Supporting gay rights makes you a pedophile, Florida liar says

Yep, Typhoid Ron DeSantis’ press secretary, Christina Pushaw went there. In response to criticism of the Don’t Say Gay bill that just passed both houses of the legislature (Georgia is now trying to imitate it) she declared that it’s an “anti-grooming” bill designed to protect kids, ergo anyone who opposes it is pro-pedophilia. As noted at the links, not true — and despite Pushaw and other state Republicans insisting it’s about innocent little children, it applies, vaguely all the way through high school. The vagueness of course is a plus: it’s easier to avoid criticism but harder for teachers to know what’s allowed. Oh, and of course Pushaw’s lies are now a new Republican talking point.

Students organized a protest against the bill but one student who did was suspended after he got permission for a rally.

The GOP’s redistricting maps give Republicans two extra safe seats and wipe out one black Democratic seat. DeSantis is threatening to veto it because he wants two black seats gone.

A Fort Lauderdale police chief wanted more diversity in the department. Six of 15 promotions were nonwhite so the city fired him. As one blogger said, if he’d killed a couple of law-abiding citizens, the department would be demanding he keep his job.

Lest we judge my former home state unfairly, let us turn to Missouri where Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman proposes punishing doctors in other states who provide abortion services to Missouri women. The method will be empowering Missouri residents to sue (yes that again) to sue, as the Supreme Court’s already signed off on that in Texas. While making Missouri law binding in Kansas or Illinois is blatantly unconstitutional, I doubt that’ll stop the Trump judges or the Supremes from signing off.

Worse still, shitbag Rep. Brian Seitz is pushing to ban devices or drugs for aborting ectopic pregnancies (it also specifically bans abortion for victims of sexual trafficking). I saw this coming a while ago but given that ectopic pregnancies are doomed and not aborting is horrible for women, physically, I kept hoping I was wrong. Foolish me.

Over in Texas, Beto O’Rourke has criticized oil tycoon Kelcy Warren’s role in the power-grid failure — so Warren is suing him. And the possibility of being sued under the new abortion ban makes it hard to get the procedure even when it’s legal and necessary.

Up in Idaho, they’re making it a life-sentence crime for parents to get gender-affirming care for trans youth. So much for parental rights. And they’re proposing jailing librarians who give minors books someone decides are inappropriate. The bill’s sponsor refused to say if a Judy Blume book mentioning masturbation would be acceptable.

But to conservatives that’s not cancel culture, Republicans being (shudder) criticized is cancel culture! As Roy Edroso points out, it’s also different from how Republicans treat David Hogg and Greta Thunberg. As I’ve pointed out before self-censorship is not automatically oppression.

Also in Idaho, a right-wing county group plotted to run their candidates as Democrats, put an anti-Semite in as local Democratic Party head and have their moles steal Democratic donations for the Republicans.

The Supreme Court has signed off on North Carolina’s redistricting maps which replace the Republicans preferred We Win Everything map. However three judges insist the state courts can’t override state legislature decisions. I’m sure if it’s right-wing court vs. blue-state legislature, they’ll suddenly find that’s totally different.

The U.S. Constitution was seen at the time of its drafting as an unreligious document because it credits We The People with founding the nation instead of God. Nevertheless Michael Flynn claims it mentions the creator four times. This is a lie.

Whites who commit voter fraud get probation, blacks get jail time.