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Tag Archives: bigots

Thoughts and…

27 Saturday May 2023

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

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bigots, LGBTQIA+, missouri, pearl clutchers, Pride Festival, right wingnut cult of the victim, right wingnuts, Warrensburg

A group is up in arms about the Warrensburg Pride Festival scheduled for June 3, 2023. There will be drag shows on the program. You know, fancy costumes, theatrical makeup, show tunes. This is nothing new. There were Pride Festivals in Warrensburg in 2021 and 2022. After security concerns about threats were addressed, the Warrensburg Pride Festival is proceeding with its original format.

These right wingnut busybodies had organized on-line to speak to the Warrensburg City Council during the public comment portion of the City Council’s evening meetings on April 24th and May 8th, asking them to limit or cancel the Pride Festival. A loosely organized group of LGBTQIA+ allies organized on-line to speak in support of the Pride Festival. The Warrensburg City Council listened.

Apparently, the pearl clutchers read the press release last night:

We the People of Johnson County Missouri – Friday, May 26, 2023 👺🤥 Nclusionplus Has Reinstated the Drag Queen Show for Kids on June 3 at the Elks Lodge – ACTION REQUIRED.

WE THE PEOPLE OF JOHNSON CO MO
MAY 26, 2023

Hi Folks,

Many of us have prayed diligently, asking God to STOP THE DRAG QUEEN SHOW FOR KIDS at the Elks Lodge a week away on Saturday, June 3. A lot of work was done by a LOT of people. Nclusionplus said they had CANCELLED the show for children and only 18+ year olds would be admitted.

Today their fb page announces the drag queen show for children is RESCHEDULED, and will occur as originally planned.

I was naive. I trusted them. If you all in favor of the drag queen show are reading this, “Hi! Welcome.” I trusted you.

I asked God to stop the show, I believe He said, “YES.” This looks like He didn’t keep His Word, but I don’t think that’s the deal. He wants to know if we REALLY, REALLY MEAN what we’re asking of Him. He says,

If My people who are called by My Name will HUMBLE themselves and PRAY, and SEEK MY FACE, and turn from their wicked ways, THEN will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and HEAL THEIR LAND.

We have to do it ALL, folks. Humbling isn’t the easiest thing to do. Sometimes I don’t even realize that I’m not humble before God. I have to ask HIM to help me humble myself. He does it, and it helps me see things from HIS Perspective!

I also have to ask Him to give me the words to pray. God says the Holy Spirit will pray through us when we ask. Ask. Now. And let Him do it.

Seek God’s Face. Seek Him like you never have before. Praise Him for His Work! Praise Him for His Power!! Praise Him for loving children and protecting them from the remarkable lies being spewed these days by satan. Pray for His Wisdom in how to pray! Ask Him to change your heart and life so you are CONSTANTLY living in His Presence; RIGHT beside Him. Hidden under the shadow of His Wing.

Ask Him to HELP us IDENTIFY our wicked ways, and then leave them buried at the foot of His cross, where His blood completely covers them in forgiveness and SALVATION!!!

Folks, the time is NOW. There is NO OTHER time. Stop reading and PRAY. Ask God to help us do WHATEVER we need to do to HEAL OUR LAND. Please, Father, protect our children; HEAL our land. Change us from the inside out. Make us new.

Strengthen our hearts as you did David’s when he fought Goliath. Fill us with COURAGE, to do YOUR Will. Father, we are Your people called by Your Name, clean us so we LOOK LIKE YOU!!!!

When you get up from praying, call Rick Brattin, our Senator. Let him know nclusionplus lied, and MANIPULATED ALL of us. He needs to know they manipulated him.

Rick Brattin – 573 -751-2108.
Call. PRAY. SHARE THIS WITH ANYONE WHO WILL PRAY AND CALL SENATOR BRATTIN.

Now PRAY more.

John 16:33 – I have told you these things so in ME you may have PEACE. In this world you will have trouble. BUT TAKE HEART!!! I have overcome the world!!! – JESUS

In case anyone was wondering, hate and bigotry are not supposed to be family values.

“…I was naive. I trusted them. If you all in favor of the drag queen show are reading this, “Hi! Welcome.” I trusted you…” Weird concept of what trust is. You think people are going to trust you when someone says this at public city council meetings?: “…I don’t know if any of you know the definition of pedophilia, but I’m gonna share it with you…” “…And I really do propose that having these drag queen shows in our community is illegal and it does psychological damage to our children. It’s known as grooming…” “…Uh, they have drag queens that are stripping in front of children. I get chills just thinking about this…” “…children in our community holding up dollars for drag queens like patrons at a strip club…” “…Drag queens are female impersonators who’s venue can sexually exploit children with their indoctrination about adult sexuality and sexual orientation….” “…Some would argue that we here today, we might be haters, fearmongers, or the dreaded homophobics because we don’t bow down and agree to the senseless immoral, perverted, corrupt garbage that is being thrown around and forced on us…” “…Um, we’ve talked a lot about rights. And what I realize, I think, anyway, what I realize is there was no vote taken about having a drag queen show in the Warrensburg area. It just appeared. So anybody who didn’t particularly want it really never even got to have a vote about that….”

Rich. No one is being forced to attend anything. And you are haters. And some are apparently ignorant about how voting actually works.

“…When you get up from praying, call Rick Brattin, our Senator…”

Rick Brattin (r) [2013 file photo].

Rick Brattin (r) is the pre-eminent legal scholar and final arbiter of the law in the State of Missouri, said no one ever.

Previously:

Warrensburg Pride Festival – June 26, 2021 (June 26, 2021)

Local busybodies engage in pearl clutching (June 3, 2022)

“I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ.” (June 4, 2022)

Pride Festival – Warrensburg, Missouri – June 4, 2022 (June 4, 2022)

The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 19, 2023)

Always the other (April 21, 2023)

Meta – The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 22, 2023)

Unified Field Theory of Right Wingnut Pearl Clutching, Self-Righteousness, and Victimhood (April 22, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 (April 25, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 – part 2 (April 26, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 2 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 3 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 4 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 5 (May 10, 2023)

Living in a self-imposed cultural vacuum (May 10, 2023)

A downward spiral…of pearl clutching (May 25, 2023)

Warrensburg Pride Festival – June 3, 2023 – Returning to Family Friendly Format (May 26, 2023)

A downward spiral…of pearl clutching

25 Thursday May 2023

Posted by Michael Bersin in meta

≈ Leave a comment

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bigots, dumbasses, LGBTQIA+, meta, missouri, pearl clutching, Pride Festival, self-righteous, trolling, Warrensburg

It’s always too easy.

We don’t allow ignorant comments out of moderation to be linked with the original post, but we will present some of them in subsequent posts for the purpose of public derision and mockery. As we see fit.

We see fit.

Attempted trolling comments submitted today in response to Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 (April 25, 2023):

Some of us happen to agree this is a detestable event. Evidence was given to City Council exposing the truth of the content of those events.
Do your homework instead of a sales pitch!

Evidence? We were there in 2021 and 2022. How about you?

They tried it again:

Some of us happen to agree this is a detestable event. Evidence was given to City Council exposing the truth of the content of those events.
Do your homework instead of a sales pitch!

Then, another:

Most of us are NOT in support of this kind of behavior and want children protected! PERIOD!!
It’s sad we can’t all agree we need to be on the same page. Which would be that page labeled , Moral. Kudos to those standing up for justice, morals. and the Children.

