjoy to do.

It’s unclear what “horrible things” are happening at these meetings. Talking about acceptance and diversity? Discussing personal experiences of discrimination and bullying? Holding bake sales to buy rainbow-colored T-shirts? None of this sounds traumatizing for any student of any identity. I’m not sure what “horrible behaviors” Camenker has heard of, but it doesn’t sound like an accurate representation of what really happens in student clubs.

LGBT student clubs like gay-straight alliances are safe spaces for everybody, and persuading a person to do something they’re not comfortable with or be someone they’re not is the complete opposite of what these clubs seek to do. A GSA is the last place anybody would try to do any “recruiting.” If Christian kids happen to seek these clubs out because they’ve experienced anti-LGBT sentiment at home… well, go figure

Gambia stripped of special trade status over anti-gay law

The US has stripped Gambia of its special trade status, after the country introduced an anti-gay law.

Gambia had previously been afforded special benefits due to its status, under the African Growth and Opportunity Act of 2000, which allowed it to export goods worth $37 million each year to the US without paying duty.

However, it was announced yesterday that the country would be removed from the scheme, after President Yahya Jammeh signed a law punishing homosexuality with life imprisonment.

White House Spokesperson Ned Price told Buzzfeed: “The US Trade Representative (USTR) has been monitoring the human rights situation in The Gambia for the past few years, with deepening concerns about the lack of progress with respect to human rights, rule of law, political pluralism, and the right to due process.

“In addition, in October, Gambian President Jammeh signed into law legislation that further restricts the rights of LGBT individuals, including life imprisonment for so-called ‘aggravated homosexuality’.

“Reports have surfaced of arrests, detention, and torture of individuals because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Jean Freedberg of the Human Rights Campaign said: “This decision is an important first step in sending a clear signal to President Yayha Jammeh and his associates about their human rights record, and they cannot be allowed to trample on the rights of LGBT Gambians.

“The United States government should not move forward with business as usual with The Gambia when LGBT people are harassed, imprisoned, tortured, or even killed because of who they are.

“More can and should be done to hold Jammeh and his associates directly accountable for violating the basic human rights of LGBT Gambians and attacking them for pure political gain.”

Mark Bromley of the Council for Global Equality also praised the move, adding: “For the first time the gay community really is coming together to get equal consideration in U.S. foreign policy.”

Fabulous Response

It’s a disgusting attack on sexuality that could have ruined Christmas.

But somehow these victims found a funny side – and crafted a brilliant response to the person who carved ‘faggots’ on to their door.

They sanded away the abusive graffiti and stuck a hilarious note aimed at the bigot in its place.

It read: ‘We regret to inform you that you completely failed to use glitter paint and/or sequins, your work looked rushed, and your handwriting was positively atrocious.

‘It is for these reasons that we had to remove your work from our door with sandpaper.

‘Fabulously yours, The Gays in Apt. 611.’

Study Reveals Homophobic Men Are, In Fact, More Likely To Be Gay

Does homophobia have anything to do with homosexual tendencies?

Apparently, the answer to this age-old question is an unabashed “yes.” A past study, published by the American Psychological Association, was designed to “investigate whether homophobic men show more sexual arousal to homosexual cues than non-homophobic men.”

The study recruited 64 heterosexual Caucasian males, ranging in age between 18 and 31 years old. All participants reported a history of having only been aroused in heterosexual situations.

The participants answered a series of questions regarding anxiety and comfort levels when around gay men and then were split into two groups based on their scores. One group was labeled as homophobic and the other was labeled as not homophobic.

Each participant watched three four-minute videos — one of heterosexual sex, one of lesbian sex and one of gay male sex. During the videos, the men had devices attached to their penis’s to detect and measure sexual arousal.

The results concluded that both homophobic and non-homophobic men displayed increased penis circumference when watching straight and lesbian porn. However, only the homophobic men showed heightened penis arousal during the gay male porn; the non-homophobic men remained flaccid.

Not surprisingly though, it was the homophobic men who reported no feeling of sexual arousal by gay male porn during the screen. Obviously, their penises reported otherwise.

Additionally, the study aimed to define “homophobia” correctly, which is often confused with “homonegativism.”

It reported that “homophobia is an emotional or affective response including fear, anxiety, anger, discomfort and aversion that an individual experiences in interacting with gay individuals, which may or may not involve a cognitive component.”

