FLORIDA: Bakery Gets Death Threats After Refusing To Make Cake Reading "We Do Not Support Gay Marriage"

Florida police are investigating alleged death threats after a Christian pastor urged his followers to contact a bakery that had refused to make him a cake reading "We Do Not Support Gay Marriage." Via Mediaite:

Joshua Feuerstein encouraged viewers to call the bakery and and help “expose the hypocrisy” they’re supposedly engaging in. Well, in a parallel of what happened to Memories Pizza in Indiana, Cut the Cake ended up receiving quite a lot of angry messages, including death threats. Sharon Haller, who Feuerstein spoke to on the phone, said, “We started getting some hundreds of phone calls and making very nasty and negative gestures towards our business, towards us.” Feuerstein took down the video at their request, but Cut the Cake posted it online so people could see it, along with a GoFundMe page that has raised, as of this posting, over $2000.

Watch both clips.

PFOX To SCOTUS: Stop Same-Sex Marriage Because Gays Totally Make Fun Of Us

The "ex-gay" loony tunes at PFOX have filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in which they argue that same-sex marriage must not be approved because, among other nonsensical reasons, people make fun of them. From the conclusion of their brief:

Same-sex attraction is not an immutable characteristic determined at birth, like race or gender. The growing public acknowledgment of ex-gays and the personal testimonies of the individuals included above demonstrate that same-sex attraction is a phenomenon that can and does change. Sadly, because their very existence undermines the immutability narrative, ex-gays have been treated with hatred and disrespect by gay activist organizations. Homosexual sexual orientation is not predetermined and fixed by “the accident of birth,”but is in fact subject to alteration and change. Therefore, Amicus asks this honorable Court to not declare that sexual orientation is a new suspect class. For the foregoing reasons, this honorable Court should affirm the decision of United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Among the testimonies in the brief is one from "conversion therapist" Richard Cohen, who appeared on CNN to demonstrate his cure for homosexuality, which consists of beating a pillow with a tennis racket while screaming, "Mom! Mom! Mom! Why did you do that to me?" Which, of course, everybody makes fun of.

Viral Video Of The Day

Over 12M views in three days.

Robert Oscar Lopez To SCOTUS: Stop Same-Sex Marriage Because Gays Are Being Just Horrible To Me

Homocon horcrux Robert Oscar Lopez has filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in which he argues that same-sex marriage must not be approved because gay writers like me have just been horrible to him. An excerpt:

The history of the gay community lashing out at people who have been raised by gay parents is long, ugly, and shocking. This brief affords me limited space, so here I would like to present a few examples to the Court based on my firsthand experience. Zack Ford a journalist with ThinkProgress, has called me “anti-equality.” Jeremy Hooper, who worked long-term with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance against Defamation (GLAAD), called me “anti-gay.” Ty Cobb, an employee of the pro-gay Human Rights Campaign, sent an email to all of his concern’s members (more than a million people) naming me as someone with un-American values, an “exporter of hate.”  Ford and Hooper stated these things on their respective editorial sites: namely ThinkProgress and Good as You. Other sites including Frontiers LA, Right Wing Watch, Raw Story, Towleroad, Equality Matters, Huffington Post, JoeMyGod, and Human Rights Campaign have reinforced this labeling of me. These labels have been attached so ubiquitously to my name that any search on Google of “Robert Oscar Lopez” will take an Internet surfer to stories of my “anti-equality” and “anti-gay” crimes against the gay community. As a result of this online association between my name and anti-gay bigotry, I have lost speaking engagements, been physically mobbed at venues such as Catholic University of America, and faced harassment at my job, at social events, and at professional conferences including ones that have nothing to do with any gay issues.

According to Lopez, all those verbatim quotes we've been posting are out of context or have been deleted from his site. Therefore he really didn't say those things. Or something. (Tipped by JMG reader Str8 Grandmother)

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Last month Lopez declared that gay activists are incentivizing home-wreckers. Also last month Lopez declared that gay parents like Elton John are disgusting terrorists. In December 2014 Lopez filed an amicus brief with the Eleventh Circuit Court in which he opposed Florida marriage because gays have been telling lies about him. In September 2014 Lopez compared the Human Rights Campaign to the Khmer Rouge. Also in September 2014 Lopez petitioned the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to stop gay marriage in Texas because he used to be a prostitute. In April 2014 Lopez filed an anti-gay amicus brief in support of Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage. In March 2014 Lopez declared that gay men are turning surrogate mothers into breeding slaves. In 2013, in addition to appearing on stage at an anti-gay Manif Pour Tous rally in France that was supported by neo-Nazis, Lopez testified against LGBT equality before several state legislatures and he co-signed an anti-gay homocon brief to the Supreme Court in support of DOMA. You really must read the Media Matters take on Lopez' trilogy of gay erotica.

Broadway Bares To Return To Fire Island

From Broadway Cares:

The modern day burlesque Broadway Bares heads back to the beach this May, kicking off the summer season with a sizzling edition of Broadway Bares Fire Island. Once again, the sexy men and women of Broadway Bares will return to Fire Island Pines, NY, for two performances, produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. A more intimate version of the annual Broadway Bares performances in New York City, the Fire Island show on May 30, 2015, will feature an evening of new numbers directed by Michael Lee Scott. The show will be performed at 7 pm and 9 pm at Whyte Hall's Brandon Fradd Theater. Broadway Bares Fire Island will feature the Bares dancers performing on a runway jutting into the audience. The show will be followed by Bares' famous "rotation" where the performers freestyle dance for donations. All tickets to Broadway Bares Fire Island include free cocktails on the Albert Lepage Pavilion at Whyte Hall a half-hour before curtain

Video might not be work-friendly. Tickets at the link.