“Some of us…”? “Most of us…”? Which is it? Get your talking points in order.

With all the respect due to you, take your pages and shove them up your bigoted self-righteous ass.

By the way, the IP address and email address of all comments are attached to the original comment in our blog operating system.

Dumbasses.

Meanwhile, we think we’ll have an ice cold beer or two.

Previously:

Warrensburg Pride Festival – June 26, 2021 (June 26, 2021)

Local busybodies engage in pearl clutching (June 3, 2022)

“I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ.” (June 4, 2022)

Pride Festival – Warrensburg, Missouri – June 4, 2022 (June 4, 2022)

The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 19, 2023)

Always the other (April 21, 2023)

Meta – The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 22, 2023)

Unified Field Theory of Right Wingnut Pearl Clutching, Self-Righteousness, and Victimhood (April 22, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 (April 25, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 – part 2 (April 26, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 2 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 3 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 4 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 5 (May 10, 2023)

Living in a self-imposed cultural vacuum (May 10, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 5

10 Wednesday May 2023

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bigotry, bigots, City Council, drag show, LGBTQIA+, missouri, Pride Festival, Warrensburg

“…either everyone is welcome in Warrensburg, or no one is…”

A group billing themselves as Johnson County Citizens for the Protection of Children is still up in arms about the Warrensburg Pride Festival scheduled for June 3, 2023. There will be drag shows on the program. You know, fancy costumes, theatrical makeup, show tunes. This is nothing new. There were Pride Festivals in Warrensburg in 2021 and 2022.

These right wingnut busybodies had organized on-line to present a petition to the Warrensburg City Council during the public comment portion of the City Council’s evening meeting on April 24th to limit or cancel the Pride Festival. A loosely organized group of LGBTQIA+ allies organized on-line to speak in support of the Pride Festival.

The pearl clutching busybodies returned to Monday night’s City Council to demand an ordinance banning drag shows in Warrensburg, this time with photos on posterboard. In the period between the two council meetings the producers of the Pride Festival had already changed the festival format to 18 years of age and older due to reported threats against the festival and the venue. A similar group of LGBTQIA+ allies attended and signed in to speak in support of the Pride Festival and against a city ordinance.

More of the public comments:

…Again, thank you for allowing me to speak today. I’ll try to keep it short this time, I wrote this stuff down. Um, we’ve heard a lot of talk about safety and protecting children. But, I, I have to ask, does that include my kids? Are you gonna protect my kids when they get harassed for being gay, walking down the street. Because that does happen.

I want to make a point that making it 18+ is not an admittance that it was wrong or something inappropriate was happening. This means that the people who put it on took into account the threats they were receiving and decided to make it a, a decision basically out of safety.

Um, I would encourage the council to reach out to those businesses, publicize a point of contact to those businesses to contact you to know how they were being harassed, how they were being threatened.

Um, basically in my opinion a ban is a solution in search of a problem. We don’t have an epidemic of drag shows happening in this town. And so, I don’t know why a ban would be really necessary.

We even considered, uh, organizing an LGBTQ family event, just for families, not including any drag performers. And even when we were considering that we thought, what about the safety of the families attending. I think that says something when we are concerned about families just getting together being threatened.

Um, last I would say, either everyone is welcome in Warrensburg, or no one is.

Thank you.

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker15.mp3
.

…Everyone here today is talking about the children. And, you know, as the person who is my dad just spoke, I am, actually, one of these children. I used to be. Three years ago I was in Warrensburg High School. This place, I have never felt, less safe.

I grew up here, born and raised here.

When I found out that I went to UCM I almost cried because of the safety that I didn’t ever really feel in this community.

In high school people said heinous phrases to insult me just for being LGBTQ. People would shout ‘faggot’ towards me. People would shout slurs in my direction. I even had people tell me that they hope I got raped by my dad.

I have never felt more suicidal than homophobic people speaking against the rights of me and my siblings. The only places I have ever felt safe in Warrensburg, from even just walking down the street, has been the Pride events in Warrensburg.

These pride events are really important for children to experience because in high school they are not safe. They do not feel safe. LGBTQ kids feel like they have no community. And Pride is that sense of community.

I know people have said they’ve been worried about the drag shows and have showed images. I, trust me, you can see worse images if you go to a public pool. These public pools, we’re not showing ordinances against those. And this is because it’s not an LGBTQ event.

They’re not attacking us because it is not a sexually exploitive experience, it is because they are LGBTQ.

People talk about the agenda, people in the audience have said this, this is just because it’s LGBTQ people.

There are kids, including my siblings, who are the positions that I was in, who cannot access Pride anymore. And LGBTQ kids, just like me, are afraid to speak up.

The only thing this proposed ordinance would protect children from is their own self-expression. Please, if you care about people like me, do not pass this ordinance.

Thank you.

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker16.mp3
.

…back in the day I was a tour director. And I took conventions, conferences, and tours to places like Miami, New York City, Chicago, uh, Seattle, Phoenix, Las Vegas. A few years after that I taught on post at a military base. And I have seen all of the clubs that are on the outside gates of the military base.

I can pretty much, with assurance, state that what we had last year at Pride was none of the above. It was very family friendly and we should be very comfortable with NClusion Plus. They took great care of the kids that came to see them.

In the state of Missouri it is legal for a parent to give permission for a child under the age of 16 to marry. In the state of Missouri it is legal to force a child who has been raped to bear a child.

Think about that.

I am extremely concerned that because the words perversion, yad, yada, yada, etcetera, whatever, are getting thrown around we are mistaking human sexuality for an imaginary problem.

Grooming happens within a trust relationship. Those trust relationships are mostly really close to home. It’s the pastor, it’s the athletic coach, it’s the caretaker, it’s the babysitter.

It doesn’t happen in a one-hour or two-hour show.

We have had somewhere around six hundred years of common reading available. And in that time we have managed to read the bible, all manner of western civilization literature and it has not gotten rid of gayness.

They’re not going away.

Two hours at a kid friendly drag show, make those, outlaw those? That’s Robin Williams. That’s Bob Hope. [laughter] Yeah.

We just had a proclamation in this chamber a couple of months ago supporting the LGBTQIA community. In the city of Warrensburg we declared ourselves a welcoming community.

I don’t care how you raise your children. You do not have the right to tell anyone else how to raise theirs.

And the city of Warrensburg has followed their processes, yes ma’am….

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker17.mp3
.

…I’ve been a member of the Warrensburg community for thirty years. And I stand firm when I say that I stand to protect children. Allowing those children, 18 an under, to attend any type of adult entertainment, including a drag show is unacceptable. It doesn’t matter if they are the children or family of the performers or participants.

State laws that prohibit this are there to protect the children in our community.

In this community there seems to be some question whether the state laws in place should be enforced locally.

I would like a municipal ordinance put in place to codify that no one under 18 be allowed to drag shows or any other adult entertainment within city limits.

Thank you.

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker18.mp3
.

“…State laws that prohibit this are there…”

“…there seems to be some question whether the state laws in place should be enforced locally…”

Rick Brattin (r) and Denny Hoskins (r) are the pre-eminent legal scholars and final arbiters of the law in the State of Missouri, said no one ever.

…Um, we’ve talked a lot about rights. And what I realize, I think, anyway, what I realize is there was no vote taken about having a drag queen show in the Warrensburg area. It just appeared. So anybody who didn’t particularly want it really never even got to have a vote about that.