Homonegativism is something completely different as a “multidimensional construct that includes judgment regarding the morality of homosexuality, decisions concerning personal or social relationships, and any response concerning beliefs, preferences, legality, social desirability, or similar cognitive responses.”

So, for example, “ego-dystonic homosexuality” (which refers to the marked distress about one’s sexual orientation) may be a kind of homonegativism but does not necessarily imply homophobia.

Furthermore, psychoanalysts often describe homophobia as an anxiety or anticipatory anxiety elicited by homosexual individuals.

This anxiety is believed to stem from the “straight” individual’s fear of possibly being or becoming a homosexual. Psychoanalytic theories have long postulated that homophobia may be a result of repressed homosexual urges, or a form of latent homosexuality (homosexual arousal, which the individual is either unaware of or denies).

The idea of repressed or latent homosexuality explains “the emotional malaise and irrational attitudes displayed by some individuals who feel guilty about their erotic interests and struggle to deny and repress homosexual impulses.”

Perhaps this may be an answer to why some of our “straight” friends often overreact with panic or anger when they come across a gay person or things that feel homosexual in nature.

In today’s world, there are plenty of celebrities, athletes and other public figures who have decided to come out of the closet as a homosexual.

Take Gareth Thomas, the now retired rugby play who came out in 2009 after living as a straight man for over a decade, in the public eye. In a documentary titled, “Coming Out: My Secret Past,” he shared some intimate and dark secrets of his past:

“I had my first sexual encounter with a guy when I was 17. I hated myself so much. I remember trying to scrub myself clean. This is when things got tough for me. I couldn’t admit even to myself that I was gay. And I started to lie to my teammates about what I was up to when we weren’t together.

I had a lot of anger because I didn’t like who I was when I stepped off the field. I used to relish the chance of being able to try and hurt somebody in a legal way. And in the laws of the game of rugby enable you to be able to do that. There have been games I’ve played when I’ve just felt uncontrollable.

If I didn’t have the rugby field to get rid of the aggression, I am sure that I would have been locked up a long time ago… And by hurting people and being aggressive, you could also be seen to be tough. And if you’re known as a tough guy, it means that you’re not gay.”Thomas also admitted that he used to take part in the homophobic banter swirling in the locker room in an effort to come across as heterosexual

Whether examined from a scientific perspective or from real life examples, it is likely that homophobia has some correlation with homosexual tendencies, that a homophobe might actually be a closeted homosexual himself or herself.

By being afraid to come out, the homophobe emerges as a strongly anti-gay person instead. The case of intolerance toward others may actually be a case of intolerance toward one’s true self.

GAY COUPLE'S HOME IN ALASKA TARGETED WITH SIGN READING 'FAGS DIE'

A gay couple living in Anchorage, Alaska had their home and car struck by vandals this week.

Adam Jacobson says that he discovered a frozen soupy substance on the couple's mailbox, an eggshell on the front porch, and a few empty jars in their backyard.

But it was what they found on the windshield of their car that really disturbed them, KTVA reports.

Someone had walked up their driveway to place a sign made up of many smaller signs on the vehicle, which had a swastika on it, and said "FAG FREE ZONE", "White Power", "Fags Die, God Laughs, Homosexuality is Sin", "I Hate You, "Two Men Should Friends! Not Butt Buddies!!!", "Homos are possessed by demons", and "God Hates Fag Enablers".

Jacobson and his husband have lived in their current home for four years. He says that friends and members of the community have been supportive since the incident.

He attributes the hate as a reaction to the recent legalization of same-sex marriage in Alaska, and says the haters are "feeling marginalized and feeling like sort of victims of the progressive moment."

Nailed it!

ELTON JOHN LAMBASTS RUSSIA'S ANTI-GAY 'PROPAGANDA' BAN DURING ST. PETERSBURG CONCERT

In the middle of his St. Petersburg performance last weekend, the ever vocal Elton John took the opportunity to take potshots at Russia's anti-gay policies and agenda again reports The Moscow Times. While performing a song, John addressed the crowd asking, "Is Tchaikovsky's beautiful music 'sexually perverting?" bringing up the famous Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky who is widely believed to be gay.

John also criticized the removal of a statue erected to honor Apple founder Steve Jobs from outside of a St. Petersburg technical college after Jobs successor, Tim Cook, disclosed to the public that he is gay. It's assumed that Russia still sells Apple products, which John recognized and called out the hypocrisy behind the statue's removal.

