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Rep. Tim Walberg Tells Uganda to ‘Stand Firm’ on ‘Kill The Gays’ Law Ted Cruz Called ‘Horrific’

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Tim Walberg Uganda Kill The Gays Law

Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI) delivered a speech in Uganda to defend the country’s President Yoweri Museveni and the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023, better known as the “Kill the Gays” law.

Walberg traveled to Uganda in October to attend a national prayer breakfast organized by the Fellowship Foundation, also known as The Family, which also covered the cost of his trip, according to TYT. In the speech, transcribed by the blog Take Care Tim, he told the attendees to “stand firm” in the face of criticism.

“Whose side do we want to be on? God’s side. Not the World Bank, not the United States of America necessarily, not the UN. God’s side,” Walberg said. “I think as we go on here, it says, ‘So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.’ – Who’s gonna do that? God is gonna do that. Your esteemed President, his excellency, President Museveni needs a nation that stands with him and says, though the rest of the world is pushing back on you, though there are other major countries that are trying to get into you and ultimately change you, stand firm. Stand firm.”

READ MORE: Mike Johnson Once Agreed to Speak at ‘Kill the Gays’ Pastor’s Conference – Until an NCRM Report

Walberg made it clear he knew his view would be unpopular in the United States.

“Now, this will probably get back to the national media in the United States, and I expect some pushback, but I’m not gonna give in to them. … I know that your President is a warrior. I like that about him. We’re in a battle, folks. We are in a battle,” he said.

Though Uganda has had homophobia enshrined in its legal code since it was a British protectorate, the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 is a drastic escalation. Previously, homosexuality was punished with life in prison, according to the Advocate. The new law allows the death penalty for those convicted of “aggravated homosexuality.” It also bans “promotion of homosexuality,” much like Russia bans queer “propaganda”.

The law is so draconian that Republican Senator Ted Cruz—no ally to the queer communitycondemned it. In May, shortly after Museveni signed the law, Cruz called the law “horrific” on X, formerly Twitter.

This Uganda law is horrific & wrong. Any law criminalizing homosexuality or imposing the death penalty for ‘aggravated homosexuality’ is grotesque & an abomination. ALL civilized nations should join together in condemning this human rights abuse. #LGBTQ,” Cruz tweeted.

Attempts to pass a similar bill to the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 started in 2014, with a bill also called the “Kill the Gays” law. That form of the bill was built by anti-LGBTQ activist Scott Lively, who previously claimed then-President Barack Obama was secretly gay.

While it didn’t go into effect then, the bill and ones like it kept popping up on Uganda’s parliamentary agenda. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden threatened to cut nearly $1 billion in annual aid to Uganda if the bill passed.

A previous version of this story credited Salon with the initial reporting; Salon had republished the article from TYT. The sourcing has been corrected; NCRM regrets the error.

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BIGOTRY

Support for Same-Sex Marriage Falls Across the Board as GOP Leans Into Anti-LGBTQ Rhetoric

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While support for same-sex marriage remains high overall, it’s been dropping over the last three years following GOP attacks on the LGBTQ community.

According to a new Gallup poll, overall support for same-sex marriage is at 69% among Americans. While that’s strong, it’s down two percentage points from 2022, when support hit a record high of 71%.

same-sex marriage gallup poll

Gallup’s data on Americans’ approval for same-sex marriage over time.

The dip can be seen across the political spectrum. When asked if marriage equality should be legal, Republicans’ support fell to 46% from a high of 55% in 2021 and 2022. But support even fell among Democrats and independent voters asked the same question.

READ MORE: WATCH: Moms for Liberty Chapter Chair Flips Out at Drag Queens in Viral Clip

While both demographics still overwhelmingly support marriage equality, it’s started to fall over that same period. In 2022, a record high percentage of Democrats, 87%, thought same-sex marriage should be legal. That fell 4% to 83% this year.

As for independents, in 2023, a record 77% supported marriage equality. But this year, it’s dipped 3% to 74%.

Gallup’s data on Americans’ approval for same-sex marriage over time broken out by party affiliation.