So now, belatedly, we’re coming forward and saying we don’t want that for children. We simply don’t want it for children.

[….]

The bottom line is that drag queen exposure for kids just helps confuse them. And it’s a mean trick. It obvious, it, I mean, it is. If somebody had thrown that in my face when I was a kid I probably would have run out screaming. And that’s the truth. I would have started crying and run away.

Um, it’s, it’s not fair. It is just not a fair thing to do to children. It mixes them up, it confuses them.

So, I do also request that the city do, uh, a municipal ordinance to ban drag queen shows for children, for children. Let’s not mix them up anymore. Life’s hard enough. Thanks.

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker19.mp3
.

“…what I realize is there was no vote taken about having a drag queen show in the Warrensburg area….”

There were no votes taken about which pizza toppings to order…in the Warrensburg area. There were no votes taken about what day we can wax our cars…in the Warrensburg area. There were no votes taken about which doctor’s office we can visit…in the Warrensburg area.

“…It just appeared….” Immaculately.

“…So anybody who didn’t particularly want it really never even got to have a vote about that…”

And no one really never even got to have a vote about which movies appear at the local theater. Fancy that.

Bugs Bunny?

…I, too, have been a resident of this town for fifty years. Quite some time. [….] However, I also have worked for the city of Warrensburg, as a dispatcher, a law enforcement officer, and in Johnson County as a law enforcement officer investigating child abuse and personal crimes.

During that point in time I never, in my investigation of child sexual abuse, child physical abuse, child emotional abuse, ever spoke to a drag queen. I spoke to pastors, I spoke to friends, I spoke to family. I spoke to two little girls whose father committed suicide because it was disclosed that he had been sexually abusing the older daughter. Never a drag queen.

We’ve heard talk of grooming [….] and I believe this was brought to your attention just a few minutes ago as well, that there are several steps to grooming a child to the point that they can be sexually abused. It includes gaining trust and access, playing a role in the child’s life, isolating the child, creating secrecy around this relationship, initiating sexual contact, and controlling this relationship. It does not happen, again, as been mentioned, in a one hour drag show.

It doesn’t happen.

If people want to talk to others about protecting children maybe this needs to be taken to the schools, maybe this needs to be taken to the churches, maybe this needs to be a community project with parents and caregivers in the city of Warrensburg.

I’m not a religious person, but I will finish with this. Matthew 7-1, the new living translation, do not judge others and you will not be judged. Verse 2, you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

I’d also like to say [turning to gallery], so many times I cannot hear the words of love that you are professing, because your actions are too loud.

Thank you.

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker20.mp3
.

Previously:

Warrensburg Pride Festival – June 26, 2021 (June 26, 2021)

Local busybodies engage in pearl clutching (June 3, 2022)

“I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ.” (June 4, 2022)

Pride Festival – Warrensburg, Missouri – June 4, 2022 (June 4, 2022)

The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 19, 2023)

Always the other (April 21, 2023)

Meta – The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 22, 2023)

Unified Field Theory of Right Wingnut Pearl Clutching, Self-Righteousness, and Victimhood (April 22, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 (April 25, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 – part 2 (April 26, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 2 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 3 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 4 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 4

09 Tuesday May 2023

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Bigotry, bigots, City Council, drag show, LGBTQIA+, missouri, Pride Festival, Warrensburg

A group billing themselves as Johnson County Citizens for the Protection of Children is still up in arms about the Warrensburg Pride Festival scheduled for June 3, 2023. There will be drag shows on the program. You know, fancy costumes, theatrical makeup, show tunes. This is nothing new. There were Pride Festivals in Warrensburg in 2021 and 2022.

These right wingnut busybodies had organized on-line to present a petition to the Warrensburg City Council during the public comment portion of the City Council’s evening meeting on April 24th to limit or cancel the Pride Festival. A loosely organized group of LGBTQIA+ allies organized on-line to speak in support of the Pride Festival.

The pearl clutching busybodies returned to last night’s City Council to demand an ordinance banning drag shows in Warrensburg, this time with photos on posterboard. In the period between the two council meetings the producers of the Pride Festival had already changed the festival format to 18 years of age and older due to reported threats against the festival and the venue. A similar group of LGBTQIA+ allies attended and signed in to speak in support of the Pride Festival and against a city ordinance.

So, I am a registered nurse, I graduated UCM and then, um, I have a medical degree from Japan. I’m a psychiatrist. And as a psychiatrist my concern is LGBTQ youth suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of youth. In 2019 19% of youth considered to attempt suicide. And 77% of them are LGBTQIA+ community. [….] In 2020, nationwide, 73% of LGBTQIA+ youth experienced discrimination, based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. And 45% considered suicide and 14% attempted suicide. In Missouri, its numbers are about the same.

So, it was noticed by U.S. government, long time ago, twenty years ago, the U.S. government had this program, plan, to reduce LGBTQIA+ youth suicide with, you know, decrease the number of people committing suicide. So, many researchers are done research and they found a risk factor is stigmatizing, stigmatizing is for who they are. And the youth feel isolation, feeling of being a burden to people, and negative school, like bullying. And they also find there’s a positive protective factor which is support from school, family, community.

So, I’m a scientist. I know we like to divide things in groups. But humans […] inside, outside, doesn’t match, that don’t match. [,,,] They are born to be that way.

I have been to the Pride Festival, twice, two years, two years ago and last year. And the significant thing I, touched my heart, there was many young people wrapping themselves with the pride flag, holding their hands, they, their face were peaceful. Then I, I realized this is what they need. They need to feel they’re okay to exist. Most of this, I’ve been there, most of the performer, they’ve been through discrimination. They are not professionals, they have their day job, they do this part time. They’re trying to tell young people it’s okay to be who they are.

So, as we talk about the safety of children as a community we have to provide safe environment for the children to keep them. Thank you.

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker9.mp3
.

…We have, uh, gone to the drag shows, as she said. I didn’t see anything that would, uh, indicate a violation of any of the laws that were mentioned. We thought it was a friendly, uh, and, uh, supportive event, as my wife said. We’ve raised five kids. We feel that we can make decisions about what events our children should attend. Input from other people is not needed, and frankly, not welcome.

Last time I was here I mentioned that I thought there was an economic issue, with the economic health of Warrensburg. That if we discourage people from holding a variety of events that, uh, has a negative impact on Warrensburg. And since that time we’ve seen that the, uh, Pride Fest that was planned is now limited to adults. Guess what that means? That means there are people who would have been in Warrensburg, frequenting businesses, spending money that, that day, who will not be. If the sort of ordinance that’s being supported were to be passed that would mean, uh, in the future, uh, there will be people who otherwise might have come to Warrensburg who will not.

Not just for that particular event, but because they see Warrensburg as a place that is not welcoming to them.

So, my thought is, let’s be careful about the decisions we make where we try to legislate morality for other people because those decisions may well come back to bite us economically. Thank you for your attention.

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker10.mp3
.

When we moved here, almost two years ago, I thought I lived in Warrensburg [….] We are kind of here, hearing a lot of opinions about a lot of stuff, but I think the thing that strikes me most is that there are laws in this country for a reason to protect children. Children don’t process things well as youth. They have to grow and mature. And, until in this nation have been identified as roughly eighteen years of age, some twenty-one, depends on what it is, they are not allowed to make or partake in situations which you’ve heard about here tonight [….]

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker11.mp3
.