NORTH DAKOTA: Paper Publishes Photos Of Pols Who Voted Against LGBT Rights

From the HRC's blog:

The cover of yesterday’s Forum of Fargo-Moorhead made a bold statement for LGBT equality, featuring the photos of North Dakota House Representatives who voted against non-discrimination protections. According to the Forum, this was the third time in six years the House failed to pass a measure that would prohibit bias in housing and employment based on sexual orientation. Earlier this week, The Indianapolis Star published a similar front-page editorial calling for Indiana lawmakers and Governor Mike Pence to ensure that the recently passed religious refusal law cannot be used as a shield for discrimination.

The paper denies that it was trying to shame those legislators. Jim Romenesko has more:

In today’s Morning Report, I said The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead tried to shame lawmakers for voting against a bill that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. That’s wrong, says editor Matthew Von Pinnon. “We did not do it to shame anyone, as many people are [implying],” he says. “We did it simply to convey the info people wanted to know, no matter which side of the issue they are on. They wanted to know how each lawmaker voted. We shared all votes, including from the Senate, which had earlier narrowly passed the bill.” The newspaper has received dozens of emails and phone calls, says the editor, “but social media has just blown up over it.” People on Twitter are praising the paper for making “a bold statement for LGBT equality,” and “[calling] out anti-gay reps,” which it’s not doing, according to Von Pinnon.

CALIFORNIA: "Shellfish Suppression Act" Filed As Proposed 2016 Ballot Measure

While California Attorney General Kamala Harris goes to court in an attempt to quash the Sodomite Suppression Act, others are mocking that proposed gay death penalty referendum with ballot measures of their own. Last week saw the filing of the Jackass Suppression Act and this week we get the Shellfish Suppression Act. Via All Gov California:

Joe Decker of San Jose just missed filing his request with the AG’s office on April Fool’s Day, but his April 2 submission and a check for $200 earns him a chance to watch the candidate for U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer’s seat in 2016 explain his initiative in less than 100 words. Decker’s initiative begins with this pronouncement: “Shellfish are a monstrous evil that Almighty God, giver of freedom and liberty, commands us in Leviticus to suppress. They also smell bad.”

The Sodomite initiative invokes homosexuality as a “monstrous evil that Almighty God, giver of freedom and liberty, commands us to suppress.” That law would require that “any person who willingly touches another person of the same gender for purposes of sexual gratification be put to death by bullets to the head or any other convenient method.”

Decker’s initiative does not seek such a harsh penalty. He wants the law amended so, “Any person who willingly consumes or sells shellfish is guilty of a felony, and shall be fined $666 thousand per occurrence, and/or imprisoned up to 6 years, 6 months, and 6 days.” A violation would be considered a “serious felony” under Subdivision (c) of California Penal Code, Section 1192.7.

Like the author of the Sodomite Act, Orange County attorney Matthew McLaughlin, not much is known about Decker. He listed his address on his submission to the AG as 1702-L Meridian Avenue, San Jose, which appears to be a UPS store in a strip mall. But he seems to have a better sense of humor than his mentor from afar and is less demanding. While McLaughlin, a lawyer, wants his law posted in every classroom for educational purposes, Decker does not demand his be posted in restaurants and seafood shops.

I'm betting that we see more of these.

Tweet Of The Week

NEVADA: RFRA Bill Dies, Haters Now 0-4

Via the Las Vegas Journal-Review:

Nevada legislation criticized as giving businesses and corporations a license to discriminate against gay customers appears to have fizzled in light of nationwide outrage over similar “religious freedom” bills in Arkansas and Indiana. Silver State officials opposing the bill in Carson City gained a high-profile backer late Thursday. “The Governor believes that this bill is not necessary because the interests of all Nevadans are protected under current law,” Mari St. Martin, spokeswoman for Gov. Brian Sandoval said Thursday night.

Even the bill sponsors are backing away from it. “After careful reflection and consultation with legislative counsel, I have determined that Nevada’s Constitution already contains adequate safeguards and protections for the civil liberties of Nevada’s citizens, and further legislative emphasis of these rights would be unnecessary,” freshman legislator and Assembly Judiciary Committee Vice Chairman Erven Nelson, R-Las Vegas, said Thursday. The reaction to Indiana’s legislation was a factor in deciding to withdraw the bill, Nelson said. “We obviously do not want to have happen in Nevada what’s been threatened to happen in Indiana as far as a boycott and things like that.

It's been a pretty good week for Big Gay, huh?

Liberty Counsel To SCOTUS: Don't Approve Same-Sex Marriage Because Sodomy Should Still Be Illegal Anyway

The Liberty Counsel today filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, arguing that same-sex marriage must not be legalized nationwide because homosexuality should still be criminalized in the first place. An excerpt:

Nearly seven decades of Kinseyan cultural transformation have shown that Kinsey’s promises of a freer, more enlightened and safer society were, at best, illusory, and at worst, deceptive. All of the cultural indicators that should have improved according to Kinsey and his supporters have in fact declined, in some cases, precipitously, as the full effect of the called-for changes has become manifest. Kinsey claimed that fornication and adultery were widespread and not harmful. If anything, according to Kinsey, such experiences actually strengthened marriages. Therefore, laws against fornication and adultery were unjust, unfair and unconstitutional. Drafters of the MPC [Moral Penal Code] took Kinsey’s advice and decriminalized those sexual offenses. Instead of strengthening marriages, the decriminalization and destigmatization of adultery, fornication and other non-marital conduct have had the opposite effect.

