After some convoluted maneuvers, a Senate committee Wednesday approved a bill that will prohibit teachers from discussing homosexuality in kindergarten through eighth-grade classrooms.
The measure (SB49) is sponsored by Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, who unsuccessfully pushed the same idea - nicknamed the "don't say gay" bill - for six years as a member of the state House before he was elected to the Senate.
As introduced, the bill would have put into law a declaration that it is illegal to discuss any sexual behavior other than heterosexuality prior to the ninth grade.
This is what happens when you allow science resistant Republicans to create legislation.
You know hearing your parents constantly repeat the word "ni**er" could make you a racist. And hearing your father call women "whores" or "bimbos" might make you a sexist. But hearing your kindergarten teacher say the word "gay" is not going to suddenly make you want to blow the guy napping on the next cot over.
People do not become gay because somebody says the word within earshot. But a gay teenager struggling to understand their sexuality might not feel overwhelming shame if they are not raised to believe it is a dirty, sinful word.
And sometimes that shame can be fatal:
Suicide attempts by gay teenagers — and even straight teens — are more common in politically conservative areas that lack school programs supporting gay rights, a study involving nearly 32,000 high school students found.
Those factors were a substantial influence on suicide attempts even when known risk contributors like depression and being bullied were considered, said study author Mark Hatzenbuehler, a Columbia University psychologist and researcher. The study was published online today in the journal Pediatrics.
Hatzenbuehler’s team found a higher rate of suicide attempts even among youths who were not bullied or depressed when they lived in counties less supportive of gays and with relatively few Democrats. A high proportion of Democrats was a measure used as a proxy for a more liberal environment.
I can tell you from experience that discovering your child is gay is NOT the end of the world.
However losing that same child to suicide just might be.
If only these clowns put as much effort into running the country, intelligently, we would not be in the mess we are in today. Nobody elected them to be the morals police, just make sensible decisions on the things that affect our everyday lives. It would not surprise me if "Stacy" is the next one caught toe-tapping in the men's room. Why is he so obssessed with other people's lives? Live and let live.Maybe he is afraid that someone might make him "switch teams"?? As if THAT is possible.
ReplyDeleteIs this a joke?
ReplyDeleteTennessee lawmakers try to go for the platinum nut ring because Arizona lawmakers just aren't pathetically crazy enough for the world. I'm sad for the sane people in Tennessee.
Is this why christians home-school their kids? To keep them away from the world? I think it just dawned on me. They can keep them home, away from the Gay,...(and the black, and the brown and the liberal). But apparently they can't keep them away from the penises, as evidenced by Bristol and Willow.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that in this day and age they would be this backwards. And honestly, they're opening themselves up to a lawsuit, because if one of those gay kids are bullied and they do nothing about it because they can't discuss the gay, or if one kid has gay parents and they tell the kid to shut up,...then there's a nice fat payday waiting for some gay family in Tennessee. I can't wait.
It's all about tradition and status quo. While I feel comfortable saying there are more homophobic gen exers and those even older who exist today, there are more 20 somethings and teenagers than you'd think who feels gay is inherently wrong/bad. It may be an ick factor with some, but it's a status quo factor as well. When people think in terms of life goals, family usually tops the list. Biologically speaking, homosexuality doesn't get here and people don't want to fuck with what they've grown to know.
ReplyDeleteIt's like growing up in a racist area. You're probably not racist at heart but fighting that battle is nearly impossible until you leave. It's almost kin to being a Palin supporter in Chicago, NY, Boston, or anywhere where she has little support. You feel like a huge outcast even thinking differently. Except with racism, it's not about political preference. It's about human acceptance. that can be a lifelong lesson for certain areas and people, while other learn it quicker.
So the radicalization of America continues. I suppose they don't think that there are any 7th or 8th graders in all of Tennessee who are gay. It must suddenly happen in high school. This is a good way to ban literature, as well. Heaven forbid our 14 year olds know that some people in this country are gay, not by choice, but by nature. So let's pretend that they aren't there, because not talking about something is a great way to make it go away. Ask the Jews from 1940 Berlin how that went.
ReplyDeleteI feel as if the USA is turning into an entity in a nightmare. We have no tolerance, no love for anyone, no values except "give me mine and more," and no morals. The so-called Christians who hate blacks, hispanics, gays, and women think they have been given the power to judge everyone not worthy. It is time to take this country back from these hateful people.
Gryphen, not to hijack the thread, but check this out:
ReplyDeleteActivist Stirs Palin Mystery in Iowa
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703712504576242810272304924.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond
About Peter Singleton, supposedly a "one man team" to promote Palin as the next POTUS--heard about this? It's on HuffPo as well--natch! No wonder they're going nuts trying to spin Babygate...
G -
ReplyDeleteThis is totally unrelated, but wanted to leave a note about an article on Politicususa. It concerns a comment FOX News, Gretchen Carlson, made concerning Trump. Cannot remember the exact title, but it was published yesterday something like "Fox dumps Palin for Trump". Have not been able to find any other comment about it anywhere.
3:37 - Well that theory can get shot down because I have a gay son and he was home schooled until 10th grade and we were at church all the time.
ReplyDeleteHe was not home schooled to avoid everything though, like many home schoolers we knew or you hear about. He is in the top 2% of the country in intelligence and the only thing the public school did with gifted kids was give them more of the same work he hated to begin with. He already knew the work and was frustrated with how many times he had to do something when he already knew how to do it. He wanted to learn about other things too. He was in school for K - 2nd grade and it was a freaking nightmare. For us, home schooling was the only thing we could do at that time.