Except you’ll make the parenting decisions for someone else’s kids. Because?

Explain the differences among the 1st Amendment, the 2nd Amendment, and the 14th amendment. We’ll wait.

So, I work here in Warrensburg. I’m the mother of six and I’m very concerned about having kids in our community attend drag shows. It’s never appropriate for kids to attend these type of events. I understand the event in June is now an adults only event, but my continued concern is for next year. We will need the city council to stand up and make it clear where they stand. Protect our children. A munici, a municipal ordinance would accomplish this. I want to thank Missouri senator Rick Brattin [r]…

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker12.mp3
.
“…It’s never appropriate for kids to attend these type of events…” You attended? If not, how would you know? But you still get to decide for everyone else? Because?

Rick Brattin (r) is the pre-eminent legal scholar and final arbiter of the law in the State of Missouri, said no one ever.

The NClusion drag queen venue is sexually explicit adult entertainment. I think we’d all agree about that. Adult entertainment should be for mature audiences only. Drag queens are female impersonators who’s venue can sexually exploit children with their indoctrination about adult sexuality and sexual orientation.

[….]

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker13.mp3
.
“…I think we’d all agree about that…” Uh, no. You might have noticed other speakers two weeks ago and at this city council meeting, right?

Because they’re so credible?:

“Faux News channel, fascist groupies” – protest sign, circa 2003- 2004.

…I want to start off by reminding everyone here that our children are our future. They are our heritage. God states in his words that every child is a gift and every child is a reward.

We live in a society where our children are constantly being told they have to believe a particular way, otherwise they are wrong or perhaps they are a bad person or even a hater.

Some would argue that we here today, we might be haters, fearmongers, or the dreaded homophobics because we don’t bow down and agree to the senseless immoral, perverted, corrupt garbage that is being thrown around and forced on us.

We, in fact, we embrace the right to choose. We’re speaking on behalf of the children. We also embrace reality. Normal moral and ethical living. Living is right, living right is not rocket science, it’s common sense. And like the most of us in this room I think we’re strong in that part. [….]

We are here as a group of citizens. We are committed to standing for the voiceless, our children, the ones who don’t have a voice in these days.

We aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, no matter what names, titles, or ridiculous ideologies others may speak against us or throw our direction. We are fully aware who we are through god who created us.

We are looking for solutions and so that’s where you all come in. We want safeguards put in place. We want accountability where there should be accountability. We want our children protected against EXPLOTATION.

We don’t come with a lot of feel good stories about our experiences with last year’s drag queen show. However, we did come with evidence that they are being exploited.

Photos of minor children at last year’s event were handed to you last, at the last meeting as well.

We want our children protected from an agenda that is hell bent on grooming our children. We want our children’s minds and their lives protected in these very vulnerable years.

[….]

We are committed to standing strong until this battle is won, until we see action from you on behalf our minors. We want to see an ordinance. We’re not going away, guys.

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker14.mp3
.
“…We live in a society where our children are constantly being told they have to believe a particular way, otherwise they are wrong or perhaps they are a bad person or even a hater…” Wait, isn’t that an argument against organized religion?

“…Some would argue that we here today, we might be haters…” Okay. If the shoe fits…

“…the dreaded homophobics…” Weren’t they a punk band in the 80s Waukesha music scene? Maybe not.

“..the senseless immoral, perverted, corrupt garbage that is being thrown around and forced on us…” That’s a whole lot to unpack there.

“…we embrace the right to choose…” Irony challenged. Definitely.

“…However, we did come with evidence that they are being exploited…” Evidently not.

You can feel all the love.

Previously:

Warrensburg Pride Festival – June 26, 2021 (June 26, 2021)

Local busybodies engage in pearl clutching (June 3, 2022)

“I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ.” (June 4, 2022)

Pride Festival – Warrensburg, Missouri – June 4, 2022 (June 4, 2022)

The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 19, 2023)

Always the other (April 21, 2023)

Meta – The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 22, 2023)

Unified Field Theory of Right Wingnut Pearl Clutching, Self-Righteousness, and Victimhood (April 22, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 (April 25, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 – part 2 (April 26, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 2 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 3 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 3

09 Tuesday May 2023

Posted by Michael Bersin in Missouri Senate

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Bigotry, bigots, Denny Hoskins, drag show, Fascist pigs, Missouri Senate, pearl clutchers, Rick Brattin, right wingnuts, Warrensburg, WTF?

Rick Brattin (r) and Denny Hoskins (r) are the pre-eminent legal scholars and final arbiters of the law in the State of Missouri, said no one ever.

Rick Brattin (r) [2013 file photo].

Denny Hoskins (r) [2017 file photo].

A group billing themselves as Johnson County Citizens for the Protection of Children is still up in arms about the Warrensburg Pride Festival scheduled for June 3, 2023. There will be drag shows on the program. You know, fancy costumes, theatrical makeup, show tunes. This is nothing new. There were Pride Festivals in Warrensburg in 2021 and 2022.

These right wingnut busybodies had organized on-line to present a petition to the Warrensburg City Council during the public comment portion of the City Council’s evening meeting on April 24th to limit or cancel the Pride Festival. A loosely organized group of LGBTQIA+ allies organized on-line to speak in support of the Pride Festival.

The pearl clutching busybodies returned to last night’s City Council to demand an ordinance banning drag shows in Warrensburg, this time with photos on posterboard. In the period between the two council meetings the producers of the Pride Festival had already changed the festival format to 18 years of age and older due to reported threats against the festival and the venue. A similar group of LGBTQIA+ allies attended and signed in to speak in support of the Pride Festival and against a city ordinance.

At last night’s meeting several of the busybodies made reference to a letter from Rick Brattin (r) addressed to the Warrensburg Police Department dated April 21, 2023. At the end of the meeting we requested a copy of the letter from the city. Denny Hoskins (r) also signed the letter.

…It has recently come to my attention that the “Warrensburg Pride Festival” program is scheduled for Saturday, June 3…in Warrensburg, Missouri. This is troubling for several reasons. First, the show is advertised as “family-friendly” and for guests “of all ages.” The event promotion includes no warning for “adult content” whatsoever for these drag shows that event organizers deem “family friendly.” A simple internet [sic] of similar shows reveals the content of such events is, at best, inappropriate for all ages and, at worst, highly sexualized and wholly unsuitable for children.

In fact, reports of these shows are so obscene and indecent that listing them in this letter would be unsuitable as it may be read minors. There can be no reasonable doubt that the good people of Warrensburg would be appalled by the behavior on display at these types of events, especially considering this behavior is being actively marketed to their children in apparent hopes they would become desensitized to such tasteless activities, and as a result, become sexualized at a young age. Not only are these shows immoral, but they are also illegal under Missouri State statute…

…It is abundantly clear that drag shows violate the existing Missouri State Statute, and it is time for them to be dealt accordingly. When I became a Marine, I swore an oath to the Constitution, and that oath never expires. Our Federal and State Constitutions share a common thread: all of us, whether elected officials or law enforcement officers, have a duty to protect the most vulnerable in our community. Our most precious resource, our children, is under attack, and it is time that we engage with those who harm them by destroying their hearts and minds.

I call on my fellow patriots with the Warrensburg Police Department to put a stop to this behavior and enforce Missouri’s existing laws. These types of events must be stopped, and the businesses that facilitate these events must be punished. We must also deal with these “drag queens” who are just men with perverted intentions, in accordance with exiting state law. I know these battles are not easy, but I want Chief Munsterman, and every member of the Warrensburg Police Department to know that I will…

…have your back. Not only will I have your back, but I am willing to stand alongside you as you protect our community.

