Fox News Welcomes Hate Group Leader to Discuss the Veto of Arizona's Anti-Gay Bill

In a particularly offensive, though not entirely surprising segment, Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly asked Family Research Council president Tony Perkins about his thoughts regarding Gov. Jan Brewer's veto of Arizona SB1062, which would have allowed business owners and other individuals to refuse service to gay and lesbian patrons based on religious beliefs. Perkins proceeded to demonize the decision, stating that "this is how fundamental freedoms are trampled."

He also denied the relevance of comparing African-American civil rights struggles of the 1950's and 60's and today's issues, saying that most places in Arizona would still allow racial discrimination. But would that happen? "No, because people aren't going to do that," according to Perkins, who in one fell swoop both confirmed and denied the existence of race-based discrimination while continuing to reinforce his own homophobic view, that gay and lesbian people do deserve to have "that," discrimination, directed towards them. 

Media Matters reports:

[Megyn] Kelly's decision to host Perkins to discuss the veto without questioning his rhetoric or providing another guest to counter his views marks an unfortunate reversal from her comments the day before, wherein she acknowledged that Arizona's anti-gay bill was "potentially dangerous." Unfortunately, Perkins' regular status as a Fox guest is in keeping with the network's ongoing attempt to suppress gay rights by suggesting that the religious views of business owners should allow them to discriminate against gay customers.

Pastor Kevin Swanson: Tell gay couples to die on their wedding day

Christian Right radio host Kevin Swanson says it is appropriate to attend a same-sex wedding but only as long as you hold up a sign calling for the happy couple to be put to death.

Kevin Swanson

Taking a page from Gordon Klingenschmitt, who said that photographers should print “worthy of death” on photos of the wedding of a same-sex couple, Swanson said that guests can “attend the wedding and hold up the sign Leviticus 20:13 word for word: ‘If a man sleeps with a man as he sleeps with a woman the two of them have committed an abomination and they shall both be put to death.’ You could attend a wedding and hold up that sign.”

Bakeries, such as the Oregon cake shop that refused service to a gay couple, can do the same thing: “if you bake a cake for a homosexual wedding you can put Leviticus 20:13 on the cake.”

Swanson accused gay “fascists” of attacking the Oregon bakery, telling listeners “that the Nazi Party had their birth at a homosexual bar in Berlin…. This is what homosexuals do best and they will engage in their Pink Mafia effort to control and shut down businesses that do not cooperate with their agenda.”

Following a discussion of how same-sex weddings are “Neronic weddings” as they were developed by Nero, Swanson confessed that he finds it “mindboggling” why homosexuality is “outrageously popular” today.

Religious right promises to throw a hissy fit if the Supreme Court rules against DOMA, Prop 8

Several religious right groups have signed a statement of resistance should the Supreme Court rule in favor of marriage equality. But if you ask me, I have no idea what the hell they are threatening to do:

As Christian citizens united together, we will not stand by while the destruction of the institution of marriage unfolds in this nation we love. The Sacred Scriptures and unbroken teaching of the Church confirm that marriage is between one man and one woman. We stand together in solidarity to defend marriage and the family and society founded upon them. The effort to redefine marriage threatens the proper mediating role of the Church in society.

 Experience and history have shown us that if the government redefines marriage to grant a legal equivalency to same-sex couples, that same government will then enforce such an action with the police power of the State. This will bring about an inevitable collision with religious freedom and conscience rights. We cannot and will not allow this to occur on our watch. Religious freedom is the first freedom in the American experiment for good reason.

 ... If the Supreme Court were to issue a decision that redefined marriage or provided a precedent on which to build an argument to redefine marriage, the Supreme Court will thereby undermine its legitimacy. The Court will significantly decrease its credibility and impair the role it has assumed for itself as a moral authority. It will be acting beyond its proper constitutional role and contrary to the Natural Moral Law which transcends religions, culture, and time. As Christians united together in defense of marriage, we pray that this will not happen. But, make no mistake about our resolve. While there are many things we can endure, redefining marriage is so fundamental to the natural order and the true common good that this is the line we must draw and one we cannot and will not cross.

Go here to see a veritable who's who list of the folks who signed this statement including FRC head Tony Perkins, Focus on the Family head James Dobson, failed Fox News presidential candidate Benjamin Carson, and even Alveda King. Talk about your lack of quality control.

Whoop te do.

Should the Supreme Court rule in our favor, there isn't anything these folks can do but two things:

Nothing and like it.

Westboro Baptist Church Responds to 5-Year-Old's Lemonade Threat

From Towleroad:

The Westboro Baptist Church has officially responded to the threat of a five-year-old girl's lemonade stand. Their message: "Fags and enablers all burn in hell. Lemonade won't cool any tongues."

You understand that, Jayden Sink? The WBC does not want anything to do with your fruity beverage. No way, no how. (That's her on the right—probably the cutest kid in the world.)

It appears, though, that others in the neighbourhood (and around the world) are quite supportive of Jayden's efforts. To date she has raised over $20,000 for the organization Planting Peace through lemonade sales and an online Crowdrise campaign. Planting Peace bills itself as an organization with a goal of simply spreading peace in whatever way possible. One peace-spreading idea of their's was to buy a house opposite the WBC compound and then paint it rainbow colors. It was this house where Jayden set up her controversial lemonade stand. 

Towleroad previously linked to coverage of the lemonade debacle when WBC members purportedly called the cops swore at those who dared to buy the lemonade. 

If anything can be said of WBC members, at least they're consistent in their awfulness.

In other Equality House news, two lesbians will be getting married on the lawn of the house opposite the WBC. 

Kimberly Kidwell and Katie Short will be married this Saturday by a Unitarian minister, despite same-sex marriage being illegal in Kansas.

Josh Duggar, Oldest of the 19-Child Reality TV Family, Takes a Job with an Anti-Gay Hate Group

Josh Duggar, the oldest of the Duggar children from TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, has accepted a job as Executive Director at the FRC Action group of Family Research Council, the SPLC-designated hate group run by Tony Perkins, GLAAD reports: 

Duggar has said in the past that he "will be working with a Christian organization to help promote 'family values and right to life.”  But FRC has spent  decades attacking same-sex couples and their families, as well as the families of LGBT young people. Duggar said that he will be working on the 501c4 side of the organization, which is more politically driven. He can't even claim he's just going to shape the culture.

Now that Josh Duggar has accepted a position at such an anti-gay organization, he has become a full-fledged anti-gay activist. What does this mean for TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting? Will TLC allow it to become a mainstream outlet for FRC’s dangerous message? What about the Duggar family's appearances in other media? Will his work with one of the most vile anti-gay organizations in America be legitimized there? 

"If Josh Duggar wants to make a living dehumanizing and denigrating LGBT people and their families, that's his business, but FRC's lies and stereotypes need to be treated as such," said GLAAD Spokesperson Wilson Cruz. "Josh's new boss Tony Perkins has actually accused LGBT equality advocates of being pawns of the devil.  Fans of his family's reality show ought to know that."