hate groups win

[eschereal]

This story hurts my head.

GuideStar is a source that provides information on charities (including finance data). Recently, they began adding links, where relevant, into the SPLC’s database of LGBT-hate groups – tagging charities that are anti-LGBT in their list.

Naturally, there was a backlash.

In a statement, Guidestar announced, “a significant amount of the feedback we’ve received in recent days has shifted from constructive criticism to harassment and threats directed at our staff and leadership. With this development in mind—driven by both our commitment to objectivity and our concerns for our staff’s wellbeing—we have decided to remove the SPLC annotations …"

So, it looks to me like the hate-groups, true to their name, marshaled their animosity to defeat this threat.

Fuck those assholes and the churches that back them.

[BigT]

Then fuck Guidestar, too. Backing down from this shit only empowers these people, and makes life worse for everyone. They should be setting up their comments to reject proxies and then sending these threats to the police.

We have to realize this is war. Evil shits need to be destroyed, not appeased.

[JKellyMap]

Wow, that is chilling. Not that it would help with the deeper problems here, but I wonder if law enforcement might get involved, given the threats and harassment. Interesting how haters, once again, are both proud and not proud of their hatred (maybe there’s a silver lining there). Or could (some of) these threats be from folks who support certain organizations, and are legitimately unaware of the hating component?

The SPLC must put up with worse than this, year in and year out, yet they soldier on. Impressive.

[Kimstu]

@BigT

Then fuck Guidestar, too. Backing down from this shit only empowers these people, and makes life worse for everyone.

Then don’t just swear at them on a message board, write to them (non-aggressively). Policies respond to pressure. If the only pressure they’re getting is from the hate-group side, it’s harder for them to justify standing up to that pressure.

[eschereal]

I did fail to note that, according to the story, GuideStar does make the SPLC links available upon request, it is just not stickered out front. Probably as simple as following two or three links.

[jz78817]

@Kimstu

Then don’t just swear at them on a message board, write to them (non-aggressively). Policies respond to pressure. If the only pressure they’re getting is from the hate-group side, it’s harder for them to justify standing up to that pressure.

But the that means he’d actually have to do something. much easier to just sit around and tell other people what they should do.

[Kimstu]

@jz78817

But the that means he’d actually have to do something. much easier to just sit around and tell other people what they should do.

To be fair, though, that’s pretty much exactly what this forum is for, plus swearing. I’m not suggesting to anybody that they shouldn’t Pit-rant about dumb shit like this, just emphasizing that if we really want to lean on it we should do something else as well.

[Jackmannii]

Protests against the SPLC’s labeling of “hate” groups and individuals aren’t just coming from conservative/Christian organizations.

The SPLC has at times a rather controversial view of what constitutes Islamophobia.

[Knowed_Out]

California has extended its travel ban to 4 more states because of LBTG discrimination, not allowing State workers to claim business expense if they travel to those areas.

This really will not end well. All it’s going to do is unite those states against California as they clearly will not like having morals imposed upon them. Nobody likes it when the Christian Right does that either, and a liberal paragon resorting to those tactics is only going to reinforce the zeal of hate groups, who are more likely to own guns.

North Carolina lost a lot of concerts and sporting events because of their bathroom bill, which was mostly reversed when the new governor took office, but that was due to economic pressure. Moral high ground just isn’t the way to go.

[SteveG1]

@BigT

Then fuck Guidestar, too. Backing down from this shit only empowers these people, and makes life worse for everyone. They should be setting up their comments to reject proxies and then sending these threats to the police.

We have to realize this is war. Evil shits need to be destroyed, not appeased.

Absolutely.

[SteveG1]

@Knowed_Out

California has extended its travel ban to 4 more states because of LBTG discrimination, not allowing State workers to claim business expense if they travel to those areas.

This really will not end well. All it’s going to do is unite those states against California as they clearly will not like having morals imposed upon them. … Moral high ground just isn’t the way to go.

Moral high ground isn’t? OK.

On the other hand, “having morals imposed upon them” seems to be what California is reacting to, and against.