I want to close out this letter by thanking the Warrensburg Police Department for all that you do. You deal with the madness of society so the rest of us can go home each night and enjoy our families in peace. Thank you, and God bless you.

Respectfully,
s/
Rick Brattin
[….]

s/
Denny Hoskins
[….]

Letter from Rick Brattin (r) and Denny Hoskins (r) to the Warrensburg Police

The only thing that’s actually obscene in this entire episode is this letter.

Previously:

Warrensburg Pride Festival – June 26, 2021 (June 26, 2021)

Local busybodies engage in pearl clutching (June 3, 2022)

“I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ.” (June 4, 2022)

Pride Festival – Warrensburg, Missouri – June 4, 2022 (June 4, 2022)

The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 19, 2023)

Always the other (April 21, 2023)

Meta – The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 22, 2023)

Unified Field Theory of Right Wingnut Pearl Clutching, Self-Righteousness, and Victimhood (April 22, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 (April 25, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 – part 2 (April 26, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 2 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023

09 Tuesday May 2023

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Bigotry, bigots, City Council, LGBTQIA+, missouri, pearl clutching, Pride Festival, Warresnburg

“…[turning to the gallery] So many times I cannot hear the words of love you are professing because your actions are too loud…”

A group billing themselves as Johnson County Citizens for the Protection of Children is still up in arms about the Warrensburg Pride Festival scheduled for June 3, 2023. There will be drag shows on the program. You know, fancy costumes, theatrical makeup, show tunes. This is nothing new. There were Pride Festivals in Warrensburg in 2021 and 2022.

These right wingnut busybodies had organized on-line to present a petition to the Warrensburg City Council during the public comment portion of the City Council’s evening meeting on April 24th to limit or cancel the Pride Festival. A loosely organized group of LGBTQIA+ allies organized on-line to speak in support of the Pride Festival.

The pearl clutching busybodies returned to last night’s City Council to demand an ordinance banning drag shows in Warrensburg, this time with photos on posterboard. In the period between the two council meetings the producers of the Pride Festival had already changed the festival format to 18 years of age and older due to reported threats against the festival and the venue. A similar group of LGBTQIA+ allies attended and signed in to speak in support of the Pride Festival and against a city ordinance.

This time there were about fifty individuals in the city council chamber gallery.

The portion of the meeting for public comment was again prefaced by a brief explanation of the ground rules. Individuals who signed up for public comment were allotted three minutes, with a city official acting as the timer. Speakers were asked to state their name and address. Some did, some didn’t.

==========
Update:

The series.

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 2 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 3 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 4 (May 9, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council Meeting – May 8, 2023 – part 5 (May 10, 2023)
==========

The first speaker was on the meeting agenda.

…I appreciate the chance to speak to you as a city council. I am a Johnson County central committee [political party] member, a wife, a mother, a grandma, a christian, and a very concerned citizen of Johnson County. Let me ask you a few questions. Do you want Warrensburg to be known as a safe community for families and children? [….] But are we really thinking about the long-term consequences of allowing drag shows and their perversion into our town. Uh. how important is the safety of our kids’ souls? I’m a mom and a teacher so I am very in tune with children. If you’re not thinking about long-term, how this would affect our community, I would encourage you to do that. You’ve been entrusted to protect Warrensburg citizens and provide day-to-day public service. This includes protecting our children and I understand that you are in a challenging position. But now you have a chance a decision that will impact children and generations of young people for years to come and our community. I am requesting that you as the city council would consider two points today. One, to protect the children. And, two, I’m requesting a city ordinance to ban all drag queen shows to protect the children, now and in the future, and all public areas, libraries included. Missouri senator Rick Brattin [r], District 31, sent a letter to the Warrensburg chief of police and the police department April the 21st, sharing several Missouri laws that prohibit these activities. And to be truthful, I didn’t even know there were this many laws against sexual, uh, deviance with children. But I am, uh, now understanding that there are Missouri laws, there’s federal laws [….] And I really do propose that having these drag queen shows in our community is illegal and it does psychological damage to our children. It’s known as grooming. And as you can see with these signs [posters], uh, this is pictures from last year’s drag show here in Warrensburg [….] Uh, they have drag queens that are stripping in front of children. I get chills just thinking about this. I cannot believe this is where we are at in our society. So I am encouraging you guys to stand strong, don’t cave into political pressure. But, where would this ever be okay, to strip in front of children? Thank you.

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker1.mp3
.
Sure. “…ban all drag queen shows…”

Rick Brattin (r) is the pre-eminent legal scholar and final arbiter of the law in the State of Missouri, said no one ever.

Rick Brattin (r) [2013 file photo].

Stripping? Uh, you do know what drag actually is, right?

“…I cannot believe this is where we are at in our society…” Ditto, but for much different reasons.

The busybodies had more individuals who signed up to speak, and they were, for the most part, at the top of the sign-up list.

…So, I know a lot of people…So, my purpose in telling you all that is to let you all know I know a lot of people around town. Uh, and since the last city council meeting two weeks ago I have been approached by a lot of citizens who were made aware of the drag show from the article in the paper. Um, they didn’t know about the all ages drag show until that information came out. A hundred percent of the people I spoke to were absolutely against a drag show for kids. Now, while I don’t mean that as any threat, I do mean to report that many of them said that the council was to allow this drag show for kids to continue they would certainly remember that come the next election. From what I learned the silent majority is not gonna remain silent on this issue. So, I want to make it clear to the council that when people spoke at the last council meeting it was misinterpreted that we were against the drag show. That’s not true. Personally, I have nothing against someone performing for adults. But, when you consider the age of the kids, please keep in mind I can’t send my underage kids to buy alcohol, they can’t buy cigarettes, they can’t drive, and they sure can’t attend an R rated movie. All these rules put in place to protect the kids. So why should an all ages drag show be any different? In closing my recommendation to this council would be to implement an ordinance against allowing an all ages drag show in the future. If people want a drag show for kids they can do that in the privacy of their own home. Thank you very much.

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker2.mp3
(audio edited)
.
The plural of anecdote is not data. And, if you don’t live within the city limits you don’t get to vote in city council elections.

“…while I don’t mean that as any threat..” Yes, yes you do.

“…So, I want to make it clear to the council that when people spoke at the last council meeting it was misinterpreted that we were against the drag show…” Uh, no, that was quite clear.

Missouri has graduated drivers license starting at age 15, when accompanied by a parent.

A rated movie? A parent or guardian can accompany their child to a movie.

“,..If people want a drag show for kids they can do that in the privacy of their own home…” You mean like on private property? Interesting. Wait, if you really believe it’s illegal then it’s illegal everywhere.

…I was thankful to learn that the drag show scheduled for June 3rd is now an eighteen and over only event. I wish their decision to limit the event to adults could be the end of this affair. I’m sure you all hope for the same thing. It is clear from their statement that they intend to try again in the future to bring an all ages event back to Warrensburg. I never again want to see photos of children in our community holding up dollars for drag queens like patrons at a strip club posted on social media. More importantly, I want to insure that the children of our city are never exposed to such environments in the first place. And I know that I’m not alone in that hope. In speaking with our state senator, Rick Brattin [r][…] I urge you to act quickly. Doing so will add additional support to our great police. And, most importantly, protect the children of Warrensburg and surrounding communities from these highly sexualized and inappropriate performances in the future…

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker3.mp3
.
“…I wish their decision to limit the event to adults could be the end of this affair…” Well?