The percentage of Americans who think homosexuality is morally acceptable has also fallen since 2022’s record high. In that year, 71% thought it was morally OK to be gay, but that fell to 64% last year, and held steady at that lower number this year.

Unlike marriage equality, when the question was broken out by political affiliation, the percentage of Democrats rose since last year. In 2024, 81% of Democrats felt homosexuality was morally acceptable, an increase from 2023’s 79% — but still down from 2022’s high of 85%. Independents fell 6% to 68% when compared to last year, while Republicans only fell a single point to 40% over the same period.

The poll was conducted via phone last month. It has a sample size of 1,024 adults, and has 4% margin of error.

While Republican politicians generally have not been pro-LGBTQ, attacks against the community have increased in the last few years. Republicans have banned Pride month displays at U.S. embassies and on public infrastructure. Former President Donald Trump says if he’s re-elected, he’d end protections for queer students.

Right-wing figures like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito have framed the fight for equal rights as being anti-religious. Many states have attempted to pass drag bans. And the conservative majority of the Supreme Court has signaled it may repeal the Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

 

 

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WATCH: Moms for Liberty Chapter Chair Flips Out at Drag Queens in Viral Clip

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moms for liberty california chapter

The chair of the Moms for Liberty California chapter went viral in a video clip harassing drag queens in the lobby of a Hawaiian hotel on Sunday.

The clip was first posted by Hawaii-area drag queen Marina del Rey to her Facebook profile. In the two-minute long clip, the woman, identified as Beth Bourne, begins recording video with her cell phone and starts berating drag queens that were in the lobby of the Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach.

The clip opens with her asking for someone to call the police, before launching into her tirade.

READ MORE: Drag Queen Story Hour Interrupted by Neo-Nazis Seen in Terrifying Video

“I’m sorry, but this is — I paid to be a customer at a hotel where I thought you believed that women were real. That because you put on makeup, because you’re wearing high heels, because you have a Barbie outfit on, that you don’t think this is degrading? This is misogyny,” Bourne says.

She says that if the hotel refunds her money, she will leave, but she’s “not going to have my children come down from the 30th floor and see what’s happening here.” A hotel representative tries to calm her down, but then she starts accosting one of the drag queens.

“Are you in the hotel? Are you dressed up? Are you a man? Are you a man pretending to be a woman?” she asks the queen, who says they’re not “pretending to be anything.”

“What do you think about my son, who might think that he can put on makeup and put on fancy clothing and high heels and have his penis cut off and take estrogen so he can grow fake boobs like those?” she continues.

She keeps yelling at the hotel representative, announcing she paid $3,000 to stay in the hotel and that the sight of the drag queens is “degrading.” The queens start to chuckle at the awkward situation, which sets her off again. She starts asking for the drag queens to identify themselves and tell her “why you think it’s okay to put on a clown costume and do this to young children.” It should be mentioned, no children can be seen in the clip.

She again asks to speak to the police — and she apparently got her wish. Del Rey says that Bourne was handcuffed and escorted out of the hotel for causing a disturbance. Bourne was not actually arrested or charged, del Rey said, but the hotel did trespass her from the property.

In another post, del Ray said that the queens were there to record a video for a pageant. The premise of the video was that the drag queens were posing as hotel staff while in full drag.

“This woman saw us filming and came to a slow burn and then she popped off. Her rant went on and on – possibly with the attempt to get a riled angered response. She didn’t get one. In this video – you see my perspective. In her video – u will see three drag queens surrounded by staff and guests – just sitting down,” del Rey wrote.

She also had kind words for the real hotel staff and the witnesses who “extended compassion of which I’m very very grateful.”

Bourne herself reposted the queens’ video to X. She says that “several other Alohilani hotel guests told me they also found it offensive so I spoke up to the manager yesterday.” She also posted her own video, showing the queens sitting in the lobby.

Her video shows the beginning of the conversation, which starts calmly, with her attempting to debate the queens. But she gets more and more angry — one of the queens even points out that Bourne is “shivering.” Bourne also films the concierge desk so “everyone” will know what the hotel is.

“I paid $3,000 so I can believe in biological reality! I am a real woman! You are fake!” Bourne says.