According to the Liberty Counsel, the decriminalization of "non-marital conduct" is responsible for increases in rape and illegitimate babies. So stop them gays from getting married.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention this bit from their press release: "Liberty Counsel is calling Christians to unite in fasting and prayer for three days before Supreme Court hears the case on April 23, 24, and 25."

NOTE: The anti-gay briefs are pouring in and I'll be excerpting more of them over the weekend. Hang onto your hats.

Funny Or Die Takes On RFRA Laws

Starring James Van Der Beek and Anna Camp, whom you might know as the deliciously evil Sarah Newlin on True Blood.

NOM Joins Angie's List Boycott

In March 2012, NOM launched their boycott of Starbucks. Since then Starbucks' stock value has almost doubled, rising from $48.96 to $97.46. In June 2012, NOM launched their boycott of General Mills. Since then General Mills' stock value has soared from $37.90 to $56.55. Today is the day you might want to add Angie's List to your portfolio. From NOM's petition:

"Dear Mr. Oesterle, I have canceled my Angie's List membership because you have demonstrated clearly over the past few days that you oppose religious liberty and have no regard for my most precious, fundamental values and beliefs. I am also encouraging all of my family and friends who have Angie's List accounts to do the same. Your disregard for religous freedom is shameful and I will not be giving you another cent of my business because of it."

Listen closely and you'll hear the celebrating at Angie's List headquarters.

MISSOURI: Springfield Readies For Repeal Vote On LGBT Non-Discrimination Laws

Colin Murphy reports at Boom LGBT:

Mirroring a wave of anti-equality efforts in state legislatures and cities across the nation, opponents of a recently passed LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance in Missouri's third largest city are asking voters to repeal the law on April 7. In a 6-3 vote on Oct. 13, The Springfield City Council passed City Ordinance 6141, a bill to amend the city’s current nondiscrimination ordinance by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected categories in employment, housing, and public accommodations.

But any celebration was short-lived when the following month an opposition group successfully turned in more than 2,600 signatures (the threshold is 10 percent of the votes in the most recent April municipal election) to repeal the expansion through a ballot referendum known as Question 1. Proponents of the repeal say they don't want the regulations expanding into their businesses, their churches - or their bathrooms. "We're in a battle for our children and our children's children," said Calvin Morrow, Yes on Question 1 spokesman, the Springfield News Leader reports. Morrow went on to call the ordinance an attack on Christianity.

Leading the repeal drive is local megachurch Pastor John Lindell, who says, "It is possible for someone who has been a life-long alcoholic to stop. It is possible for somebody who has a cutting tongue and a big mouth to stop. It is possible for someone who is engaged in homosexual behavior to stop." Over 100 Springfield businesses have formed a coalition in opposition to the repeal. Yesterday the anti-LGBT side posted the below testimony from a local gay man who supports the repeal of his own rights. Note the on-screen message at the end.

Sia - Big Girls Cry

Via Billboard:

The third part of Sia’s video trilogy with “Dance Moms” star Maddie Ziegler has landed and - just like her controversial promo for “Elastic Heart,” which also featured actor Shia LaBeouf and drew criticism for its provocative content– it’s a powerful and visually striking piece of film. The difference this time around is that 12-year-old Maddie Ziegler performs alone, straight to camera with only her face and shoulders in view for the majority of the clip, which is filmed in front of a stark black backdrop. At one point, the pre-teen dancer’s body is hoisted into the air by another pair of hands and the video takes on a disturbing air as we watch her legs frantically struggle to break free. Thankfully, Ziegler – wearing her now trademark skin-colored body suit and blonde bob wig - breaks free and falls to the ground where she resumes her distinctively animalistic and frenzied routine.

Over 4M views in one day.

Ben Shapiro Has The RFRA Sadz

Religion's Gifts To The World

The monthly series is back.

LOUISIANA: Poll Shows 36% Back Firing People For Being Gay Or Transgender

A poll from Equality Louisiana reveals that while hardly anybody supports refusing service to LGBT folks, 36% believe that firing somebody for being gay or transgender is perfectly fine. Poll details.

Special Swag: Mike Signorile's New Book

Michelangelo Signorile's latest book, It's Not Over, goes on sale nationwide on Tuesday and we've got three copies to give away to JMG readers. From the Amazon description:

Marriage equality has surged across the country. Closet doors have burst open in business, entertainment, and even major league sports. But Michelangelo Signorile argues in his most provocative book yet, the excitement of such breathless change makes this moment more dangerous than ever. Puncturing the illusion that victory is now inevitable, Signorile marshals stinging evidence that an age-old hatred, homophobia, is still a basic fact of American life. He exposes the bigotry of the brewing religious conservative backlash against LGBT rights and challenges the complacency and hypocrisy of supposed allies in Washington, the media, and Hollywood.Not just a wake-up call, It's Not Over is also a battle plan for the fights to come in the march toward equality.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald raves:

For 25 years, Michelangelo Signorile has been one of America's most incisive critics and influential activists in the movement for gay equality, and It’s Not Over demonstrates he is better than ever. The new book is a penetrating look at one of the great social movements of our time and the challenges that lay before it. With detailed reporting and razor-sharp analysis, Signorile exposes the dangerous triumphalism that has taken hold. He reveals the bigotry and bias still deeply embedded in the media, the political establishment, and throughout American culture. And he provides an illuminating, stirring plan of action to vanquish it.