Said John:

"Can this be true? Steve's memory is rewritten because his successor at Apple, Tim Cook, is gay? Does that also make iPads 'gay propaganda'?"

This isn't the first time the singer spoke out during a concert in Russia; he dedicated a 2013 Moscow concert to 23-year-old Vladislav Tornovi who was raped and murdered after revealing he was gay. Fans and civils rights groups asked John not to perform in Russia, but John told the Moscow crowd why he continues to perform in the country.

Said John:

"You took me to your hearts all these years ago, and you've always welcomed me with warmth and open arms any time I've visited. You have always embraced me and you have never judged me. So I am deeply saddened and shocked over the current legislation that is now in place against the LGBT community here in Russia." 

"In my opinion, it is inhumane and it is isolating. People have demanded that because of this legislation, I must not come here to Russia. But many, many more people asked me to come and I listened to them. I love coming here."

John invited Vladimir Putin to meet the country's LGBT youth to listen to their experiences, however the disillusioned leader has yet to respond to the singer's request. St. Petersburg is the epicenter of the nationwide ban on "gay propaganda," as it was the first city to pass an ordinance banning the so-called "propaganda." The nationwide federal legislation version is modeled after St. Petersburg's ordinance.

U.S. Bishops Declare Open War On The Pope As Too Soft On Homos

None of us needs to be reminded of just how homophobic the U.S. Catholic bishops are. But the bishops clearly feel a refresher is in order for Pope Francis. In what is close to becoming an open revolt, the U.S. bishops are letting the pope know in no uncertain terms that they believe homophobia = Catholicism and that they are more Catholic than the pope.

And the pope is letting them know who’s the boss.

The bishops are gathering in Baltimore for their annual jamboree, and while their ostensible agenda is, in the words of one journalist, “sleep inducing,” the actual agenda is the battle brewing between the bishops and Pope Francis. Following the Vatican synod last month, many of the bishops are fuming that the pope is abandoning the hardcore homophobia that has been their bread and butter.

“Many of the U.S. bishops have been disoriented by what this new pope is saying and I don’t see them really as embracing the pope’s agenda,” said John Thavis, a former Rome bureau chief for Catholic News Service, told the Associated Press.

And they’re not trying to hide their displeasure. Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, RI, said that the synod was “rather Protestant.” Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who won his position through homophobia, said that the synod created confusion about Church teaching and “I think confusion is of the devil.”

No one has been more hard core than Cardinal Raymond Burke, formerly the flame-throwing archbishop of St. Louis, whom Pope Benedict appointed the equivalent of chief justice of the Vatican court system. Burke has gone to far as to say that the Church is risking a schism by moving “contrary to the constant teaching and practice of the Church.” What he’s really talking about is softening the Church’s stance on LGBT issues, even if actual policies don’t change.

Pope Francis Demotes Anti-gay U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke

As anticipated, Pope Francis has removed anti-gay U.S. cardinal Raymond Burke from his position as head of the Vatican's "Supreme Court."

Burke has been a vocal supporter of keeping social issues a primary focus of the Catholic Church, going so far as to say that discrimination against LGBT people is "perfectly just and good."

TIME reports:

The pontiff removed Cardinal Raymond Burke as the leader of the Vatican’s highest court and appointed him to a ceremonial position as chaplain of the Knights of Malta, a charity group, according to a press bulletin issued Saturday. 

That is a significant demotion, according to the National Catholic Reporter. “The position of Patron of the the Order of Malta is usually given to a retired cardinal, or as a second task to an active cardinal,” Michael Sean Winters writes. “It has almost no responsibilities.”

The Associated Press adds:

Francis has said that church hierarchy should not focus so much on abortion and same-sex marriage but instead concentrate on making the church a more welcoming place. Meanwhile, Burke has said to a Catholic broadcaster that "we can never talk enough" against abortion and same-sex marriage. 

He has also questioned Francis' denunciation of excesses of capitalism.

Watch Burke explain why it's "perfectly good and just" to discriminate against gay people,

Me Speak English Good: When Homophobes Fail With Their Antigay Signage

A couple in Meridian, Idaho made headlines last week after painting antigay statements on the back of their pickup truck then cruising around town.

Justin and Melanie Sease told their local news station that they’ve made it their personal mission to protest marriage equality in the state of Idaho because, they say, if they don’t, “homosexual extremists” will “spread like a cancer.”

One of the things the couple wrote on their vehicle were the words “HOMOsexuality is a sin and a [sic] abomination.”

