Anti-Queer Christians Invading Target Stores To Preach Are Wreaking Havoc

[icymist]

Anti-LGBT activists appear to be filming themselves terrorizing Target stores while yelling at the store and its customers to “repent” — in one case leading to 911 calls about an active shooter.

In at least three instances this week, protesters — who identify themselves as Christians — are seen screaming throughout the aisles of the store about the retailer’s policy on transgender-friendly restrooms.

In the video above, purportedly shot in Portland, Oregon, a man is seen abruptly clapping his hands in the back of a store before bellowing: “Target, this is your wake-up call!”

He goes on to decry “transvestites” as defying God’s will.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/protesters-invade-target-stores-to-preach_us_5728acf7e4b0bc9cb044862e

[Javaman]

1. people with too much time on their hands.

I guess, they are independently wealthy. that explains how they can do this during the day.

[icymist]

5. It's organized. Notice that in different videos from different states

that the men who are yelling at shoppers "Repent" and "You have been warned" are wearing bright yellow shirts with vile sayings on them. They each have someone with them filming this 'action'.

This is terrorism.

[Javaman]

6. self agrandizing morons...

they don't want to "change peoples minds" they want temporary fame. They post it on youtube as bragging rights as a way to show their mouth breathing followers that they "stuck it" to the heathens.

tragically comical in a way.

[icymist]

8. I keep wondering what's next with these people.

Open carry while wearing the yellow tee shirt and threatening people?

[Javaman]

13. if they are left to their own devices...

I predict a modern day crusade of sorts.

they are already waging it in parts, but if allowed, a ground swell among these fools will happen.

[icymist]

14. There are twenty two states where these people are trying to pass similar bathroom laws.

There is one currently seeking signatures for an initiative here in Washington State. Liberty Council is behind it and are coaching people what to say to try and get this hateful thing passed. It is clear that they wish to define sex in such a way as to completely eliminate transgender.
Below is an excerpt from a story about a bill these people are trying to pass in Kansas:

Like bills proposed in other states, these measures attempt to define “sex” in a narrow way — in this case, “the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person’s chromosomes, and is identified at birth by a person’s anatomy.” The definition ignores the many genetic and anatomic variations that can actually occur in how sex actually presents itself and, by design, erases the significance of transgender identities entirely. The explicit goal is to “maintain order and dignity in restrooms, locker rooms, showers and other facilities where students may be in various states of undress in the presence of other students.”

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/03/22/3762490/kansas-transgender-ransom-bathrooms/

[MuseRider]

28. The bill in Kansas is dead

for the moment. Since out legislature went home without balancing the budget, a constitutional requirement, they will be back and probably will try to distract with a second coming of this bill.

You left out the best part of the bill. There was a payment to anyone who caught a person in the "wrong" bathroom in the schools. Can you imagine that? A bounty for little Karl or Karlie, caught by a 6th grader? Shameful, but it got batted down. As I said, for now. It will come roaring back. Anti gay and anti trans bills are all the rage but the state has little taste for it.

[icymist]

30. The wording in that bill is insight to how these people think and what to expect from them.

These people keep changing the wording and trying again. Thank you for pointing out that that bill got defeated as should all these bills and initiatives.

[MuseRider]

42. Oh it will likely

turn up again. We usually have to go through this several times, if not more, before they figure out that people are over this stuff. There are certainly several ways they will play this. Eyes open, ears to the ground.

[lagomorph777]

2. The Potty Party

This is the new Republican Party. Yes, they have just nominated a man who brags about the size of his dick in a political debate. And now their politicians are passing laws so they can inspect your genitals every time you use the restroom. How can they possibly expect to survive as a party?

"It's my potty and I'll pry if I want to."

[Initech]

3. There is something seriously wrong with these people.

[icymist]

7. These people think they are prophets like the ones they read about

in the Old Testament and are upset because THEY want to be a prophet too. So now they perform acts of terror to satisfy their own narcissism.

[Initech]

9. Act of terror- exactly what this is!

I really do wonder how these people are any better than al'Qaeda, ISIS, the Taliban or Boko Haram?

[icymist]

12. The group going around the US, writing the anti-bathroom bills

have gone to other countries where they helped write harsh anti-homosexuality laws.

‘Kill The Gays’ Hate Group, Kim Davis’ Lawyer Lurk Behind Wave Of Anti-LGBT Bills

http://reverbpress.com/politics/battlegrounds/kill-thegays-hate-group-kim-davis-anti-lgbt-bills/

Now they are going to try and strong-arm similar laws in the USA. This is a terrorist tactic.