Enter to win It's Not Over by commenting on this post. You can either leave an email address that you check frequently or I can respond to your comment with the notice of your win. (You'll need to check your Disqus notifications.) Winners are chosen by using a random number generator. Entries close at midnight on Monday and I'll post the names of the winners on Tuesday when the book launches.

Todd Starnes Has The RFRA Sadz

HRC On Indiana's RFRA Fix

Details.

Ted Cruz Ad: I'm Running Because Jesus

Neatly timed for Good Friday.

BROOKLYN: Hillary Clinton Campaign Signs Office Lease For 2016 Headquarters

Via Politico:

The lease is signed: Hillary Clinton’s campaign headquarters will work out of 1 Pierrepont Plaza in Brooklyn Heights, according to a source familiar with the deal. The campaign will occupy two full floors of the office building, which is close to 12 subways lines and a dozen bus lines, and will be taking them as is – no buildout. On its website, the building markets it as “Modern Offices. Brooklyn Cool.” The Clinton team’s neighbors in the building will be Morgan Stanley and the office of the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. The clock on Clinton’s official announcement is now officially ticking. FEC rules state that you have 15 days between conducting campaign activities and filing a campaign committee.

(Tipped by JMG reader Joseph)

MICHIGAN: Wingnut Gets Muslim Bakeries To Refuse To Make Gay Wedding Cakes

Wingnut "comedian" pundit Steven Crowder, last seen here dressing in drag to mock transgender people, visited several Muslim bakeries in Dearborn, Michigan where he was turned away after asking them to make gay wedding cakes. Ah hah! Meme proven! Except not, because what Crowder fails to mention, of course, is that Michigan, like 28 other states, does not have public accommodation protections for LGBT citizens. Note Crowder's affected effeminate voice and mannerisms. The clip below is approaching 400K views. Crowder does say this: "Many of those Muslim bakeries were kind enough and willing to serve us."

MAINE: Former State Lawmaker Throws Jar Of Vaseline At GOP Gov. Paul LePage

Via the Huffington Post:

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) abruptly ended a town hall event Thursday evening after a former state lawmaker threw a jar of Vaseline at him. Former state Rep. Joanne Twomey (D) missed LePage with the petroleum jelly. She was immediately escorted out of the auditorium by security and LePage ended the event, which had been intended to sell his budget plan. Video of the encounter shows members of LePage's security detail blocking Twomey as she tries to approach the stage while arguing with the governor. Then Twomey takes something from her purse and throws it at LePage. Towney, who served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1998 until 2006, told WGME she chose Vaseline as a reference to LePage's 2013 comments about state Sen. Troy Jackson, a Democrat. "Sen. Jackson claims to be for the people, but he's the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline," LePage said in 2013. "He is bad. He has no brains, and he has a black heart."

Quote Of The Day - Amanda Marcotte

"[B]igots cannot wait to play the victim. Don’t give them legitimate cause. Just as with the people sending glitter bombs to anti-choicers. Yes, it’s funny watching a bunch of people who would literally force you to give birth against your will whine because they have glitter in the carpet. But these folks are dying for any angle they can get to play the victim. If they can get the tiniest toe hold to claim that your actions extend beyond free speech into harassment and attempt to cause material harm, they are going to grab it and hang on for dear life. So don’t." - Raw Story columnist Amanda Marcotte, responding to the threats against the Indiana pizza parlor. Marcotte suggests that merely quoting bigots verbatim is "often enough to make your point." Which is kind of the entire theme of this here website thingy.

Mike Huckbee: Gay Activists Won't Stop Until There Are No More Churches Left

Because He Nailed It

Britain's Portswood Church has launched a rather bizarre Easter campaign on social media with the title "Because He Nailed It." I thought this was a spoof when I first saw it.

Fund For Indiana Pizza Parlor Nears $500K

The donation page for Indiana's Memories Pizza has neared $500K after being set up by Glenn Beck's BlazeTV following reports that the restaurant had closed temporarily in the wake of death threats against its owners. Via Market Watch:

The initial goal of the Gofundme campaign was to raise $25,000, and the campaign was announced when [Blaze reporter Lawrence] O’Connor appeared on Dana Loesch’s show. Jones said the O’Connor family didn’t ask for the campaign. “The intent was to help the family stave off the burdensome cost of having the media parked out front, activists tearing them down, and no customers coming in,” he wrote. “Our goal was simply to help take one thing off this family’s plate as the strangers sought to destroy them.” “But other strangers came to the rescue and the total just keeps going up.” By midday Eastern time on Thursday, the campaign had raised $133,424 from 4,620 people. Friday morning, the total was $491,976 from 16,620 people. Jones said the campaign will keep going “as long as people are giving.” On Thursday, he had predicted the total could reach $250,000. “This is not an antigay message,” he said. “This is freedom.”

On Wednesday an Indiana high school coach was suspended after tweeting a threat to burn down the restaurant. Local police are investigating.

“The Walkerton Police Department is committed to extending professional police services to all in need, regardless of said person’s sexual, religious, or political views,” according to the release. “We encourage all to follow Indiana Laws and Statutes. We ask that all frustrations and rebuttals with Memories Pizza’s recent media statements remain within the law.” Concord Community Schools superintendent Wayne Stubbs confirmed that the district is aware of the situation and [Jess] Dooley has been suspended from her coaching duties pending further investigation.

