Donald Trump Now Says He Supports North Carolina’s Anti-LGBT Bathroom Bill – WATCH

Donald Trump has done an about-face on North Carolina’s anti-LGBT bathroom bill, HB 2. While Trump previously came out against the legislation, saying that he thought the state made a mistake by passing HB 2, Trump now says he’s “going with the state.”

HB 2 was passed by the state’s legislature and signed by Governor Pat McCrory within one day.

Speaking with The News & Observer, Trump said of the hateful legislation,

“I’m going with the state. The state, they know what what’s going on, they see what’s happening and generally speaking I’m with the state on things like this. I’ve spoken with your governor, I’ve spoken with a lot of people and I’m going with the state.”

Back in April, Trump told The Today Show a rather different story: 

“North Carolina did something that was very strong, and they are paying a big price and there’s a lot of problems. One of the best answers I heard was from a commentator yesterday, saying ‘leave it the way it is. There have been very few problems.’ North Carolina, what they are going through with all of the business that’s leaving and the strife– and that’s on both sides. You leave it the way it is. There have been very few complaints they way it is. People go, they use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate, there has been so little trouble, and the problem with what happened in North Carolina is the strife and the economic punishment they’re taking.”

Let’s see what Caitlyn Jenner has to say about the Donald’s latest flip-flop.

[h/t jmg]

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GOP Candidate Doubles Down, Still Loves Trump for ‘Putting Self-Righteous F*ggots In Their Place’

A Republican candidate for Massachusetts state senate is not apologizing for saying Donald Trump has been “putting self-righteous f*ggots in their place since 1993.”

Ted Busiek made the remark on Twitter in response to a tweet sent out by Chris Hayes showing testimony Trump gave in 1993 before Congress in which he complained that people who “don’t look Indian” shouldn’t be giving gaming licenses.

Trump in 1993, testifying in front of Native American affairs committee: “They don’t look Indian” #inners t.co/A8xl9D5rgf

— All In w/Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) July 1, 2016

Busiek responded with this tweet:

DONALD TRUMP. Putting self-righteous faggots in their place since 1993. How I love this fellow.#MAGA t.co/wqCxfa4pI2

— Ted Busiek (@TedBusiek) July 2, 2016

Raw Story reports:

Busiek later insisted to State House News Service that he did not use the word “faggot” in a “hateful sense.” The candidate said that term was used to show that the congressman questioning Trump was “obnoxious” and “kind of being a jerk.”

“It’s hard for me to get exercised over naughty words,” he explained. “You can insult somebody without being hateful.”

Busiek, who opposes same-sex marriage and adoption rights, said that he was standing up for “anybody who works for a living,” especially those who had “oppressor status” for being white, male and wealthy.

Busiek justified using the gay slur because he believes many young, male, frat boys and members of the military use it in a non-hateful sense.

Tonight .@fox25news at 10 and 11-My interview with @TedBusiek. Why he’s NOT sorry for his tweet using gay slur pic.twitter.com/PSvNnmSTlI

— Crystal Haynes (@crystalhaynes) July 6, 2016

The backlash was fast and furious. Mediaite notes: 

Among those who pushed back against Busiek was his political opponent, Democratic state Sen. Jamie Eldridge.

“When a candidate for office uses such hateful rhetoric it’s important to stand up to it and not be silent. This is about the fact that in civil society you don’t use hateful rhetoric directed at anyone,” said Eldridge.

Busiek has been unswayed, however, tweeting he doesn’t mind being labeled a “homophobe.”

Today I’m a “homophobe.” Tomorrow, an “Islamophobe.” Maybe an antisemite after that. The Left hasn’t had an original line of attack in years

— Ted Busiek (@TedBusiek) July 6, 2016

He also published a lengthy piece defending his use of the word “f*ggot.” Of the objection to the word being used, he writes, 

The angle here is that the word “faggot” is offensive to decent sensibilities because it’s a derogatory slang term for homosexual. That it has an even older slang meaning of “old woman,” or that in modern parlance it’s more often used to mean “obnoxious person” (as was obviously the sense in which I meant it), were entirely immaterial. Neither etymology nor present day reality are relevant to the new lexicography of the neo-Puritan Social Justice Warriors.

The whole thing presents an interesting question: Can a word that makes one segment of the population uncomfortable but is in common usage by another segment be “culturally verified” as unspeakable if the segment that doesn’t like it demonstrates a loud enough consensus on the matter? From what I can tell, the attempt to police this word out of public utterance has been going on since at least 2011, though it’s probably been much longer.

You can read the rest of his post titled “The Case for Coarse Language”, here.

[Top photo via Facebook]

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Christian Mingle Ends Legal Battle By Opening Up To LGBT Users

“I am gratified that we were able to work with Spark to help ensure that people can fully participate in all the diverse market places that make our country so special, regardless of their sexual orientation.”