[gratuitous]

20. The trouble is, they don't realize how the prophets were treated

They don't want any of that sackcloth-and-ashes bullshit, these bullies just want to be revered for their sage wisdom dispensed from their direct pipeline to God, without being called out for the assholes they are.

[icymist]

26. Yeah, all the glory without paying any of the price.

Then they scream that they are being persecuted because the Constitution won't allow them to discriminate against minorities.

[LiberalElite]

44. I know of one ordained Catholic deacon

who posted a photo of himself on FB holding a bag from Chik-fil-a, along with a whine about how HE is persecuted.

[Oneironaut]

24. American Christianity is narcissist to its core

The whole point is self-serving. Jesus wept.

[Tsiyu]

4. I'd be shouting

AND THE CONSTITUTION SAYS: get the FUCK outta my face with your religion. THIS is not your church.

I believe there are about 10% of Christians who are good people. The remainder are narcissists who think THEY are god, or they are drama queens who work out their feelings of low self worth and frustration with their lives by creating wars on everything they don't like.

If Christians don't like bars, Target or education, they don't have to partake in any of it. I may completely think religion is a scam and a sorrow, but I don't visit churches, temples or mosques and start shouting at the assembled or their "leaders" telling them exactly how LOWDOWN I think they all are. They can believe what they like with no abuse or condemnation from non-Christians in the spaces where they prefer to go.

Why can't Christians show the same respect for our Constitutional right to believe as we prefer?

As far as the asshole in this video? He probably cheats on his wife, but that's perfectly fine with Jesus if you're a Christian.

Many Christians engage in pedophilia, use pornography and cheat like motherfuckers. It's all good. But don't you dare be transgender or gay! Classic hypocrites.

Clean up your own house, Christians. You got no room to talk about sexual predators. Can you say JOSH DUGGAR?

I knew you could.

[icymist]

18. The Justice Department has issued a warning to NC that their HB2

'Bathroom Law' goes against Federal laws and the Constitution:

The federal government took on North Carolina’s controversial “bathroom bill” Wednesday, giving the governor until Monday to pledge that he will walk away from the law, which Justice Department officials said violates civil rights.

The state risks losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding if Gov. Pat McCrory (R) defies the warning and maintains his support for the measure, which requires transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to the gender on their birth certificates.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/justice-dept-to-north-carolina-law-limiting-protections-for-lgbt-people-violates-federal-law/2016/05/04/c11fa75a-1237-11e6-81b4-581a5c4c42df_story.html

Yet the NC governor vows to not comply with the Federal government:

Governor Pat McCrory and House Speaker Tim Moore gave no indication that they planned to comply with an order from the Justice Department that they stop enforcing anti-LGBT HB 2 by Monday and seemed to be studying how to defy it, an AP report suggests:

Giving no indication of yielding to pressure, North Carolina’s Republican leaders called a federal warning about the legality of the state’s new law limiting LGBT anti-discrimination rules a broad overreach by the government.

http://www.towleroad.com/2016/05/mccrory-justice/

[Tsiyu]

34. But it's so mean of you to expect McCrory

to follow the law! How is he gonna get reelected if he can't let all the Christians in NC become potty monitors?

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Those filthy Christian perverts just want an excuse to look at others' private parts (like the TSA) and they need legal sanction to do it.

How dare we take away the Fundy Christian wet dream of being the genitalia police?

Seriously though, the issue is sickening. My heart grieves for the little baby (now grown) I cared for who had his penis lasered off by an incompetent doctor. The parents were talked into surgically turning the kid into a baby girl.

So he risks being demonized and demoralized and made to feel like less of a human by those wonderful Christians and their "loving" Sky Daddy after all the kid has had to deal with from his first days. Or the baby girl with the syndrome that made doctors declare her a boy at first.

Human sexuality is far more complicated than the Christian morans realize, but you'll never accuse a Fundy Christian of being merciful, thoughtful or able to process complicated issues.

Fundy Christians sure do know how to make life awful for others, but they want special treatment - and all the tax breaks - while they continue to break the law of our land.

[icymist]

35. I like your sarcasm!

Well said!

[Tsiyu]

37. Aww shucks

Just jaded is all

Thanks for sharing this video. I haven't encountered any of these sorts where I've been shopping, but I'll be ready if I do meet one!

And your information on this thread is vital to know. There is speculation that the feds taking away Title IX and other money (because NC Christians want to bully people as they use the toilet) is a a fringe benefit of this law.

