The eyes of those committed to the progression of LGBT rights will be on the state of Tennessee this legislative session. Due to a Republican majority in the Tennessee General Assembly, we have seen a major regression when it comes to reaching equality in this state. Last session the Assembly passed a bill (HB 600) that prevents Tennessee cities from enacting their own nondiscrimination policies. Even though this is the law of the land for now, a court challenge is in the works.
Also last session we saw a bill that, many years after being introduced, finally found some traction in the Assembly, a bill known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill. This piece of legislation would prevent public elementary and middle schools from teaching or distributing material on human sexuality that deals with homosexuality. Only heterosexuality may be taught. This bill brings into question how one "teaches" homosexuality:
Is it teaching homosexuality if a teacher has a picture of them with their partner on their desk and an inquisitive student asks who the other individual in the picture is?
Is it teaching homosexuality if a student with two moms or two dads is allowed to bring their unconventional family to school on Parents Day and a student inquires about the same-sex partnership?
Is it teaching homosexuality if an aspiring teacher who works with kids during an after-school program performs in drag in his free time?
The "Don't Say Gay" bill, as currently written, could jeopardize the jobs of teachers in the situations proposed above, and indeed teachers everywhere, straight or gay. (Additionally, what about the Bible and other religious works or books that reference homosexuality? Is that teaching it?)
This bill will be up for debate once again this session.
Another piece of legislation that has been introduced this session is the so-called "License to Bully" bill. What this bill would do, if passed, would give students the ability to justify bullying their peers that are gay or perceived to be gay by pointing to a political or religious conviction. It's one thing to have an academic debate in the classroom about gay issues, but it is another thing to let those debates turn into harassment and bullying in the hallways. This bill would do that.
In Tennessee we have seen the heartbreaking story of Jacob Rogers, a young man who took his own life due to being bullied for being gay. Do the sponsors of these bills understand the ramifications that this toxic legislation will have on our youth? I seriously doubt they do or even care, as long as they can put another legislative victory under their belt.
And lastly, it seems that the realm of education isn't enough for this current legislature. There is now a bill that has been introduced that would harm gender-variant people. HB 2279, or the "Gender Check, Please" bill, as I like to call it, would "restricts access to public restrooms and public dressing rooms designated by sex to members of that particular sex." Not only would this bill hurt transgender people, but it may also prevent parents from accompanying their child into the restroom.
These bills are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to gay politics and issues in the state of Tennessee. Not only is it going to take every Tennessean who believes in equality to help fight this horrible legislation, but it is also going to take people across the nation to shut down the sorts of unrepentant, negative, and regressive mindsets that have called my legislature home. I believe that together we can fight these anti-human bills and work toward a Tennessee, and a nation, that believes in true equality for everyone.
Follow Brandon Thomas on Twitter: www.twitter.com/baxtertennyson
http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-tennessees-license-to-bully-bill
Thank you!
Here's a question. What if a teacher asks kids to tell the class what they did over the weekend and one of the kids says that he/she went to the park with her gay or lesbian parents? Would that violate the law? Or are kids with gay or lesbian parents supposed to pretend they have straight parents? I guess they don't care if they damage the kids, either.
Condolences for the loss of Phillip Parker, the 14 year old who took his life there in TN as a result of the relentless bullying.
Excluding AIDS related organizations, on a political level the Tennessee GLBT community is about as educated, united and organized at a local and county level as was most of America in the mid-1970s. There is a state-wide organization with a paid lobbyist in Nashville who does his best to keep our perspective in front of the legislature and out in the media. Unfortunately in the absense of well organized constituent pressure to back him up, legislators hardly listen. As in other states, monied gays in Tennessee largely confine their involvement to financial support for the cause and in Tennessee that translates into big checks written for Human Rights Campaign (HRC) sponsored events held mainly in Nashville with most if not all of that money flying off to Washington when it's really needed most desperately right where it is.
My suggestions are that GLBT Tennesseans form local organizations to monitor candidates for city councils, school boards, the state legislature, etc. raise funds to back gay friendly candidates and to fight their enemies, and above all stop relying on a big national organization to look out for you because that strategy hasn't done you much good so far.
So many good, equality- and religious freedom-minded residents of that state are represented in their state legislature by people who can hardly conceal their contempt for the LGBT community or non-Christians.
Here's what they think.... they are depositing money in their banks which the US then borrows from them and live well off the interest! They are laughing all the way to the bank because we spend so much time worrying about what goes on in peoples bedrooms while sending our jobs and manufacturing to them! LOL
Condemnation will not solve the problem. Neither side can convince the other by shouting.
Communication will. Truth and justice does eventually prevail. It just takes time.
They cannot turn off the communication. The kids have televisions and computers and cell phones. Tennessee might well be the last state in the union to recognize equal rights for gay people. But, you can be sure, they will.