Tag: lgbtq
John Reid

Uh-Oh! Virginia Candidate's Blog Shared Content From Nazi Porn Accounts

A pornographic blog linked to Virginia lieutenant governor candidate John Reid shared content from accounts that fetishized Nazism and sexual violence.

The Republican candidate has denied ownership of the blog, which was hosted on Tumblr under the name JRDeux, the same handle he uses on Instagram and TikTok. Other news outlets have reported on the existence of the blog, but not its racist content or disturbing imagery.

Tumblr lets users upload and share different types of media. All of JRDeux’s posts were images reposted from other accounts. To find and share this content, JRDeux would have had to either follow the accounts that posted it, search for related material, or encounter it through Tumblr’s algorithmic recommendations.

Reid said the blog is part of a coordinated effort to smear him for being a gay Republican, even though its posts date back to 2014—before he was a political candidate and was mostly known as a local news broadcaster and media consultant.

The blog was deleted shortly after it was first reported on, but we were able to recover several posts using the Internet Archive. Please note that this article contains slurs that may be offensive to some readers.

In October 2015, JRDeux shared an image of a male college student in underwear from the user obedientn*ggerdc. That account’s bio described the user as a “subservient n*gger who knows his place in society” and included a solicitation for “superior white men” near Washington, D.C., to contact them via email.

Obedientn*ggerdc posted multiple images of shirtless men with white supremacist tattoos, including a close-up of a muscular chest emblazoned with a swastika and captioned, “fucking nice WP ink M88.” WP is an acronym for “white power,” and M88 is a neo-Nazi code phrase for “Heil Hitler.”

Other posts from this user were captioned with homophobic slurs and repeatedly referred to white men as “SSirs,” likely a reference to the Nazi Schutzstaffel, known as the SS. Another post praised the attractiveness of prominent GOP politicians it described as “conservative alpha males,” including Sens. John Thune and Todd Young.

The underwear photo was the only post JRDeux shared from obedientniggerdc.

Another post from obedientniggerdc showed a nude man being pinned down and choked, his face contorted in agony. JRDeux shared similar content from other users, including one image of a man in bondage gear using a necktie to asphyxiate someone and another of a bald man forcing someone’s face into his armpit.

Both of these images were reposted from the user slaveandy, whose profile described themselves as a “filthy faggot.” Many of the posts from this user were extremely graphic, showing men being forced to eat from dog bowls, locked in cages, or having their genitals mutilated. One depicted a man’s anus spread with a speculum and used as an ashtray.

Top state Republicans believe JRDeux is Reid. The Tumblr surfaced as part of a party assessment of candidate vulnerabilities conducted last spring. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin urged Reid to withdraw from the race because of the blog but did not divulge the specific content that prompted his call.

“Explicit social media content like this is a distraction,” Youngkin told reporters on April 29. “It’s a distraction for campaigns, and it’s a distraction from people paying attention to the most important issues.”

Reid has refused to leave the race and maintains the blog is not his.

While Reid identifies as a gay Republican, he has also taken several anti-LGBTQ positions. He is a vocal opponent of trans rights and signaling he would not cast a tie-breaking vote to protect same-sex marriage in Virginia.

Equality Virginia, the state’s largest gay rights organization, endorsed Reid’s Democratic opponent, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi.

“It’s imperative that we keep that forward momentum this November by supporting pro-equality candidates willing to defend Virginia against outrageous federal overreach,” said Narissa Rahaman, the organization’s executive director.

Speculation about Reid owning the blog risks undermining his pledge to combat antisemitism, a centerpiece of his campaign platform.

A Reid campaign spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.

Pam Bondi's Attack On Free Speech Sparks Bipartisan Fury

Pam Bondi's Attack On Free Speech Sparks Bipartisan Fury

Critics are destroying U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi for demanding businesses fire or punish employees who exercise free speech — after years of defending businesses’ right to deny customers with whom they disagree.

While speaking to Fox News on Monday, Bondi demanded a print business allow a customer to print posters for slain MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk.