They want to expand the educational lottery, and this will make the Conservatives go for it.

ala:

"We hate gamblin' but we do really wanna take over all the public restrooms so we kin make folks sho us there private tingly parts.

"So hell yeah! Take 'at munnie away Obammie! We'll jess sell us sum lottrie tikkits, an' are kids'll be edumicated! Praise the low-word!"

[icymist]

38. Yeah, that's why I keep telling people that transgender people are the canary in the coal mine.

You'd better believe it that if you are in a minority, you're next.

OT: I found this book an excellent read on human and ambiguous sexuality:

Third Sex, Third Gender: Beyond Sexual Dimorphism in Culture and History Paperback – June 6, 1996
http://www.amazon.com/Third-Sex-Gender-Dimorphism-Culture/dp/0942299825

The first 100 pages are there with Amazon's 'Look Inside' feature as well as the entire footnotes and index.

[Tsiyu]

41. How the Christians are treating transgender people today

is how they treated the mentally ill and the "others" in the past who did not fit their image of the perfection their Sky Daddy would create.

Of course, if you look at some of the people who see gender as black/white, they don't necessarily win any DNA prizes themselves, but I digress.

For some reason, religious people cannot feel good about themselves unless they have someone they can stigmatize and denigrate. (For those who think being potty patrol is your idea of heaven, denigrate means "put down." )

Their alleged "loving father" seems pretty hateful to me. Especially after you read a book like you've recommended, and you realize we don't know as much about gender as some think we do.

[LiberalElite]

46. I was raised Roman Catholic. Fundies don't consider the RC church to be Christian -

often it's referred to as the "Whore of Babylon." Leaving all the controversy regarding child molestation, etc. aside for the purpose of this reply - I left the RC church while I was still in RC high school many years ago and no longer identify as Christian- HOWEVER given my background I do defend Christianity at times - this is one of those times:

Long story short - Christians are not a monolithic bloc.

Here is a link to a group that is polar opposite to the right-wing "Christians". They don't get the press that the lunatics do.

http://www.faithfulamerica.org/

[Tsiyu]

47. I am aware of - and know personally - a few nice Christians

Not all Christians and so on...

I do try to qualify with "fundy" most of the time, but even you know that many mainstream Xtians are on the "let's stigmatize someone" bandwagon.

[icymist]

49. I wasn't intending to get started about the RC church.

Nor was I going to point out how they are buying up all the hospitals in large sections of our state. Currently, almost all the hospitals on the entire Olympic Peninsula in Washington state are now owned by the Franciscans. They are already dictating to the area nursing homes how they will be run. I can only guess how the Church presents the unspoken rules about how to handle the LGBT community or end of life care.

[LiberalElite]

51. I just put that in for my background - I'm aware

that the RC church is a whole other can of worms that has been discussed in multitudes of threads.

[icymist]

53. Yeah, I still need to do more research on that one.

What I have so far is not very pretty.

[closeupready]

10. Xtians do stuff like this all the time, the far-right ones.

I know one place I used to live, they'd come into the gay bars in heterosexual couplings and fondle each other at the bar.

Mental illness? Brainwashing? You tell me.

[icymist]

16. This is going way beyond heterosexual cuddling at a gay bar.

This is organized and well funded:

Money From Washington State Is Funding Anti-Trans Attacks In North Carolina

M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, one of the largest charities in the Pacific Northwest, gave $375,000 this year to a right-wing legal group that supports North Carolina's anti-transgender legislation. In February, the Vancouver, Wash.-based Murdock trust announced a $375,000 grant to a Scottsdale, Ariz.,-based group called the Alliance Defending Freedom. The group is a conservative Christian nonprofit that's backing laws across the nation to require transgender people to use the bathroom that matches the gender on their birth certificates. The North Carolina law, the first in the nation to restrict people from using the restrooms that align with their gender identity, has been widely pilloried as an attack on LGBTQ rights.

The Murdock Trust was founded in 1975, it has over $1 billion in assets today, and it gives out $50 million a year. "The Murdock Trust's website says 'the Trust's mission is to enrich the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest,'" Monahan writes. It's hard to see how financing rightwing hate groups in Arizona and their attacks on trans people in North Carolina (and other states) enriches the quality of life around here. And that $375,000 wasn't the first check the Murdock Trust sent to the ADF, an organization co-founded by rightwing hater/loon/fundie James Dobson. The ADF has received nearly a million dollars from the Murdock Trust over the last decade.

