30 Comments
Mar 10, 2023Liked by Michelangelo Signorile

Remember when the "brilliant" gay mind of Andrew Sullivan told our community is was time, after marriage equality, to close up shop, declare victory, and move on?!! And now he's on Bill Maher supporting the idea of keeping the knowledge of the existence of LGBT out of schools, and "save those issues for later," as if there is something so nasty about being LGBT that young kids shouldn't learn that a minority of boys like boys, and girls can like girls, and a minority of people with penises don't have boy brains, and a minority of people with vaginas don't necessarily have girl brains, and that's all normal and OK and fine.

Well Andrew, why is it when you're wrong, you are so spectacularly wrong? We have to start calling the anti-LGBT laws (and more subtle racism and anti-Semitism on the right), by its name, which is fascism. And HRC or GLAAD, or somebody needs to get on the phone with the U.S. Holocaust Museum and have them release a statement of condemnation, now, because in Florida, they're talking about taking trans children away from supportive parents, and that is fascism, and that is why the US Holocaust Museum exists - to remind us that fascism doesn't end well, ever!

Expand full comment
Mar 10, 2023·edited Mar 10, 2023

As the mother of two adult children who happen to be gay, I am very concerned about the nasty verbiage spewed by the GOP. Stonewall was in 1969. Why do LGBTQ continually need to fight for their rights as human beings? Drag is entertainment. Since when is this censored? The Christian right fanatics are not forced to attend a drag show; they have no sense of humor and wouldn't get it anyway. If they want to live dour, miserable, regulated lives, let them, but they need to be stopped from legislating their prejudices and their idiotic religious beliefs. We can't stop fighting these authoritarian morons.

Expand full comment

Michelangelo --Thank you for putting the current abhorrent anti gay situation in words and sharing it. I agree with you whole heartedly. I just am not sure how to stop it. We need a movement. We need some action. We need someone to stand up and lead. I know its not me, LOL, but I can strongly support and work behind the scenes.

Expand full comment

Hi Mike, your predictions from a few years back are reality now, concerning a number of communities including the primary community LGBTQ. Reading the proposals set forth by the Tennessee House should have a chilling effect for all communities.. to wit, no government approval for gay marriage, no government approval for mixed race marriage, no government approval for folks of different religions wishing to marry. Mike, this is some sick and twisted discriminatory ideology, this is NOT freedom, the freedom we have enjoyed for many years..it’s straight up White Christian Nationalism, no chaser, replacing the rule of law, replacing shared values with a nutty form of religion. Many questions remain concerning this Legislative overreach, hoping the governor vetoes, hoping it’s challenged in court.... very disillusioned today. Keep up your very important work and keep slapping the crazies...many thanks Mike.

Expand full comment

The GOP's agenda is to eradicate LGBTQ People. Eliminating all our freedoms, Marriage, Employments, Service in the Military and Expressions of love in public. Forcing their beliefs and their Idea of Christian values down our throats. Shaming Gay people's liberties, Outlawing all Gender Reassignment surgery. They won't stop until being Gay, lesbian and queer is outlawed.

Expand full comment

All that you stated is accurate. Specifically the scope and extent of these waves of all encompassing hate & bigotry fueled legislative bills. Bills of which ignore facts entirely, lie and grotesquely distort who the people they target. Seek solutions for non existent problems. Provide zero proof or evidence to support their alleged concerns. Ignore feedback from

Medical professionals absolute insanity. Deliberately shut down discourse. Rush bills through like tomorrow is the last day in earth. It’s called fascism & autocracy. Anyway I’m wondering moving forward how the lgbtq and other communities will respond. It’s going to take a lot of work. Thanks

Expand full comment

I have been reading your writing for decades now, and I have never forgotten your warnings in 2015. I knew you were right then, and like you, I am just sorry it has proven true, but this is the way it always goes, and you are right, the fight is never fully won. Keep up the warnings. I know you must often feel like Cassandra, but some of us are listening. I will also say though, I do think that the hysterical vitriol is more about the demographic shifts and perceived loss of power of the right to dictate culture and not a rise in popular sentiment to their beliefs. I actually think that they are shooting themselves in the foot at every turn and are in the processes of kicking a sleeping giant into wakefulness. This is a last gasp attempt to roll back the clock, and even if they can succeed in part for a time, all they are doing is hastening the demographic changes and popular sentiment against them. All things change, all things come to an end eventually. Hegemonies fall over time, no matter what they do and history shows us that ever more extreme attempts to stave off those falls more often hasten them. I am both concerned and optimistic. I know people right now who are waking up, becoming activists, and active at the local and national level, who couldn't tell you who the president was a decade ago. It is amazing what a motivator an existential threat can be.