I guess the reason that he is gay though is because I forgot to pray that he wouldn't go gay and I didn't read Dr. Dobson's book on how to gay proof your kid.
I am an atheist now and regret all the times we went to youth events since I have seen tapes of "Acquire the Fire" events and the crazy movie "Jesus Camp". Mind you we weren't that nuts but I found out later that both my kids were exposed to crap like that on youth group trips. It makes me sick to my stomach.
It is a shame that these idiots want to take us back a hundred years.
Having taught all those ages, I can tell you that teachers are too busy trying to teach an over-packed curriculum to stop and have "gay" conversations with their classes. It is stupid to try to legislate something like this. On the other hand, some of the consequences of being gay will have to be discussed such as the topic of bullying. This bill is just one more attempt to force the Christo-Nazi agenda on society. It also demonstrates the current trend of the same people to blame educators for all of society's perceived ills. I call bullshit.
ReplyDeleteI remember once having a conversation with a very polite, concerned fundamentalist father who didn't think that I should teach morality with literature. My question to him was, "What piece of literature is worth reading that doesn't have a moral lesson?" Second, and completely irrelevant but irritating none the less was his assumption that almost all teachers are atheists. My experience has been that almost all (99.9%) of the teachers with whom I have had contact are Christian or Jewish. What has happened in our society to make teachers the bad guys? When I was growing up, teachers were highly respected. I don't get it.
I can tell you from experience that discovering your child is gay is NOT the end of the world.
ReplyDeleteHowever losing that same child to suicide just might be.
*****
This is the difference between you and the many fundie parents who can't accept that their kids are gay (or who don't know because their kids are scared to death to tell them). Not only do you accept your daughter's sexuality, but you understand the potential consequences of not doing so, and of not supporting her if/when she faces bullying and criticism from other people.
Are there no real problems for the Tennessee legislature to work on? Maybe the FACT that they had over 90 teen pregnancies at one school? Maybe a crumbling school district in Memphis? Maybe the poor infrastructure throughout the state? Maybe the high poverty rate? Maybe the high crime rate? Maybe the lack of living wage jobs in their state?
ReplyDeleteIfANYONE reads this and their families have this kind of attitutde, pleasde remember many of us could care less about your sexuality and will accept you just the way you are.
Because of my interest in the fine and performing arts,I spent more time around gay people in high school and college than straight people. I'm now in a profession where a lot of colleagues and people I work with are gay.
ReplyDeleteNever did I feel any inclination to go against my natural orientation and become gay. It just wasn't who I was and it didn't 'rub off' on me.
On the other hand, EVERY single one of my gay friends and acquaintances who have discussed their sexuality with me have said that they knew as a young child that they were 'different'. Many were lost and struggled with their feelings until they got to know other gay people and realized that they were NOT alone or sick or evil.
Banning the word 'gay' is not going to change anyone who's gay to straight but it might cause a young person to feel isolated and rejected enough to harm themselves. And THAT'S certainly a good 'Christian' way to treat them.
The ignorance and cruelty of these supposed Christian people is truly appalling.
I keep hearing references to how the old book "1984" is becoming more and more relevant, lately.
ReplyDeleteI only saw the MOVIE of it, with that scene of Edmund O'Brien yelling "Big Brudda, Big Brudda," at the end, which creeped me out as a young kid.
I'm going to read it, now...I think there are lots of things having to do with LANGUAGE, in the story (like, banning some words, etc.)
It may turn out that Orwell was more accurate in his predictions, than we thought, when the year 1984 came and went, and we still felt as if we lived in the "Land of the Free."
Nazi thinking at its finest!!! I wonder if the same holds true for hearing words like "Christian," "evangelical," "homophobe," "Islamophobe," etc.
ReplyDeleteWhat's next knuckledraggers in Tennessee? Banning discussion of career choices for women? YOu know, the only thing they should study is child develpment and home ec.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah - get them where it hurts - in the pocketbook - can't wait for TN to get sued.
A man with a woman's name is pushing an anti-gay law. I am having another one of those moments where I think: If this were a novel, I would say it was ridiculous and stop reading.
ReplyDeleteGranted, it is still ridiculous.
You know hearing your parents constantly repeat the word "ni**er" could make you a racist. And hearing your father call women "whores" or "bimbos" might make you a sexist. But hearing your kindergarten teacher say the word "gay" is not going to suddenly make you want to blow the guy napping on the next cot over.
ReplyDeleteUm, Gryphen, even though I get your point, this statement doesn't sit well with me. People using the N word and "whore" or "bimbo" are using them to express their hatred. An impressionable child raised in the presence of such hatred might well make the same assumptions about black people and women.
But unlike "n**ger" and "whore", "gay" is not an expression of hatred of another group of people. It's a common, mainstream expression totally embraced by the people it's describing.
It's inappropriate for you to draw a parallel between them.
I've had dozens, if not hundreds, of gay/lesbian friends and colleagues over the years and not a single one of them has ever said that they became gay because the heard the words "gay" or "homo" before they were 15.
ReplyDeleteThese homophobes are so fucking stupid you wonder how they ever make it across the street without getting struck.
I am tolerant of nearly everything EXCEPT obdurate ignorance and bigotry. These assholes co-mingle both those odious traits in equal proportions.
What the hell is wrong with these Southern states that they keep producing these imbeciles? I think the notion of the "cousin humps" might be a bit generous. I'm thinking more along the line of "sister humpers."
My dad, his dad and his mom constantly used the "n" word around me as I was growing up. I also grew up in the still very segregated south. South Louisiana to be precise, and racist I am not. The bitches argument does not stand.
ReplyDelete