“I know!” the queen fires back.

The last minute of Bourne’s video overlaps with Marina del Rey’s video, providing the context. In the clip, we can clearly see the drag queens acting calmly.

Bourne is the chair of the California chapter of Moms for Liberty, which has been designated a far-right extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Her bio on X describes herself as a “Mom questioning gender ideology in CA schools,” and clarifies that her views are her own, “not my employer, UC Davis where 1/22 kids is trans.”

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told Hawaii News Now that he was “proud” of the drag queens.

“The video was upsetting, no question. I am proud of the performers from Hawai’i’s LGBTQIA community who maintained their dignity and integrity in the face of such a hostile attack. This type of behavior is unacceptable. It is not aloha, and we will not tolerate it from anyone,” Green said.

Bourne’s employer, UC Davis, released a statement later on Tuesday, condemning Bourne’s actions.

“We are aware of a widely circulated video in which a university employee makes a number of offensive statements. We condemn these statements as deeply hurtful. While the employee’s comments are protected by the First Amendment, they do not reflect the values of respect and belonging that form the foundation of our campus community,” the statement read.

“To the LGBTQ community, UC Davis is a place where you should feel seen and supported. June is when the nation celebrates Pride Month, and at UC Davis we’re committed to making sure this community has every opportunity to thrive and flourish on our campus.”

Update (6/25/2024, 7:30 p.m. ET): This story has been updated to include UC Davis’ statement.

Featured image taken from a screenshot of Marina Del Rey’s video.

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Anti-Defamation League Calls Kanye West’s Hebrew-Language Antisemitism Apology ‘First Step’

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The Anti-Defamation League said that though Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, had caused “untold damage by using his vast influence and platform to poison countless minds with vicious antisemitism and hate,” his Tuesday Hebrew-language apology posted to Instagram was a “first step.”

Ye emptied out his Instagram account, which has 18.3 million followers, except for one post—the apology. The post featured no caption nor a translation into English. Only 22% of American Jews have “minimal to native fluency” in Hebrew, according to the American Jewish Committee, with 42% unable to read or speak the language at all.

“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for my unplanned outburst caused by my words or actions, it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused. I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future,” the post read, according to a translation from The Jerusalem Post. “Your forgiveness is important to me and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.”

READ MORE: ‘This Is Nazism’: Americans Outraged After Kanye West Praises Hitler – ‘This Is Not a Clown Show. It’s Dangerous’

Later Tuesday morning, the ADL posted to X, formerly Twitter, with its comment on Ye’s apology.

“After causing untold damage by using his vast influence and platform to poison countless minds with vicious antisemitism and hate, an apology in Hebrew may be the first step on a long journey towards making amends to the Jewish community and all those who he has hurt. Ultimately, actions will speak louder than words but this initial act of contrition is welcome,” the ADL wrote.

Ye’s apology follows the release of his latest album, Vultures, which came out on December 15. The album itself has led to controversy over a line from the title track, “How I’m antisemitic? I just f*cked a Jewish b*tch.”

In addition, some people pointed out the album art’s similarity to the cover of an album by Neo-Nazi metal band Burzum, according to Moment. Ye also wore a hood similar to the Ku Klux Klan at a Miami listening party on December 13, according to the Guardian. Ye’s hood was black, compared to the KKK hoods which are typically white.

Ye made a brief apology for his antisemitism in October 2022, when he said that he “likes Jewish people again” after watching Jonah Hill in 21 Jump Street in a now-deleted Instagram post, according to Rolling Stone.

Prior to watching the comedy film, Ye had appeared on Alex Jones’ Infowars to praise Adolf Hitler. Ye was also alleged to have wanted to name an album Hitler, according to CNN, which also reported that West had made antisemitic comments that went unaired during his 2018 TMZ interview where he said that slavery “sounds like a choice.”

This February, the ADL compiled a report of antisemitic incidents that directly referenced Ye and his previous comments. There were at least 30 such incidents, many including the phrase “Ye Is Right.” One infamous incident happened in October 2022, when the “Goyim Defense League,” an antisemitic extremist group, hung banners reading “Kanye is right about the Jews” across the United States.

 

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