Expand full comment

It was naive to assume that the LGBTQ rights movement would follow a different path from Black rights or Women’s rights. But here I have to ask, “what movement.” There were real people that everyone knew who led the Black rights or Women’s rights movements. But I’m not sure any of us know who, if anyone, is driving this ship. If there are people, how did they fail? If there isn’t a cohesive center, why the heck not? It’s not that long until Pride. Maybe some of those queers who allegedly like to offer people briefcases of money could step into the public and provide focus.

Expand full comment

As a Jewish person who just celebrated Purim, a holiday in which everyone dresses as anything in front of kids, I feel that out Jewish rights have been threatened by Christian leadership here in TN. Will they come to our synagogues to arrest people for celebrating OUR holiday? This law oversteps our rights!

Expand full comment

I attended your book signing years ago and have quoted you over and over as a piece of caution and to incite activism. My 19 year old son who attends UCLA and loves his gay brother quoted your book on a final paper last week. I wish you were not so spot on , and honestly thanks to the horrible court it is worse than we thought. All the entertainers and the music industry in TN must speak up. We all need to speak up! There is no room for this kind of intolerance and hatred. Truly it is a human rights issue and we all need to elevate our voices around this.

Expand full comment

You called it right after Obergefell v Hodges and you were so RIGHT. I was one of the ones that listened. The same was being said after the save our marriages act.... but it was-it is not enough.

Expand full comment

I agree. I’ve been thinking they are going after the trans population first because it’s the least understood of our LGBTQ community. But make no mistake. They are gunning for all of us including the right to marry. Even though the majority of Americans support marriage equality, those in power can still do as they wish. Look at the abortion issue: the majority of Americans supported Roe but that majority didn’t protect women from the right to abortion. In fact the very legislatures seeking to curtail LGBTQ rights are also drafting the strictest anti abortion laws possible.

Expand full comment

Michaelangelo. We need to start getting real. Now that the gloves are off. We need to start seriously reading and calling out all the insane bs and closet nonsense

Expand full comment

Michael, Michael, Michael... How soon the basic lesson of AIDS post life-saving drugs was forgotten. No sooner as AIDS wasn't a death sentence, the parties resumed and the common togetherness rent asunder. We were warned the battle wasn't over and the fight morphed into marriage equality. The vitriol Obama faced because he insisted on reading the room until it was time to strike. We were warned that statehouses were the next hill to climb to get true equality desired but the blare of the dancefloor BPM's drowned out the few pushing for grassroots memberships. I have friends who are still dumbfounded by friends who are now maga. Fascist florida is the petri dish and bullhorn for what we're gonna face when we get back together to fight returning to the closet. I implore everyone to locate The Daily Show's Beyond the Scenes Podcast of Conservatives vs Drag on YouTube. Insightful and funny...

Expand full comment

Not seeing a whole lot of pushback. This year, the Pride parades of my dreams would be anti-Christofascism protests w/ massive women, POC & white progressive representation in add'n to queers, & instead of drag, lots of AR-15s to let the wingnuts of the right know that we're tired of book bannings, forced childbirth, trans abuse, voter suppression, etc., & that we are willing & able to fight for our right to exist in this country & to defend the constitutional rights that they are trying defeat w/ their illegitimate, packed SCt. They are regressive, delusional bullies who are impervious to reason, so stop trying to get through to them w/ words & speak to them in their native tongue: Counterthreats of violence. 🤬🤬🤬

Expand full comment

And what's so ironic is that most of the people like this slime happen to be REPUBLICANS.

Expand full comment