The restaurant's donation page closes today and a financial adviser has reportedly volunteered to help the owners with their windfall.

Dan Savage Vs Sen. Tom Cotton

Dan Savage appeared on MSNBC yesterday to respond to Sen. Tom Cotton, who dismissed anti-gay legislation in the United States as unimportant because gay people are being executed in Iran. Savage: "The hypocrisy of people like Tom Cotton, who wants America to get credit for being better on gay issues but will point to how bad it is elsewhere to justify making it worse here, how do you rationalize that except through some bigot blender brain?"

Thomas Peters On RFRA

TRAILER: Amy

Via Pitchfork:

Four years after her untimely death, Amy Winehouse is being remembered with Amy, a two-hour documentary which arrives in British theaters July 3, and will receive a U.S. release in the summer. It's directed by BAFTA-winning director Asif Kapaida (best known for Senna, 2010's biopic about the late Brazillian racing champion Ayrton Senna), and tells Winehouse's story through extensive footage compiled from various points in her life.

Tony Perkins Has The Indiana Sadz

"You may be wondering why legislators, who just last week overwhelmingly voted to protect religious liberty, would now introduce a new law that would use the government as a weapon against people who simply follow their beliefs on marriage. It isn't because the American people are clamoring for it. In fact, a new Rasmussen survey released just yesterday finds that 70 percent of Americans supports the right of a Christian wedding photographer to decline a same-sex ceremony. The answer is Big Business. Big corporations like Apple, Angie's List and Walmart are now putting religious freedom in a worse place than before RFRA was signed into law. Under this gutting law, even nonprofits deemed 'not religious enough' face government discrimination for declining to facilitate same-sex wedding ceremonies. If the government punishes people for living their faith, there are no limits to what government can control." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via press release.

GEORGIA: Session Ends With No RFRA

It's almost midnight in Georgia on the last day of the legislative session and legislators are still banging away at bills about craft beer and jet fuel. But the RFRA bill is dead. Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Georgia’s bid for a “religious liberty” measure has been on life support for days, but leaders pulled the plug on the legislation with just a few hours left in the legislative session. Gov. Nathan Deal, who has repeatedly said he would support legislation that mirrored the 1993 law, signaled the debate has become too toxic. He said in an interview that supporters ensure that anti-discrimination language is in the measure next year if they want to earn his signature. “That’s the most important thing. And that is a delicate thing to do,” he said. “There’s been so much hyperbole. It’s hard to identify what can you say without saying too much, what can you say without saying too little, and what will people read into either version that you like.” And House Speaker David Ralston told GPB’s “Lawmakers” program late Thursday that the controversial legislation will resurface next year. "We have a committee process and we have acted on that process. It just couldn’t get out of committee … I’m not going to have the House committee process subverted.”

Mark down today as 0-3 for the haters.

Bryan Fischer Has The Indiana Sadz

INDIANA: Gov. Pence Signs RFRA Fix Bill

All those wingnut calls for a veto went unheeded, but as with Arkansas, this is a meager "win" for our side as there are still no real statewide LGBT protections in Indiana. On the upside, local ordinances such the robust protections in Indianapolis remain intact.

Coca-Cola Has Got Your Back (This Time)

"Coca-Cola does not support any legislation that discriminates, in our home state of Georgia or anywhere else. Coca-Cola values and celebrates diversity. We believe policies that would allow a business to refuse service to an individual based upon discrimination of any kind, does not only violate our Company's core values, but would also negatively affect our consumers, customers, suppliers, bottling partners and associates. As a business, it is appropriate for us to help foster diversity, unity and respect among all people. We advocate for inclusion, equality and diversity through both our policies and practices. Coca-Cola does not condone intolerance or discrimination of any kind anywhere in the world." - Coca-Cola, in a statement released today.

RELATED: Coca-Cola was a major sponsor of the Sochi Olympics, spawning anti-Coke protests in New York City, London, and other major cities.

ARKANSAS: Gov. Asa Hutchinson Signs Amended Version Of RFRA Bill

CNN reports:

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a religious freedom measure into law on Thursday after state lawmakers overhauled their proposal so that it mirrors the federal law. In the wake of intense backlash against a similar law in Indiana, first-term Republican governor had rejected the first version Arkansas lawmakers had sent to his desk, instead asking for two tweaks so there would be no daylight between his state's law and the one President Bill Clinton signed in 1993. "I think it's sending the right signal, the way this has been resolved, to the world and the country that Arkansas understands the diversity of our culture and workforce but also the importance of balancing that with our sincerely held religious convictions," Hutchinson said Thursday afternoon.

There's also this:

Meanwhile, Hutchinson said, he's considering signing an executive order that bars discrimination among the state's workforce. "The issue has become divisive because our nation remains split on how to balance the diversity of our culture with the traditions and firmly held religious convictions," Hutchinson said then. "It has divided families, and there is clearly a generational gap on this issue." Case in point, Hutchinson said: His son Seth signed a petition asking him to veto the bill — and also gave his father permission to tell reporters he'd done so.

So at the end of all this mess, in Arkansas at least, it appears that the wingnuts get a relatively toothless "religious freedom" bill and we might get protections for state employees. Still standing is the bill that repeals local LGBT rights ordinances.