[Icarus]

@Knowed_Out

North Carolina lost a lot of concerts and sporting events because of their bathroom bill, which was mostly reversed when the new governor took office, but that was due to economic pressure. Moral high ground just isn’t the way to go.

This statement makes absolutely no sense. The moral high ground is what worked to exert economic pressure which resulted in reversing the bill. To think otherwise is to be willfully obtuse.

[Drunky_Smurf]

@BigT

Then fuck Guidestar, too.

I agree. Guidestar is as evil as these groups. :mad:

@Kimstu

Then don’t just swear at them on a message board,

You’re right. I’m gonna go change my Facebook profile pic. That’ll teach 'em what fer.

[Snowboarder_Bo]

@eschereal

This story hurts my head.

GuideStar is a source that provides information on charities (including finance data). Recently, they began adding links, where relevant, into the SPLC’s database of LGBT-hate groups – tagging charities that are anti-LGBT in their list.

Naturally, there was a backlash.

So, it looks to me like the hate-groups, true to their name, marshaled their animosity to defeat this threat.

Fuck those assholes and the churches that back them.

It’s not just extra-legal actions, either; from VICE: The Christian Lawyers Quietly Working to Erase LGBTQ Rights

A major force behind the case—and indeed, behind much of the country’s recent anti-LGBTQ activism—is a little-known group called The Alliance Defending Freedom. Over the last few years, ADF has been stealthily seizing power in the nation’s public school systems, with queer youth squarely in their crosshairs.

The organization’s primary mission is to train lawyers and litigate cases that expand religion in the public sphere. With an army of over 2,600 private attorneys and assets of around $40 million, they’ve had a hand in cases that restricted access to abortion, preserved Boy Scout bans on gay members, blocked marriage equality, and funneled taxpayer money to religious publications. The organization’s media guide purports they have won almost 80 percent of their cases.

ADF lawsuits against schools that accommodate trans students are pending in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Illinois, often on behalf of local organizations called “Privacy Matters” or “Students and Parents for Privacy.” And in Missouri, the ADF was able to get one of their attorneys appointed to replace school board members who resigned over bathroom policies.

“They see this as a generational fight, and you target kids when you’re fighting a generational war,” he said. "They think they can turn the tides of culture, and they’re willing to fight this for decades… They’re not fighting individual skirmishes over individual policies. They see this as a battle in a decades-long, multi-generational effort

The organization was designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2016, citing the group’s decades of attacking LGBTQ citizens.

[muldoonthief]

@BigT

Then fuck Guidestar, too. Backing down from this shit only empowers these people, and makes life worse for everyone. They should be setting up their comments to reject proxies and then sending these threats to the police.

We have to realize this is war. Evil shits need to be destroyed, not appeased.

It’s so easy to be physically brave on someone else’s behalf, isn’t it?

[wolfpup]

@Knowed_Out

North Carolina lost a lot of concerts and sporting events because of their bathroom bill, which was mostly reversed when the new governor took office, but that was due to economic pressure. Moral high ground just isn’t the way to go.

But this is economic pressure, too, of exactly the same kind. It not only prevents California government agencies and state-funded institutions from attending business and academic events in those states, but presumably it discourages organizers in all other states from scheduling major events like conferences and conventions in the blacklisted states, because they won’t get attendees from California. For many academic and tech conferences, this is a big deal.

IIRC, of the four states just added to the list, three were added for enabling adoption agencies to refuse adoptions by same sex couples, and one (Kentucky, I believe) for extending legal protection to student organizations that discriminate against gays and or other LGBT individuals. This is particularly disgusting because young people at that age are especially vulnerable. I can’t believe the stuff that still goes on in wingnut states. It’s like the Dark Ages.

[Crazy_Canuck]

@muldoonthief

It’s so easy to be physically brave on someone else’s behalf, isn’t it?

Seconding this hard. You ever had credible real-life death threat BigT? If not, there is a parable about walking a mile in another man’s shoes before passing judgement you might want to check out.