“…holding up dollars…” Never heard of tips? Busking?

“…like patrons at a strip club…” How would anyone know?

Again, Rick Brattin (r) is the pre-eminent legal scholar and final arbiter of the law in the State of Missouri, said no one ever.

…Judge righteously…

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker4.mp3
.
Well?

…My husband and I are new to the area. And, um, you could only imagine my shock and dismay at learning that the past two years there’s been a drag queen performance that included children, um, being invited to it, encouraged to come to it. Uh, advertised as being appropriate for children and families. I couldn’t disagree with something like that more…

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker5.mp3
.
“…you could only imagine my shock and dismay…” Don’t need to. You’re telling us.

“…advertised as being appropriate for children and families…” And it was.

“…I couldn’t disagree with something like that more…” Yet you weren’t there because, you know, you’re new to the area.

Maybe ask for an ordinance where you actually live? Just to see how that works.

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker6.mp3
(personal information omitted)
.

…So I guess we’re quoting the bible. But, I don’t know if we’re paying attention to them ten commandments where it tells you not to bear false witness. Lady stood up here, at least she didn’t call me pedophile this time, that said that there was stripping going on. None of the performers took off any clothes. I understand you, you folks in the audience, look at those pictures and say, oh that’s terrible, I don’t want that for my child. I would again tell you, not your child, I think it should be legal.

But it doesn’t matter because we had some people with guns make threats. People talking about building bombs, blowing up the Elks. So we have decided to make it, what the folks here said was gonna be okay with them, just a pride event, a drag show with no kids, eighteen and over. But yet we’re still here talking about it.

Thank you very much.

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker7.mp3
.

…I thought I wouldn’t be here today because I thought that the goal from last time was to have an adults only drag show. And because of concerns about the safety of performers and attendees that’s what’s happening now.

Um, I’ve heard a lot about biblical reasons not to have drag shows. Um, the legal reasons I’m a little iffier on. [….]

One of my biggest concerns about the bible being used is, um, as a legal argument, is a phrase that was recently used about the issue, that says, I don’t think we have the command to kill anyone. I hope that nobody thinks that the bible has told them that they need to kill people who are supporting our LGBTQ people. Um, and I’d hope that we’d move on to something that is actually harmful to kids.[….]

What bothers me more than anything else in this is that LBGTQ young people are four times more likely to attempt suicide. And these are the children who deserve to be proud of who they are. Because I was raised to believe that god made me who I am. And I cannot imagine that same god wants me to kill myself because people in my community can’t accept who I am. Thank you.

https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WbgCityCouncilDragShowSpeaker8.mp3
.

Previously:

Warrensburg Pride Festival – June 26, 2021 (June 26, 2021)

Local busybodies engage in pearl clutching (June 3, 2022)

“I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ.” (June 4, 2022)

Pride Festival – Warrensburg, Missouri – June 4, 2022 (June 4, 2022)

The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 19, 2023)

Always the other (April 21, 2023)

Meta – The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 22, 2023)

Unified Field Theory of Right Wingnut Pearl Clutching, Self-Righteousness, and Victimhood (April 22, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 (April 25, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 – part 2 (April 26, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 – part 2

26 Wednesday Apr 2023

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bigotry, bigots, City Council, LGBTQIA+, missouri, pearl clutching, Pride Festival, Warrenburg

“…I am a person. I think that’s what we’re down to here, an issue of people. And we’re forgetting that we are people…”

A group billing themselves as Johnson County Citizens for the Protection of Children is up in arms about the Warrensburg Pride Festival scheduled for June 3, 2023. There will be drag shows on the program. You know, fancy costumes, theatrical makeup, show tunes. This is nothing new. There were Pride Festivals in Warrensburg in 2021 and 2022.

These right wingnut busybodies organized on-line to present a petition to the Warrensburg City Council during the public comment portion of Monday night’s meeting to limit or cancel the Pride Festival. A loosely organized group of LGBTQIA+ allies organized on-line to speak in support of the Pride Festival.

Over 100 individuals crowded into the city council chamber.

The portion of the meeting for public comment was prefaced by an explanation of the ground rules. The city council was there to listen, but would not comment nor respond to questions. Individuals who signed up for public comment were allotted three minutes, with a city official acting as the timer. This worked well, with one glaring exception. Speakers were asked to state their name and address.

…I’ve been to drag shows before. I went to one last year. Been to Pride festivals, never saw any sort of child abuse going on.

I respect their rights to come and protest that if they want, that’s their choice. But that’s why we’re here.

Rather what I saw going on there and what my family saw going on there was messages of empowerment and joy…

…I just wanted to say I have attended one of these drag shows in Warrensburg with several of my family. I’m a thirty-three year resident of Warrensburg, I’m married, we have five children together, four who are adults.

The drag show was quite enjoyable. I did not see anything objectionable from my point of view. I did not see any potential for harm to anybody. There were some people who were wearing nice clothing. There were people wearing makeup. They lip-synched. Some of them did quite a good job, some of them did okay. [laughter] We all enjoyed it.

The additional point that I just wanted to bring up is that I believe it’s in the economic interest of Warrensburg to support a diversity of events to which people with different interests feel welcome to attend. And to the extent we don’t do that I think it contributes to an image problem that can only hurt the city economically.

So I support Warrensburg being open to holding a variety of events for people with a variety of preferences and interests.

Thank you.

…I’ve lived here in Warrensburg for eleven years I think now…I have never been this disappointed in our elected officials in this country as I am standing here today. I remember years ago it was common, it was a very common to hear the phrase it takes a village to raise a child. And there was a time that we knew as a country that we knew we were working as a united team. The parents, our extended families, our church family, and of course, our government supporting the traditional family and the ideas attached.

Sadly, our villages are broken. Families are divided. Our schools are busy trying to be politically correct. And all the while trying to convince our youth that America’s moral ground has shifted.

The saddest, most pathetic part of all of this is that our churches have forgotten their own role, in not just the family, but in our nation.

Then there’s the smaller government such as city boards, school boards that continually change the rules, that despite all the logic and moral facts that would negate their divisive changes and actions. So, I find myself in front of one of those smaller governments. And, let’s face it, you all need a gentle reminder every now and then that you do represent we the people.

And many of these people are too young and, and they have a voice that is just not heard so we have to be their voice. I do attend church and I am fully aware that [inaudible]. And even though my kids are grown I can tell you this, my job has not ended.

The majority who didn’t get out and vote who are represented here through myself and in people in this room today do not want this mislabeled immoral cabaret event in our county. Honestly, we don’t want it anywhere.

We can clearly see, this is the national consensus, all you have to do is look at the bills that are currently waiting for amending and vote [….] and Tennessee just passed anti-drag queen legislation, Ohio did as well.

Here we are relying on you to make a fair, sound, moral, ethical assessment and judgment based on the following facts, all the while remembering you are the voice of we the people. And that includes our children.

And do, I don’t know if any of you know the definition of pedophilia, but I’m gonna share it with you [inaudible] the dictionary. [voice: “So now I’m a pedophile?”] Pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder [….] [timer: “Fifteen seconds.”] …So, they are attracted to these age groups. Now, knowing this, what part of a performance begins with a goal of a man dressing as a woman [timer: “Time.”], putting on makeup [voice: “Ma’am, that’s the expiration of your time.”] and strapping on body parts and dancing provocatively. And by the way, you all have a picture…[shouting][gavel]

Silent majority? That’s not how this all works.