Bless their hearts, the Seases didn’t seem to notice their error: “a abomination” should be “anabomination.”

According to Melanie, the couple now receives all sorts of “waves, smiles, or honks” when they’re out driving.

“They like that we’re takin’ a stand for the voters in Idaho and for the heavenly Father,” Justin added.

Perhaps.

Or perhaps they’re trying to alert the Seases to the embarrassing grammatical error splashed across the back of their rusted out Chevy.

Check out these other times when homophobes completely failed with their antigay signage.

Anti-gay activist mixes and mingles HIV, Ebola, & bathhouses

For the longest time, 'Porno' Pete LaBarbera has complained that mainstream news programs haven't invited him to talk about the supposed "gay agenda." After viewing just a little of this online show hosted by equally anti-gay Cliff Kincaid, one understands the reasons why no legitimate news program will invite LaBarbera.

This isn't just an appearance. It's bizarre free-form tangent of homophobic venom, which mixes HIV, Ebola, and bathouses; amongst other things.

The interview is rather long but viewing even a small portion is enough. Trust me.

This is so sad. Religion kills!!

#Homophobia KILLS #LGBT pic.twitter.com/AxiZviRNxB
— STOP-Homophobia.com (@WipeHomophobia) October 19, 2014

Catholic Bishops to Gays: Just Kidding, You're Not Welcome

A group of bishops invited to the Vatican by Pope Francis to discuss the Roman Catholic Church's teachings on marriage and family has canceled plans to make that church even a little bit more friendly to gays and lesbians.

In a stunning victory for the Catholic Church's conservative wing and a rebuke to both Pope Francis and progressives, the bishops -- tasked with creating a statement that "[charted] a more merciful approach" to divorced, remarried, and gay Catholics -- scrapped language that called on the church to "welcome" gays and lesbians. They also failed to approve a section affirming that same-sex partners are capable of offering "precious support" to one another.

The now-eliminated language, contained in a draft document released on Monday, was hailed by many Vatican watchers and media outlets across the world as a groundbreaking, revolutionary, "seismic shift" in tone. In the end, though, there was no earthquake at all -- in their final statement, the prelates couldn't even bring themselves to acknowledge that "homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer the Christian community."

BuzzFeed reports:

The final statement -- formally known as the Relatio of the Extraordinary Synod on the Family -- drops the title "Welcoming homosexual persons" from the section on the place of gays and lesbians in the church. Weaker language that spoke of "The pastoral care of people with homosexual orientation" was proposed instead, and a phrase referring to "Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community" was also dropped. But even this new language failed to receive a vote needed to be adopted, the Associated Press reported, failing on a vote of 118 to 62.

But according to The Guardian, the bishops did find time to demean and degrade same-gender relationships, writing that there cannot be "even a remote" comparison between same-sex marriages or civil unions and the marriages of opposite-sex couples.

The AP adds that the final document exposed "deep divisions" among the bishops, and speculates that the 118-62 vote "might have been a protest vote by progressive bishops who refused to back the watered-down wording."

A section that would have softened the church's approach to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, who are currently barred from receiving communion, was also voted down.

Today, the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church didn't just yank the welcome mat out from underneath the feet of gays and lesbians -- they rolled it up and bashed them over the head with it. So much for "Who am I to judge?".

Meet Idaho's Most Outspoken Anti-Gay Bigots and Their Hateful Truck

Boise, Idaho-area couple Justin and Melanie Sease are driving around in a car painted with phrases like "HOMOSEXUALITY is a sin & a abomination", "Just Say NO to Gay Marriage", and "GOD'S NOT DEAD". They say they're speaking out for others who are afraid to do the same in light of the recent arrival of marriage equality in the state, and whine to KBOI that they're being ridiculed for it:

"We've had a few homosexual extremists who cuss us out and get very angry with us and threaten us."

Why are they on a crusade?

Says Justin, who claims he's "taking a stand for the Heavenly Father"

"We can never accept public homosexuality. It's wrong, and it's wrong in God's eyes first. He's very clear in the Bible. The Bible says that when homosexuality is publicly accepted, basically it spreads like a cancer....This is kind our little way of protesting the homosexual extremist movement..."

Said Melanie:

"If nobody else is going to do it, why not start doing it. Hopefully, other people will join us and follow us and do what we're doing.Most everyone who has seen our vehicles gives us a thumbs up, waves, smiles, or honks."