UPDATE: The ACLU reacts.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson today signed SB 975 into law, a revised bill that sought to improve upon Religious Freedom Restoration Act HB 1228, which closely resembled Indiana’s controversial RFRA. In doing so, he rejected the earlier HB 1228, which, like Indiana’s divisive law, allowed anyone to use their religious beliefs to claim that they have a right to refuse to follow virtually any law, including nondiscrimination laws.

The revised version was proposed following Gov. Hutchinson’s acknowledgement yesterday of HB 1228’s significant flaws, yet it falls short in protecting against the use of religion to avoid following laws that protect Arkansans from harm. The new RFRA can still be invoked to justify discrimination against gay and transgender people, people of color, minority faiths, women, and other Arkansans at risk.

We are grateful that Gov. Hutchinson and members of the General Assembly have listened to the loud outcry in opposition to HB 1228 and have enacted a new proposal. But this new law fails to protect against the use of religion to discriminate against and harm others. Religious liberty is a fundamental value that the ACLU of Arkansas has been working to uphold since 1969. We will be vigilant and ensure that the shield of religious freedom doesn't become a sword used to harm others in the State of Arkansas.

NORTH DAKOTA: Lawmakers Kill Bill That Would Have Granted LGBT Protections

The Bismarck Tribune reports:

For the third time in six years, North Dakota lawmakers have killed legislation that would outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. House lawmakers voted by nearly a 2-to-1 margin Thursday to defeat Senate Bill 2279, which would have added sexual orientation to state law that already protects against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability or status with respect to marriage or public assistance. The bill was divided at the request of Assistant Minority Leader Corey Mock, D-Grand Forks, forcing lawmakers to vote separately on outlawing discrimination when it comes to public accommodations and services and the advertising of them, and on housing, employment, financial assistance and personal business transactions.

In February the bill narrowly won passage in the state Senate by a 25-22 vote. (Tipped by JMG reader George)

INDIANA: Pence Gets RFRA "Fix" Bill

From the Indianapolis Star:

The Indiana House voted 66-30 to alter the divisive "religious freedom" law to remove fears that it would allow businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians. The Indiana Senate voted 34-16 to OK changes to the "religious freedom" law. The measure now goes to Gov. Mike Pence, who has yet to say whether he'll sign the measure into law, veto it or let it become law without his signature.

Anti-gay groups are demanding that Gov. Pence veto the new version of the bill. While LGBT groups and allies have unanimously denounced the amended bill as inadequate, as yet none have called for a veto.

TRAILER: It Takeis Two

A new web series:

In this “reality”-series, actor and activist George Takei (Star Trek’s Sulu) and husband Brad Takei navigate their daily lives, from the internet and Broadway to jetpacks and human hamster balls. With a recipe that is one part optimism and one part pragmatism, this dynamic duo overcomes life’s obstacles, reminding us that any great enterprise Takeis Two.

Chuck Woolery: I'm Still A Total Douche

Woolery fails to mention that gays are the best game show creators, as the only reason anybody in the world even knows his name is because Merv Griffin gave him that Wheel Of Fortune gig in 1975. These days he can be found hawking real estate in 4AM infomercials.

Homocon Tammy Bruce On RFRA: LGBT Activists Have Become Fascist Bullies

Tammy Bruce is super-concerned about a pizza joint, but she regularly appears at CPAC alongside the advocates of the criminalization of homosexuality and the gay death penalty.

Brian Brown: Veto The Indiana RFRA Fix

Via email from Brian Brown:

Stung by a furor of false accusations against the Indiana Religious Liberty Restoration Act, some Republican legislators are proposing to "fix" the law by stripping it of any chance to protect people of faith against being forced by law to participate in same-sex 'marriage' ceremonies that violate their deeply held religious beliefs. Worse, they are rewarding gay activists and celebrities like Miley Cyrus who intentionally and massively mischaracterized the legislation passed last week with expanded "anti-discrimination" provisions that will be used as a club by these same activists to punish people of faith for supporting biblical principles in the way they live their lives.

Russell Moore, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, recently tweeted: "This Indiana 'compromise' is a train wreck. It should be voted down." This "fix" legislation must be defeated! It is like paying ransom to a kidnapper — a complete abandonment of principle in the face of political pressure from those bent on redefining marriage and imposing a radical agenda on the country. Please sign this petition immediately so that Governor Mike Pence and top Republican legislators realize that we will not stand for this abandonment of people of faith in order to reward the radical left who have grossly mischaracterized the Religious Liberty Restoration Act.

LGBT groups don't like this fix either, but if it gets signed we'll at least get to enjoy lots of wingnut wailing.

Pat Robertson: Gays Will Force You To Like Anal Sex, Oral Sex, And Bestiality

Mat Staver: Gays Are Like Hamas

"Their agenda doesn’t stop until they are completely dominating anybody who ultimately does not not only agree but promote and affirm their lifestyle. Their agenda will not stop, it will ultimately result in fines and prosecution. This is an intolerant agenda. This is like dealing with terrorists, negotiating with people who have a zero-sum game and they don’t want you to exist. It is like the Palestinians and the Israelis: the Palestinians in Gaza don’t like the Jews to exist in the land, so no matter how much land you give them for so-called peace, it doesn’t really satisfy them. There is no satisfying this radical agenda, they don’t want you to exist. If you do exist, they want you to promote and applaud their sinful lifestyle." - Liberty Counsel head Mat Staver, speaking to World Net Daily.