The post Christian Mingle Ends Legal Battle By Opening Up To LGBT Users appeared first on ThinkProgress.

thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/07/06/3795841/now-gay-christians-can-mingle-too/

"Hands" artists, songwriters, producers speak out about the tribute to Orlando

www.glaad.org/blog/hands-artists-songwriters-producers-speak-out-about-tribute-orlando

Department of Justice Asks Federal Court to Block HB 2's Anti-Trans Provisions

“H.B. 2 is not merely a solution to a non-existent problem; it is state-sanctioned discrimination,” writes the Justice Department. 

www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/7/06/department-justice-asks-federal-court-block-hb-2s-anti-trans-provisions

Phil Robertson Blames LGBT Community for Murdering 160K People

Will A&E suspend the Duck Dynasty star again?

www.advocate.com/media/2016/7/06/phil-robertson-blames-lgbt-community-murdering-160k-people

James Comey, Iron Man, Hoverboards, Pixies, Robyn, Christie Brinkley, Derek Theler: NEWS

AFGHANISTAN. Obama says he’ll leave 8.400 troops in Afghanistan through next year.

BREAKING: Obama administration will leave about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan through next year. t.co/guzRtjz2O0

— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 6, 2016

2016 ELECTION. GOP foreign policy elites voting for Clinton: “Two former senior officials from the George W. Bush administration tell POLITICO that they will cast a ballot for Clinton over Trump. They are Stephen Krasner, a Stanford University professor who served as the State Department’s director of policy planning from 2005 to 2007, and David Gordon, a senior advieor at the Eurasia Group who was Krasner’s successor in that post, which provides strategic thinking.”

THOSE DAMN EMAILS. FBI Director James Comey to testify before house oversight committee.

FBI Director Comey to testify before House Oversight Committee on Clinton email investigation Thursday morning. pic.twitter.com/bV6xNM3gWP

— ABC News (@ABC) July 6, 2016

Reince Priebus accuses Clinton of lying:

Donald Trump accuses Loretta Lynch of bribe.

TO ORLANDO. Fun Home heading to Florida for benefit concert. “The cast and creative team from “Fun Home” will assemble for a one-night benefit concert version of the Tony Award-winning show on July 24 in Orlando for survivors and victims’ family. ‘For our company, there is no choice but to respond with what we have, what we know, and the belief that it leads to something,’ said producer Mike Isaacson. The touching musical — with a book and lyrics by Lisa Kron and music by Jeanine Tesori — is based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel memoir about growing up with a closeted dad in the family’s funeral home business. It’s the first Broadway show with a lesbian protagonist.”

IOWA. Church files federal lawsuit over transgender bathroom law: “The Fort Des Moines Church of Christ filed the lawsuit Monday in federal court in Des Moines against the Iowa Civil Rights Commission and the city. The church asks for an order that keeps the state and the city from enforcing the rules that would allow biological males who identify as women from using women’s bathrooms, showers or changing rooms and the same for females identifying as men. The church says it teaches that ‘maleness or femaleness is designed by God and is tied to biology, chromosomes, physiology, and anatomy.’”

SUPERHEROES. Marvel announces that the new Iron Man is a Black woman. “There’s a new Iron Man. Well, Iron Man for now. She’s still working on the name. The events at the end of the comic book event series Civil War II will result in Tony Stark stepping out of the Iron Man suit and a new character, Riri Williams, taking over, Marvel tells TIME. (Note: Tony’s departure doesn’t mean you know the end to Civil War II yet.) Riri is a science genius who enrolls in MIT at the age of 15. She comes to the attention of Tony when she builds her own Iron Man suit in her dorm.”

RECALL. Government to recall 500,000 hoverboards. “The recall impacts the biggest hoverboard brands on the market, including Swagway (the Swagway X1 model), the Hovertrax from Razor, the Airwalk Self Balancing Electric Scooter, the iMoto, the Hype Roam, the Wheeli, 2Wheelz, Back to the Future, Mobile Tech, Hover Shark, NWS, X Glider and X Rider.”

MEDICINE. Gilead hikes price of HIV therapies: “The drug maker Gilead Sciences on Friday increased the list prices of six of its drugs. The prices of the antibiotic Cayston, the chest pain drug Ranexa, and the blood cancer drug Zydelig each went up by 10 percent. Gilead raised the price of its hypertension drug Letairis and of its HIV regimens Complera and Stribild by 7 percent each. The HIV treatment hikes come on top of increases in the prices of both of those drugs just six months ago, by 7 and 5 percent, respectively.”

MERMAID MAN AND BARNACLE BOY. Derek Theler and AJ Jacobs bro down in the pool.

EDMONTON. Spruce Grove pastor blames LGBTQ activists for vandalism of sign.

BANGKOK. The Times of Harvey Milk to screen in wake of Orlando: “Oscar award-winning film “The Times of Harvey Milk,” about the California politician’s rise and tragic end, will screen later this month along with two panel discussions led by LGBT activists at an event hosted by the Documentary Club and Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.”

MUSIC. Pixies announce new album, plus the track “Um Chagga Lagga“.

HANG WITH ME. A new Mix of a Robyn classic.

PISSING MATCH. Christie Brinkley hoses woman for peeing on her beach.

WATERSLIDE. Tom Hiddleston, Taylor Swift, Cara Delevigne, and Gigi Hadid get wet together.

HUMP DAY HOTTIE. Narubert Chawdorn.

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