Tennessee? Ohio? Uh, we’re in Warrensburg, Missouri.

Rules. How Ironic.

—–
https://showmeprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/WbgMoCityCouncilDragShowExcerpt042423.mp3
—–

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…

Is this a great country, or what?

…I am a Silver-haired Representative for Pettis County, retired Air Force, and I’ve been to both of the previous Pride events. As a Silver-haired representative I’m a required reporter as well. And there was never any occurrence in which I felt a need to call Social Services.

What I did see was love and inclusion, which is sorely lacking in today’s society. Ones what I think we’re supposed to be trying and do better for our children, and by showing the good in everyone.

So, the pride is just that…

…I come to you tonight as a white woman, speaking from the Christian faith. And my concern goes back to pledging allegiance a little earlier tonight and the freedoms that we enjoy to congregate with those we want to. My faith tradition came in 1720 to Pennsylvania, persecuted in Germany. If you baptized an adult you were killed. And so they came here seeking religious freedom. Freedom we enjoy today. To choose what church we want to attend, what community event we want to be part of. And I believe, tonight we are here for a much larger issue. And that is the freedoms we enjoy which are being threatened by persons who want to pinpoint one group.

And I want to share the importance of that in a quote by Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran pastor, who spoke after Nazi Germany. And he said:

First they came for the Socialists. And I did not speak out, because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade-unionists. And I didn’t speak out because I was not a Trade-unionist.

Then they came for the Jews. And I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me. And there was no one left to speak for me.

I think we need to take those words to heart tonight as we speak up for those who are on the margins of our society. I believe Jesus did that, as he gave me that example. I want us to love others and to lift up those on the margins in or community. And to celebrate the gift of God’s creation in each human being.

Thank you.

…I would just like to say, what exactly are we talking here? Kids like me? People who encourage them to be who they are? I don’t understand why a woman, pardon, a man in a dress is a problem if they want to wear a dress. I don’t understand. I, my rights are being threatened at the state level and yet we’re here worrying about this?…

…You’re not allowed to tell me what I can and cannot do just because, you, your religion or beliefs say it. I have my own beliefs. I am a person. I think that’s what we’re down to here, an issue of people. And we’re forgetting that we are people.

Thank you.

Previously:

Warrensburg Pride Festival – June 26, 2021 (June 26, 2021)

Local busybodies engage in pearl clutching (June 3, 2022)

“I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ.” (June 4, 2022)

Pride Festival – Warrensburg, Missouri – June 4, 2022 (June 4, 2022)

What gives you the mistaken impression that we give a fuck about what you think? Part the infinity… (November 21, 2022)

The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 19, 2023)

Always the other (April 21, 2023)

Meta – The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 22, 2023)

Unified Field Theory of Right Wingnut Pearl Clutching, Self-Righteousness, and Victimhood (April 22, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023 (April 25, 2023)

Addressing Bigotry – Warrensburg, Missouri City Council – April 24, 2023

25 Tuesday Apr 2023

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Bigotry, bigots, City Council, drag show, LGBTQIA+, missouri, pearl clutching, Pride Festival, Warrensburg

A group billing themselves as Johnson County Citizens for the Protection of Children is up in arms about the Warrensburg Pride Festival scheduled for June 3, 2023. There will be drag shows on the program. You know, fancy costumes, theatrical makeup, show tunes. This is nothing new. There were Pride Festivals in Warrensburg in 2021 and 2022.

These right wingnut busybodies organized on-line to present a petition to the Warrensburg City Council during the public comment portion of last night’s meeting to limit or cancel the Pride Festival. A loosely organized group of LGBTQIA+ allies organized on-line to speak in support of the Pride Festival.

Standing room only.

Signing in.

Over 100 people crowded into the gallery of the city council chambers by the scheduled 7:00 p.m. start of the meeting. We asked a city council meeting regular if they recalled any other meetings with this large of a crowd. “No.”

After the city council convened and worked through the beginning of the agenda the portion of the meeting for public comment was prefaced by an explanation of the ground rules. The city council was there to listen, but would not comment nor respond to questions. Individuals who signed up for public comment were allotted three minutes, with a city official acting as the timer. This worked well, with one glaring exception. Speakers were asked to state their name and address.

…I’m the one that invited the folks to come to our community and have a Pride event. I tried to get one started in 2020, didn’t work out. 2021, we had our first one, I thought it went very well. We also had one last year, and evidently some folks not real happy about having that event. I’m not sure what to say.

I was thinking Carrie might be here, but I guess I don’t see her right now. I know she used to live right close here. But, I thought when we got rid of the Nineteenth and adopted the Twenty-First that we might have been a little closer to understanding that we should let people have their freedoms and do things. And if we don’t like it, don’t go. That would be the point of this Pride deal, is that if don’t want to go, you don’t have to go. If other people want to go to do a legal activity in a enclosed environment, they should be able to do that.

Now, I’ve heard about those other people in Columbia, those fearful people from a big city. But, again, they were invited to come to our community. Many speakers here today will tell you that they want to have that activity occur.

The other thing I guess I was hearing is that there was abuse last year. I’m a father, a grandfather, I served twenty-one years in the Army, I was a required reporter for child abuse for more than twenty years in Missouri. Used to inspect day cares and home care providers. If I saw abuse I would have reported or stopped it. There was no abuse.

If you look on social media you’ll see some pictures. That’s not anything filmed in Johnson County. I don’t recognize any of those performers. They didn’t come to our town to perform. I don’t know where that was filmed at, but that didn’t happen here. Nor, would we allow that type of performance.

So, let’s be a little clear, you know [….]. Anyway, I guess I don’t see Carrie, but I think her spirit is here. If you want to know Carrie’s last name, it’s Nation. She’s the one with the Tomahawk. [“Time”] [laughter] Thank you.

…the advertisement for the Burg Pride Fest. And the thing that caught me on the invitation was there are seven and a half hours specifically allotted for children and/or their parents or their supervisor. And there’s one and a half hours allotted for adults. So that gives a message to me. It’s like why is there this inordinate desire for these people to be in front of kids? So, that was my first thought…

Never been to a movie theatre? Never watched television?

“Inordinate desire”? Don’t think of an elephant.

“These people”?

… [501(c)3 or 501(c)4] …I was super curious about the organization that brought this petition up, or will be bringing the petition up….I looked on our Secretary of State’s site and found that this organization, We the People of Missouri, was registered as a 501(c)4 which says they are non-partisan and educational…

…that in order to be considered educational it must present a sufficiently full and fair exposition of pertinent facts, to permit a formation of an independent opinion or conclusion.

Now, I do believe there will be items raised on both sides of this concern tonight, I do not believe they will be brought by the same people…

…I come before you tonight as one of many citizens standing up to protect our children from exposure to inappropriate performances that are commonplace at drag shows…

…Like many of my neighbors and friends I’m very concerned about what children see and learn. For instance, there’s an organization here tonight and I think it’s awful that kids learn hate and Fascism and things like that. So, what I’m gonna do about it is, I’m not gonna take my kids. And what I’m not gonna do about it is come to this, this, government and ask you to infringe on their First Amendment rights…

…Our LGBTQ community are not nuisances. They’re not. So, if you don’t like Pride, don’t go. And the last thing I have to say is, you know, don’t be, don’t be the council that signs on to Fascism…

I attended last year’s event. There was no abuse anywhere. There were a lot of adults there. There were a lot of kids there. It was publicized, no one was caught off guard, and it was a voluntary event. People could choose to attend or not attend.