“If you want to go and print posters with Charlie's picture for a vigil, you have to let them do that. We can prosecute you for that. We have right now our civil rights unit looking at that,” Bondi told Fox.

But social media exploded at Bondi’s claim, with critics reminding Bondi that Republicans have championed businesses’ right to deny services to LGBTQ customers.

“Republicans fought hard for years for the right of businesses to refuse any job they want even if it was on the grounds of legally protected civil right status. They were also always lying. It was always a deliberate and knowing lie,” wrote Kyiv-based journalist Anthony Bartaway, on X.

“Masterpiece Cakeshop, there's a call on hold for you,” wrote First Amendment lawyer Adam Steinbaugh, referring to a Colorado cake shop that the Supreme Court declared had a right to deny service to a same-sex wedding.

“Declaring that a private business refusing to print a vigil poster for the President's friend is a civil rights violation is an interesting legal argument,” said news anchor Kyle Clark, also referring to Masterpiece Cake Shop, in Colorado.

Other free speech enthusiasts pounced on Bondi’s comment: “This is psychotic,” posted Reason magazine reporter Billy Binion on X. “The federal government cannot, in fact, prosecute you for refusing to print a message you disagree with — which was core to Republicans' ideology until all of 5 seconds ago. I am speechless.”

Binion later added that Bondi is “saying things on national television that someone would be able to debunk after taking intro to civics. It is not a good look for our country.”

“Fact check: they cannot, in fact, prosecute you for refusing to print Charlie Kirk's picture for a vigil,” posted First Amendment and defamation lawyer Ari Cohn, adding, “Pam Bondi's competence to practice law is very much in question.

Earlier, Bondi attempted to create a difference between “hate speech” and “free speech,” and warned that the federal government will “absolutely target” hate speech, to which commenter Robert Sterling responded “policing hate speech is not the government’s role.”

Free speech legal advocate organization TheFire.org also slapped Bondi’s comment, pointing out on X that “there is no hate speech exception to the First Amendment.”

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

'I'm -- We Are The Federal Law"' Sputters Trump As He Threatens Maine Governor

'I'm -- We Are The Federal Law"' Sputters Trump As He Threatens Maine Governor

Just 48 hours after declaring himself “king,” President Donald Trump, in a highly public display, launched a verbal attack on Maine Democratic Governor Janet Mills over his stance on transgender girls in sports. He threatened to cut all federal funding — literally defund the entire state — and vowed to end her political career, in what is being called a “terse” exchange.

“The president directly threatened Mills over the state’s refusal to comply with a recent executive order that would bar transgender athletes from competing on women’s sports teams,” NBC affiliate NewsCenter Maine reports.

Speaking to a bipartisan group of governors at the White House, Trump asked Governor Mills (video below) if her state would not “comply” with his executive order.

“Is Maine here? Is the governor of Maine here? Are you not going to comply with it?”

“I’m complying with state and federal laws,” Mills replied.

“Well, I’m — we are the federal law,” Trump angrily shot back. “Well you’d better do it. You better do it, because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t. And by the way, your population, even though it’s somewhat liberal, although I did very well there, your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports. So you’d better comply, because otherwise you’re not getting any — any — federal funding.”

“See you in court,” Mills responded.

“Good, I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that,” Trump said. “That should be a real easy one. And enjoy your life after governor, ’cause I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”

Governor Mills later released a statement.

“If the President attempts to unilaterally deprive Maine school children of the benefit of Federal funding, my Administration and the Attorney General will take all appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding and the academic opportunity it provides. The State of Maine will not be intimidated by the President’s threats.”

Critics are slamming the president.

“An incredibly revealing exchange, but especially a window into Trump’s view when he says ‘We are the federal law.’ As opposed to, you know, actual laws (& constitutional provisions) that authorize and limit what he can do,” noted CNN senior political analyst Ronald Brownstein.

“L’etat c’est moi as Louis XIV might (or not) have said,” Brownstein added, which loosely translates into “I am the state,” or, “I myself am the nation.”

