From Bias to Authenticity: The Battle Against Hate and Prejudice

Bold claims, shocking insights, and revelations of a grim reality – this episode has it all. Our focus is on House Speaker Mike Johnson, who's been a vocal advocate for laws that have left the LGBTQ+ community feeling targeted and marginalized. His weapon of choice? Christianity and an inhumane interpretation of its teachings used to endorse discrimination. But that's not all, Johnson's circle of influence, comprising Republican politicians, have gone as far as endorsing laws that demand the death penalty for LGBTQ+ people – a chilling reality that we must confront.

But we're not just highlighting the injustices. We're also talking about the power of authenticity and how it's vital for everyone to express their true selves. As a special treat, I'm bringing back my friend Erin Davis to explore the dynamics of relationships and personal growth. Also on the table, Johnson's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Strap in for an episode that's as enlightening as it is provocative, reminding us all that being true to oneself is the first step towards making a difference.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

And there's a lot going on in the world right now. So many things in the world good, bad, ugly, everything. And it was a book. Well, it wasn't a book, actually, it was a book, but it was a book. It was a book. Well, there are many books that I've read.

Speaker 1: 0:30

I'm okay, you're okay. All this kind of has arrived from a long time ago. But I read an article in the Times yesterday, which I love, the LA Times, by LZ Granderson. This is what he wrote a crusader against gay rights. He's the guy for the GOP, grand Old Party. In case you're wondering what GOP means.

Speaker 1: 0:54

Okay, the older I get, the more reminders I see that Maya Angelou was right when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. Take the new House Speaker, mike Johnson, for instance. He's been showing who he is since 1998, when he graduated from law school and started going to the university. He graduated from law school and started going after the LGBTQ plus community every chance he could. And I'm not just talking about trying to stop same-sex marriage, because, let's face it, many progressives were against it back then as well. But Johnson was an extreme by comparison, advocating for laws that banned two adults from having consensual sex and their own home. So to anyone who considers themselves an ally of the LGBTQ plus community, know this. Same-sex marriage and other protections are not safe.

Speaker 1: 2:03

Johnson, republican from Louisiana, has made attacking the queer community a huge part of his life's work. We don't know yet his style as a leader in the House, but we know exactly where he intends to go and judging from how the speaker selection process played out over the weeks after the ouster of Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy from Bakersfield don't you know that's north of La La Land. In case you want to know where it is the Republican Party looks more than willing to go after the queer community with him. Of the three speaker nominations before Johnson's, the fastest one collapses out of House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota. He lasted barely four hours. One of the key issues cited by his opposition his support of same-sex marriage. I told him it was between he and I, said Rick Allen, republican from Georgia, about why he opposed Emmer. It was between he and the teachings of Jesus Christ. For some reason I don't think Allen meant love your neighbor as yourself. No, conservatives like him and Johnson tend to use Christianity as justification for anti-LGBTQ plus discrimination.

Speaker 1: 3:37

The powerful players within this huge wing of the Republican Party do not, however, seem to take great issue with other sins, such as adultery. Do we all know what that means? Folks Sleeping with another partner other than your spouse? Author Jeff Charlette has written multiple books on the inner workings of a collective of powerful Republican politicians, some of whom share a townhouse in Washington that was the site of not only prayer groups but also, apparently, extra marital affairs. Hello, the New Yorker dubbed it as a frat house for Jesus. It takes a very special reading of the Bible to land on jail. Gay people and extra marital affairs are okay at the same time, thank you. The family, as the group is called, is also tied to the passage of anti-gay legislation in Romania and Uganda, which now sentences LGBTQ plus people to death and imprison anyone who fails to report a queer person to the government. I am not sure how the fiscally conservative, socially liberal crowd will process all this information come the 2024 election, especially if there's a promise of tax cuts bundle up with the distasteful discrimination. However, given how this nation continues to struggle with not only LGBTQ plus rights but also racial and gender equality, I'm not too optimistic In 2021, not long after the deadly January 6 attacks on the Capitol, johnson gave a talk to a group of congressional staffers as part of the fate and law lecture series.

Speaker 1: 5:28

The bipartisan organization is like a think tank for Christians working on the hill. Johnson, a Trump ally, a Trump tramp Trumpster, who tried to overturn the 2020 election on his behalf listed the rule of law second among his seven core conservative principles. He listed individual freedom and limited government as first and third, despite one wanting laws to ban sex between two consenting adults in their own home. I lay beyond his run of the mill double talk. The line that caught my attention most was this one I'm doing the same thing I used to do back in the late 90s. Remember? He graduated from law school in 1998. That is also the year a young gay man in Wyoming, math or Matthew Shepherd, was brutally beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. That tragic story dominated the news for months, and Johnson started his legislative crusade against LGBTQ plus people in the wake of that tragedy. That is what Johnson was doing back in the late 90s. He may not be a household name yet, but he is not an unknown. He showed us exactly who he was the first time. So take Maya Angelou's advice and believe him. And thank you, lz. I hope I can call you that.

Speaker 1: 7:00

My name is SJ or tick-tock Bobby, so it's just a brief. It's it's my brief podcast today because I don't know what's happening in this world and the new house speaker is no friend to democracy. Mike Johnson tried repeatedly to overturn Biden's election. You could have a prominent role in certifying 2024 results. I always say when someone is so like Adam and to the right or the left, that there's something under it. Don't you think people come on, you know Anyway.

Speaker 1: 7:42

So let's see what's going to happen in the world today. It's just a brief Hello. How are you? I hope you're doing okay. Your tick-tock Bobby always loves you and always believes in you and believes in letting people be themselves, no matter what, and that's the most important thing in life. If nobody told you they love you today, your tick-tock Bobby loves you because you are you, so take care. I will talk to you soon and we'll be doing another podcast. Hopefully I'll have a new person to work with. I'm going to bring my beautiful, incredible friend, erin Davis, back because she's back in town. The wing woman herself will do another podcast about relationships. It'll be next week. So, loving you, all of you, and be the best self you can be, which means be yourself, whoever you are.