Tony Perkins: Veto The Indiana RFRA Fix

"On the eve of Good Friday, Big Business is encouraging elected leaders to take the silver over religious freedom.This new proposal guts the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and empowers the government to impose punishing fines on people for following their beliefs about marriage. Religious freedom should not be held hostage by Big Business. Big Business is now putting religious freedom in a worse place than before RFRA was signed into law. Gutting RFRA in this manner would put people of faith in the crosshairs of government discrimination as never before. Far from being a 'clarification,' this would gut religious freedom in Indiana. Religious freedom doesn't need a 'fix.' This proposal would force religious businesses and even nonprofits deemed 'not religious enough' to participate in wedding ceremonies contrary to their owners' beliefs. If the government punishes people for living their faith, there are no limits to what government can control. We urge the governor to veto this measure that will be used by the government to bring financial ruin on people like florist Barronelle Stutzman, bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein, and wedding photographer Elaine Huguenin." - KKK-affiliated hate group leader Tony Perkins, via press release.

NOTE: If you're wondering why the hate cabal always brings up the same names, that's because (as far as I can tell) only six businesses have ever been fined for violating gay-inclusive public accommodations laws since Wisconsin became the first state with such an ordinance 33 years ago. But go on any wingnut site and you'll be told that evil gays are closing down Christian businesses right and left every single day.

Sen. Tom Cotton On RFRA: At Least The GOP Isn't Hanging Gay Americans

INDIANA: Haters Have The Sadz, Allies & LGBTs Say "Fix" Isn't Good Enough

While FRC vice president JP Duffy and other crackpots rend their garments, our side is pointing out that Indiana's RFRA fix isn't nearly good enough. Via Think Progress:

LGBT people in Indiana gain no new rights from the fix: In the wake of the backlash against the original Indiana RFRA law, many LGBT rights groups hope that the state would enact anti-discrimination provisions protecting gay and trans people in Indiana at the state level. The fix includes none of these protections. What that means is that LGBT people who live in cities like Indianapolis will regain the rights they already enjoyed before the state RFRA law took effect, but LGBT people who were unprotected before this law will remain unprotected.

Also dismissing the fix is Angie's List.

IBM Joins Gay Borg, Denounces RFRA

Scott Lively: The Evil Gay Borg Is Forcing Everybody To Assimilate Into Marxism

"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. Like Captain Picard, the Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, has attempted to reason with Borg and learned that there is no compromise with the Collective. 'Resistance is futile' said Borg drone Tim Cook, the formerly human representative of the now-Collectivist entity Apple Computers. The refrain was echoed by a chorus of other drones, including some from the newly Borg-acquired National Collegiate Athletic Association. No existing member of the American Marxist collective is allowed to dissent from the view that homosexuality and related perversions are deserving of legal protection and cultural celebration.

"Moreover, any dissent from outside the Collective attracts the entire body of Borg-like drones — like a swarm of hornets — in the single-minded quest to seek and either assimilate or destroy whatever person or entity has been foolish enough to challenge it. Many Americans are surprised that major companies like Apple, Ebay, PayPal, and Angie’s List are leading the charge against Indiana on behalf of the homosexual movement. They are shocked that government entities like the State of Connecticut have banned all state-funded travel there. Wake up, America! That’s just how the LGBT Borg operates and it‘s getting stronger with every conquest." - Scott Lively, in a blog post republished today by Matt Barber.

FLORIDA: House Panel Advances Bill To Allow Anti-LGBT Adoption Discrimination

This bill is apparently a different version of the bill that advanced a couple of weeks ago, when I wrote this recap of the situation:

Florida's 1977 ban on gay adoption was struck down by a Miami-Dade County court in 2008. The state appealed that ruling, but it was upheld in a 2010 state district appeals court decision. Following that appeals court ruling then-Gov. Charlie Crist announced that the ban would no longer be enforced, making last week's House strike down of the 1977 statute merely symbolic. That symbolic gesture must still be approved by the Florida Senate and Gov. Rick Scott. Enter hate group leader John Stemberger, who yesterday sent a letter to all Florida legislators, telling them that the 2010 ruling only applies to the counties under the jurisdiction of the appeals court and that the Department of Children & Families is infested with pro-gay workers anyway. To sum up, the haters are vowing to stop the final approval of a bill striking down a moot law and they want to legalize anti-gay discrimination by adoption agencies.

INDIANA: GOP Lawmakers Add LGBT Non-Discrimination Language To RFRA

Via the Indianapolis Star:

Indiana Republicans said Thursday morning that they are presenting an addition to the controversial RFRA legislation that will make it clear no one will "be able to discriminate against anyone at any time." Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, and House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis said at a press conference at the Statehouse that leaders will present the proposal to lawmakers at 9:30 a.m. after speaking with corporate and civic leadership this week. "Hoosier hospitality had to be restored," Bosma said.

The leaders referenced the intense backlash that rained down on Indiana after Gov. Mike Pence signed the bill last week. "It was never intended to discriminate against anyone," Long said. "That perception led to the national protests we've seen." Former Indianapolis mayor and Democrat Bart Peterson said the words "gender identity" and "sexual orientation" will appear in state law in context of anti-discrimination for first time. "The healing needs to begin right now," said Peterson, an Eli Lilly and Co. executive.