“Not so easy to cosplay as a king when you aren’t hiding behind a phone screen,” Human Rights Campaign national press secretary Brandon Wolf commented.

“The distance between the most benign possible interpretation of Trump’s public statements and clear autocracy has narrowed to the width of a hairline fracture. Yet Republicans continue to insist that what he ACTUALLY meant was something totally cool and not autocratic,” observed veteran Democratic political strategist Tom Bonier.

“THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT. Right in the White House, Maine Gov Janet Mills goes toe to toe with Trump. Wow,” remarked veteran journalist turned media critic Jennifer Schulze.

Democratic former Washington governor Jay Inslee applauded the Maine governor: “Governor Janet Mills has brought thousands of heat pumps to Maine and now has brought some righteous heat to Donald Trump. Way to bring the heater Janet!”

Trump has signed at least four executive orders threatening the civil rights of transgender people in America.

Watch the video below or at this link.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Trump Campaign Can't Defend His Absurd Lie About Schools and Trans Surgeries

Trump Campaign Can't Defend His Absurd Lie About Schools and Trans Surgeries

Donald Trump recently joined the Hitler-quoting book-banners at Moms for Liberty for their “Joyful Warriors” summit in Washington, D.C., and in addition to him admitting he lost the 2020 election “by a whisker” and a good dash of overt racism, one particular claim of Trump’s stood out for its over-the-top mixture of delusion and conspiracy.

“The transgender thing is an incredible thing,” said a slouching, low-energy Trump. “Your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation. The school decides what’s going to happen with your child, and you know many of these childs [sic] 15 years later say ‘What the hell happened? Who did this to me?’”

The moment was so ludicrous that it’d be easy for the media to just ignore the comment, like it does with so many of Trump’s outrageous statements. However, CNN didn’t just shake its head and move on. The outlet thoroughly fact-checked Trump’s lie and followed up with both his campaign and various conservative groups.

For the record, this is what CNN found when they asked education and health experts about Trump’s lie:

Trump’s claim is false. There is no evidence that US schools have sent children into gender-affirming surgeries without their parents knowing or performed gender-affirming surgeries on site; Trump’s own presidential campaign could not provide a single example of this ever happening. Even in states where gender-affirming surgery is legal for people under age 18, parental consent is required before a minor can undergo such a procedure.

As Dr. Landon Hughes, a fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, made clear to CNN in an email, “There are no instances of children receiving surgeries or access to surgeries from their schools,” adding, “No provider in the US would perform surgery on a minor under the direction of a school, let alone without parental consent.”

While Hughes was speaking about gender-affirming surgery, the same is true if the question was a tonsillectomy—because grade schools and high schools don’t do surgery. You’d be hard-pressed to find a school nurse willing to hand a kid an aspirin without a parent’s permission, much less break out a scalpel.

Little Jimmy is not getting secretly shuffled off for gender-related surgery on his way to history class.

And when CNN asked Trump’s campaign for examples of the “transgender thing” their candidate was pushing, the outlet didn’t receive any. Instead, a Trump spokesperson insisted that she had personally talked to parents who were upset after learning that their children were “being called entirely different names” at school.

Somehow, that doesn’t seem like the same thing.

CNN even followed up with four conservative groups, allowing them to take their best shot at showing this “thing” Trump talked about had ever happened. Despite right-wing claims that make it seem as if every child in America is only days away from a gender switch, the groups didn’t produce a single case even vaguely related to Trump’s claims.

However, Tiffany Justice, the Moms for Liberty co-founder who interviewed Trump at her group’s summit, was smitten with Trump’s lie.

“It grabbed your attention,” she said, “and we’re talking about it now, and that makes me very happy.”

As with the myth about litter boxes in schools, the right doesn’t care if Trump’s statement has an ounce of truth to it. His lie is one that Republicans can now repeat to audiences who will nod along with the hoax. Another log to throw on the trans-panic bonfire.

CNN did an admirable job of following up on every aspect of this lie and showing ... it's a lie, only a lie, and nothing but a lie. Now, expect Trump to repeat it. Often.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

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