Lies, Lies, And More Lies!

We have our work cut out for us, we need the three “Es” Education, Enlightenment, and Eradicate the lies. As Joseph Goebbels is attributed as saying, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” the Republicans have the lesson down pat.

Support for same-sex marriage dips for the first time in nearly a decade: Survey
The Hill
By Tara Suter
March 12m 2024

Americans’ support for same-sex marriage has dropped for the first time in about a decade, according to new data from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).

The data from PRRI’s American Values Atlas (AVA) survey found support for same-sex marriage dropped two points, from 69 percent to 67 percent, from 2022 to 2023. The last time Americans support form same-sex marriage dropped in the same survey was between 2014 and 2015, from 54 to 53 percent.

The survey also showed support for non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people falling for the first time since 2018. Americans’ support for those protections reached a peak of 80 percent in 2022, but fell to 76 percent last year.

“Our survey shows that support for LGBTQ rights has dipped slightly from 2022 to 2023, although the vast majority of Americans continue to endorse anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans and the rights of same-sex couples to marry,” Melissa Deckman, the CEO of PRRI, said in a statement in a press release Tuesday.

“The growing partisan divide on these issues show the effect of the continuous use of LGBTQ identity and LGBTQ rights as a wedge issue in our nation’s culture wars,” Deckman continued.

This is the result of the constant hammering of us by the Republicans! The never ending lies that they put forward is taking its toll. We need to start speaking up about their lies, “If you hear mean, intervene” intervene by educating people to their lies.

One of their favorite lies are the we are promiscuous with one night stands, what we have to do is show the long term relationships you are in. We have to bring back the way we worked for marriage equality in the first place. We cannot let the negativity stand unopposed, we need to speak up! We have to heed Harvey Milk’s words…

Come out to your neighbors, to your co-workers, to the people who work where you eat and shop. Come out only to the people you know, and who know you. Not to anyone else. But once and for all, break down the myths, destroy the lies and distortions.

*****

But all is not bleak there are bright spots...

Even in red states, the vast majority of Americans support LGBTQ+ protection laws
Most Americans support nondiscrimination laws and other protections, and a large number of them intend to vote based on it. However, those numbers are on the decline according to a new survey.
The Advocate
By Ryan Adamczeski
March 12 2024

The majority of Americans support nondiscrimination laws for LGBTQ+ people — even those who are religious or live in red states.

While support for LGBTQ+ rights differs by state, it remains strong among most Americans. More than 75 percent support nondiscrimination laws, including 71 percent of red state residents, 75 percent in battleground states, and 79 percent in blue states, according to a new survey of more than 22,000 American adults by the Public Religion Research Institute.

This was also found across religions, as "strong majorities" of Americans — including most people of faith — support LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections in housing, employment, and accommodation.

The majority of those in red states (54 percent) are also opposed to religious refusals, compared to 58 percent in battleground states and 66 percent in blue states. By political alignment, a majority of Independents (59 percent) and most Democrats (82 percent) oppose allowing small business owners to refuse service to LGBTQ+ people based on their religious beliefs, compared to 40 percent of Republicans.

Majorities across all states also support marriage equality, with some variation. In states where marriage equality would continue if the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell decision were overturned, 72 percent of people favored allowing same-sex couples to marry, compared to 64 percent of those in states where marriage equality would no longer be legal if Obergefell were overturned.

But we cannot take their support for granted, we have to go out and let them know that we appreciate their support in these troubling times. And we need then to elect politicians who support us.

We did it once!
We stopped the Lavender Scare.
We stopped Anita Bryant.
We got marriage equality.
We got our rights to be our true selves.
We can do it again!