Lambda Legal sent this press release this morning:

This bill reduces the threat but is far less than this situation requires. It recognizes there are problems, but does not fix it as LGBT Hoosiers and others urgently need. Now that there's broad public understanding that gay and transgender people in much of Indiana are terribly vulnerable to arbitrary discrimination by businesses, refusal of housing, and being fired just for being who they are--and even Gov. Pence has agreed that that is wrong—that unacceptable situation requires a full solution. We've provided multiple options of straightforward bill language. This is not a complicated or novel task. Many states have done it with only positive results economically and socially. The time is now. America is watching.

Indiana's RFRA is an ill-conceived law that invites religiously motivated refusals to comply with laws that protect everyone. The state’s elected leadership today has taken one step to reduce these refusal problems by amending the RFRA to ensure compliance with civil rights laws. Now they need to complete the fix by actually providing those basic protections that LGBT people need to be equal and safe in the Hoosier State, and by further amending RFRA to prevent it from being used to excuse any harm to other people.

UPDATE: GOP lawmakers speak about the changes.

Ted Cruz: The Fortune 500 Wants To Persecute Pastors, Priests, And Rabbis

Ted Cruz is campaigning in Iowa where yesterday he denounced the corporate reaction to RFRA laws in Indiana and Arkansas. Via the Des Moines Register:

"Religious liberty is not some fringe view," Cruz, currently the only declared candidate for president, said to about 300 people in Sioux City, the first stop on a two-day tour. "Sadly, a whole lot of Republicans are terrified of this issue." Cruz had strong words for business leaders who haven't defended religious freedom laws like the one in Indiana, which has sparked a firestorm of debate. "The Fortune 500 is running shamelessly to endorse the radical gay marriage agenda over religious liberty to say: 'We will persecute a Christian pastor, a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi,' " he said. "Any person of faith is subject to persecution if they dare disagree, if their religious faith parts way from their political commitment to gay marriage."

Cruz went on to outline his 2016 platform of repealing Obamacare, repealing Common Core, and also something something guns and Jesus.

Carly Fiorina On RFRA And Marriage

"The debate about gay marriage is really a debate about how the government bestows benefits and whether they should be bestowed equally. I believe they should. I also believe that people of religious conviction know that marriage is a religious institution with a spiritual foundation because only a man and a woman can create life, which is a gift that comes from God. We must protect their rights as well. I hope that we come to a place in this country where we are prepared to have respectful differences and tolerate those two views. Religious liberty and tolerance are too important to our country. It is frankly sad to me that politics has become a fact-free zone. It is sad that so many people on the left were quick to turn this into a divisive and destructive debate so they could further their own brand of identity politics. It is sad that CEOs took to Twitter before checking their facts, adding to the division instead of helping build tolerance." - Likely 2016 presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, posting yesterday to her Facebook page.

Doesn't it seem like Fiorina just endorsed same-sex marriage? I thought so and this USA Today headline makes that assertion, but a rep for Fiorina says something different to Bloomberg:

When reached for comment, spokesperson Anna Epstein said that Fiorina has, for years, supported government benefits for same-sex couples bound by civil unions. "Carly is against discrimination and for government benefits for same sex couples," Epstein said. "She's been supportive of civil unions and was supportive of them in her run in California in 2010." In her statement Fiorina chastised "people on the left" as well as the CEOs from companies joining in a boycott of Indiana over its new law for not attempting to help "build tolerance." "It has been tough for some in the media to understand my position because I refuse to join the game of name calling and vitriol. Politics shouldn't be a game, however. We must find a way to respect one another, to celebrate a culture that protects religious freedom while condemning discrimination," Fiornia said.

TRAILER: Brother Orange

Buzzfeed reporter Matt Stopera, whom I've met a couple times, had his cell phone stolen in an East Village bar in January 2014. What followed is probably the craziest and most amazing story about social media that you'll read this year. You might want to hit the link before watching the trailer as the many photos there set up the coming documentary beautifully.

Target: All Are Respected Here

Posted yesterday to Target's corporate blog:

In recent days, we’ve heard from you, our guests. You’ve asked us for Target’s thoughts about what it means to have an inclusive culture. You’ve asked us if, given the current conversations taking place across our country, we were taking a stand. And while most of those have been one-on-one conversations as you have called or emailed us, we wanted to take time to share our thoughts more broadly. They are simple. Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. And you’ll always be accepted, respected and welcomed here.

The Freepers are responding predictably.

WISCONSIN: Madison Becomes Nation's First City To Explicitly Protect Atheists

Via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

In what is believed to be a first in the nation, the Madison City Council has voted to amend the city's equal opportunities ordinance to make "nonreligion" a protected class. The ordinance, which was approved Tuesday night, adds atheists to the official list of people who could face discrimination. It comes as Indiana is facing a firestorm of criticism over its new "religious freedom" laws amid charges that it is a thinly disguised attempt to permit discrimination against gays. "This is important because I believe it is only fair that if we protect religion, in all its varieties, we should also protect nonreligion from discrimination. It's only fair," said Ald. Anita Weier, the bill's chief sponsor, Madison's WISC TV reported. It was sponsored by 14 of the council's 20 members. Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Action, said the Madison ordinance wasn't necessary. "I figured it was an April Fool's joke. Unfortunately it's not an April Fool's Joke," Appling said. "It's very Madisonian." Todd Stiefel, chairman of the Ohio-based nonprofit Openly Secular, called the Madison vote "magnificent."

RELATED: The above-quoted Julaine Appling, you may recall, had a delicious meltdown when same-sex marriage was legalized in her state. She has predicted that Wisconsin's ban will be reinstated when SCOTUS rules in June.