Who is sending all that money to haters?

Two of the trust's three current trustees are Oregonians: John Castles and Lynwood Swanson. The third, Jeffrey Grubb, lives in Vancouver. He's an executive vice president and senior managing director in the Portland Wealth Management Group of banking giant Wells Fargo.

http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016/04/12/23944830/money-from-washington-state-is-funding-anti-trans-attacks-in-north-carolina

[closeupready]

31. Agree - point being, we who are gay can not trust xtians of whom we know nothing.

It's one thing to be Unitarian Universalist or Episcopalian. But given that the pro-gay fraction of xtianity is quite small, they really can not be trusted to either support equality or to protect equality once achieved.

[icymist]

32. What really makes me angry is that a lot of these groups are tax exempt.

The tax exempt status needs to be revoked if Christianity is going to get involved in writing and trying pass laws. They are no longer a religion IMHO, but a tool of a government party, mostly the GOP.

[closeupready]

33. Again, absolutely agree.

[hedgehog]

39. I'm Episcopalian. Thank you.

[Tsiyu]

60. I was once a baptized from birth, confirmed Episcopalian as were all my 6 kids

but then I met a huge group of Episcopalians who are as corrupt and evil as any wicked congregation. Some Episcopalians may be LGBT-friendly, but they oppress the poor in ways that make Ebenezer Scrooge look like Santa Claus.

They ban and shun people from their town as if they are Amish--for the slightest of infractions, let their little rich kids bring all sorts of drugs into the community but only let their cops arrest the poor kids from local Appalachian, poverty-ridden neighborhoods, while they themselves are no more than wealthy arrogant drunks in public.

I could go on but let's just say no religion is free of evil assholery.

[apnu]

21. For real?

I lived in a rural college down in Southern Illinois. The place had more in common with Tennessee than anything else. Campus was flooded with Christians on missions, preaching on milk crates. They'd stake out the bar section of town, called "the Strip" at night to and continue the harassment. Sometimes they'd throw nails at us with little bible snippets attached to them with yarn.

Never heard of them going into gay bars to fondle each other, we had a few of those on the Strip too.

[closeupready]

25. More than once, right in front of me. So,

like a cockroach, if you are aware of one person to whom that happened, guaranteed it's happened lots of other times.

Granted this was in the late 80's, early 90's, and I imagine it doesn't really happen as much nowadays.

[surrealAmerican]

11. It kind of makes you want to go into their churches ...

... to try to sell them groceries, housewares, and clothing.

[lagomorph777]

15. I could print up a stack of mutual funds...

"Manna from Heaven, Inc." is a sure-fire winner!

[Katashi_itto]

17. Buy a taser It will stop fast, "He came Screaming at me, I was in fear of my life!"

[apnu]

22. You mean like this guy?

[Katashi_itto]

23. :)

[KinMd]

19. If I were in Target and these nuts got iin my face..

Im not a violent person, but intimidation won't work on me

[Else You Are Mad]

27. If I ever were confronted by one of these scum bags....

I would get in his face and counter everything he is saying. A lot of these creeps also are going into the woman's bathroom -- and I fear more about male Christians in the bathroom with my mother/daughter than anyone else.

[elehhhhna]

29. Duggar boy. bet hes itching to go there

[Major Nikon]

36. ...

[icymist]

40. And here's another one posted on youtube on 5/3/16. Proof this is organized.

The yelling man may not have the yellow tee shirt, but there are three people involved here indicating that the bigots are sending out teams to terrorize Target customers and employees. It also looks like Breitbart is involved with this, tying in the GOP.

Published on May 3, 2016
The Radical Reverend talks common-sense addressing the dangers and basic privacy violations of Target's pro-transgender/gender neutral bathroom policy. The American Family Association is calling for a boycott of Target after the retail giant said it would allow men to use the women's restrooms and dressing rooms in their stores.

Clearly, Target's new policy poses a danger to wives and daughters. It allows sexual predators access to their victims. Here are a few links including five incidents in which predatory men were discovered committing criminal actions in public restrooms.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-governme...

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2016/0...


www.TheRadicalReverend.com
Category
Nonprofits & Activism
License
Standard YouTube License

[Skittles]

43. keep that garbage in church

[Mnpaul]

45. I would point out to them

the real threat in the bathroom comes from Republicans like Foley, Hassert and Craig

The multiple reports indicate that no transgender individual has ever been arrested for sexual misconduct in a public bathroom, while at least three Republican lawmakers have been arrested for sexual misconduct in a public bathroom.