I have a problem with the characterization of performers as being evil, or predatory, or whatever they want to call it. There is no evidence of that. And that is not a way that we address human beings. Out of such language come things like mass shootings. And we don’t need to do that.

This is a group within our community. It is not the entire community. There are other groups in the community that hold different views on how to raise their children. I do not tell them how to raise their children, and I respectfully ask that they not tell me how to raise mine. I will choose the events that they go to, I will choose the books that they read, and I expect that others will grant me the same respect.

This is not a necessary petition.

It was on private property. It was closed. The children did not get there by nefarious means, they did not magically transport there. Their parents brought them there.

And their parents have the right to emphasize the values that they consider important. You may not like that…but it is still their right to raise their children according to their values. Just as it is to raise your children according to your values.

So, I would suggest that we understand within a much larger community of other groups and that they do not speak for all of us. And they do not speak for me. Thank you.

Previously:

Warrensburg Pride Festival – June 26, 2021 (June 26, 2021)

Local busybodies engage in pearl clutching (June 3, 2022)

“I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ.” (June 4, 2022)

Pride Festival – Warrensburg, Missouri – June 4, 2022 (June 4, 2022)

What gives you the mistaken impression that we give a fuck about what you think? Part the infinity… (November 21, 2022)

The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 19, 2023)

Always the other (April 21, 2023)

Meta – The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 22, 2023)

Unified Field Theory of Right Wingnut Pearl Clutching, Self-Righteousness, and Victimhood (April 22, 2023)

Unified Field Theory of Right Wingnut Pearl Clutching, Self-Righteousness, and Victimhood

22 Saturday Apr 2023

Posted by Michael Bersin in meta

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bigotry, bigots, LGBTQIA+, meta, pearl clutching, self righteousness, troll

This is too easy.

As always, we don’t allow ignorant comments out of moderation to be linked with the original post, but we will present some of them in subsequent posts for the purpose of public derision and mockery. As we see fit.

We see fit.

An attempted trolling comment to a post about small town bigots in Warrensburg, Missouri wanting to shut down a Pride Festival – Meta – The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 22, 2023):

Love all the name calling, really punctuates how you are the adult in the room.

Because denying the humanity of another human being is always the adult thing to do?

Ignoranimus.

By the way, the IP address and email address of all comments are attached to the original comment in our blog operating system.

Venn Diagram of Right Wingnut Orthodoxy

Not a complete list, but you get the picture.

Previously:

Warrensburg Pride Festival – June 26, 2021 (June 26, 2021)

Local busybodies engage in pearl clutching (June 3, 2022)

“I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ.” (June 4, 2022)

Pride Festival – Warrensburg, Missouri – June 4, 2022 (June 4, 2022)

What gives you the mistaken impression that we give a fuck about what you think? Part the infinity… (November 21, 2022)

The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 19, 2023)

Always the other (April 21, 2023)

Meta – The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 22, 2023)

Meta – The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us

22 Saturday Apr 2023

Posted by Michael Bersin in meta

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bigotry, bigots, LGBQTIA+, meta, missouri, Warrensburg

“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented” – Elie Wiesel

Meta.

A right wingnut group of pearl clutching busybodies in our community is organizing to prevail upon the Warrensburg City Council at its meeting on Monday, April 24th to restrict and/or cancel the Pride Festival to be held at a private event center in Warrensburg on June 3rd. There will be vendors, food, drag shows [fancy costumes, theatrical makeup, and show tunes]. Go figure. They are using a web site to organize and collect signatures for a petition to the Warrensburg City Council to stop or limit the Pride Festival. Their site relates their proposed tactic of flooding the gallery with their presence during the council meeting. Apparently, they are all supposed to clap loudly when one of their number spews their bigotry during the public comment portion of the meeting.

They’ve also been instructed that since they are doing so out of an abundance of “love”, or something, that they should remain polite.

The profession of “love” from a position of overt bigotry, hate, and fear is not convincing to the targets of that “love”. It’s not neighborly. It’s not polite. It’s not civilized.

Since we’ll be covering the meeting on Monday evening we thought it advisable to check with the City Clerk’s office about the various agendas (there are three meetings – one at 5:00 p.m. which is closed, one at 6:00 p.m. which is a work session, and the regular meeting after that). I drove to the city building and asked to see the City Clerk. The City Clerk wasn’t in, but their assistant took my contact information and promised to get answers to my questions. There’s not a lot of space in the council chambers public seating area. Sadly, most of the time, very few people bother to attend meetings. We also asked about media access and tripod placement (for still images).

I was called by the City Clerk’s office that afternoon and was given schedule and logistics information for Monday’s meeting. The assistant then asked me [paraphrased], “I’ve seen something on the Internet somewhere about this. What’s the name of the group?” I replied, “Johnson County Citizens for the Protection of Children.” There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “Hello, are you still there?” “Yes.” “You should be able to find their web site by [Internet search engine] it?”

Another loosely organized local group is advocating a counter to this bigotry at the April 24th public meeting. One individual posted a request that we all listen to the viewpoints of these bigots and show respect for them as our neighbors and acquaintances [paraphrase].

I responded:

From the “Johnson County Citizens for the Protection of Children” web site:

“[…] The last two years, “Drag Shows for Children” were held right here in Johnson County, and on June 3rd, a group plans to hold another at the Elks Lodge/Meadows Rental Venue in Warrensburg. Our community was caught off guard before, but after seeing 40+ children exposed to this abuse last year, we, as concerned citizens, have organized to demand that this year’s event be restricted to adults 18 and older or canceled. [….]”

There were a number of individuals who were/are mandated reporters who attended the Pride Festival last year. Some/many with their families. One of the alleged instigators of this new attempt at pearl clutching (see previous discussion) is, by appearance a possible mandated reporter.

The accusation of “seeing 40+ children exposed to this abuse last year” is a serious one. It might appear to be hyperbole – if so, that’s a really bad choice of words. If we’re talking about civilized discourse one does not just toss around terms that have serious legal implications. Mandated reporters have an affirmative duty to report child abuse. Immediately.

The monsters in this conversation are the ones who tossed an inflammatory accusation into the mix, apparently for the purpose of dehumanizing other human beings. That’s not from a place of love, that’s at the very least a cynical manipulation for the acquisition of power of some sort. History shows us what it really is at its worst.

Who is keeping a civil tongue?

All opposing view are equal? Even if one of those views is dehumanizing and based on grotesque bigotry? No.

Silence means consent. If you’re not willing to stand with the marginalized and take the cast stones with them, then you’re not an ally.

Targeting the marginalized for their failure to cease to exist is not a valid nor civilized cultural or political viewpoint. It’s sure as hell not “love”.

Previously:

Warrensburg Pride Festival – June 26, 2021 (June 26, 2021)

Local busybodies engage in pearl clutching (June 3, 2022)

“I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ.” (June 4, 2022)

Pride Festival – Warrensburg, Missouri – June 4, 2022 (June 4, 2022)

The pearl clutching right wingnut bigots among us (April 19, 2023)

Always the other (April 21, 2023)

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