Former U.S. Senator Larry Craig, Florida state Representative Bob Allen, and Mississippi Congressman Jon Hinson were all Republican lawmakers, and were all arrested for sexual misconduct in a public bathroom.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2016/04/more-gop-lawmakers-arrested-for-sexual-misconduct-in-bathrooms-than-trans-people/

[AgingAmerican]

48. We have transgender friendly bathrooms at the college I work in

The doors lock so only one person at a time can use them....duh!

[icymist]

50. Don't worry, I'm sure these 'Christians' will want your college to put a sign on the door

designating a sex to allow for discrimination. I believe their goal is to drive transgender people out of the public.

[HooptieWagon]

52. Time to hire off-duty LEO for security.

[Behind the Aegis]

54. It is amazing how organized they are.

This is nothing more than terrorism.

[Democat]

55. Or it's free speech

Depends how you look at it.

[Behind the Aegis]

56. Free speech in a Target?

You do realize Target is a business, right? Free speech isn't a "catchall" or a "free pass." Is that how you look at it? "Free speech"?

[yardwork]

57. Target is a private entity. There is no right to free speech in a store.

[Democat]

58. Free Speech doesn't become Terrorism because it's private property

I was responding to the post that said it was terrorism.

[yardwork]

59. It looks like terrorism to me.

[icymist]

61. According to the USA Patriot Act this is terrorism.

These people are using threats of violence from their god to intimidate Target and the civilian population into violating Federal civil rights laws. The fundamentalist organization Operation Rescue have showed what threats of violence from this same god are in that their followers have actually bombed buildings and shot people. According to Section 802 of the USA Patriot Act this is called Domestic Terrorism. Because these people are going into Target stores in an organised manner while using threatening intimidation as a tactic in such a way that they are yelling at civilians "You have been warned" further indicates a perceived threat of future violence unless Target change it's policy. Therefore, this is terrorism.

Section 802 of the USA PATRIOT Act (Pub. L. No. 107-52) expanded the definition of terrorism to cover ""domestic,"" as opposed to international, terrorism. A person engages in domestic terrorism if they do an act ""dangerous to human life"" that is a violation of the criminal laws of a state or the United States, if the act appears to be intended to: (i) intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping. Additionally, the acts have to occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States and if they do not, may be regarded as international terrorism.

Section 802 does not create a new crime of domestic terrorism. However, it does expand the type of conduct that the government can investigate when it is investigating ""terrorism."" The USA PATRIOT Act expanded governmental powers to investigate terrorism, and some of these powers are applicable to domestic terrorism.

https://www.aclu.org/how-usa-patriot-act-redefines-domestic-terrorism

[LostOne4Ever]

63. On Free speech

[LostOne4Ever]

64. Exactly!

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=#009999]Terrorism is the use of violence or INTIMIDATION to achieve political aims.

This is, as you said, the epitome of Terrorism! But of course, since it is from the Right Wing the media won't call it out for what it truly is![/font]

[icymist]

62. I wish to say something nice here about Christians.

Even though I have left that religion a long time ago, I do not wish to talk ill of it, only those who profess Christianity and then proceed to twist it's teachings to suit their own agenda. I came across this article in the Seattle Times on Facebook this morning and decided to post it here so we can have a view of those Christians who do not discriminate. Thank you for your ear.

Maintaining transgender rights aligns with my Christian faith

AS an evangelical Lutheran pastor, I’ve humbly tried throughout my life to live out Christ’s commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves — including those who may seem different from us. It’s a core part of how I live my Christian faith, and the example my wife and I want to set for our daughters.

Like many people, there was a time when I didn’t know much about what it meant to be transgender. Because so few of us personally know a transgender person, the idea of a person being born one gender but knowing themselves to be another can sound unusual, confusing and may be a bit uncomfortable at first. I’ll admit it was for me.

Then, through my ministry, my wife and I came to know some transgender people and their families and learned of the discrimination they sometimes face. That experience really opened my eyes to the suffering of folks in our community, whomI realized I knew little about.

I’ve reflected back on that experience recently as I’ve been hearing about other states that have proposed or passed new laws allowing discrimination against transgender people in public places, including in public restrooms. Now, a proposed Washington ballot initiative, Initiative 1515, seeks to roll back discrimination protections for transgender people — legal protections that have been in place for 10 years.

http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/maintaining-transgender-rights-aligns-with-my-christian-faith/