Perhaps you've heard of this law moving through the Tennessee legislature which specifically bans teachers from telling their students that yes, homosexuality exists in nature, and that includes (OMG!!!!) in human beings. You haven't heard about it? Well let the good people at LGBTQ Nation explain what the Republican controlled legislature in Tennessee is spending wasting its valuable time doing to ensure the Gay Agenda won't be promoted teachers can be disciplined for mentioning to their students that gay people are real and one might even be attending school with them:
The proposed legislation would restrict all sexually related instruction in the state’s schools to “natural human reproduction science” in grades kindergarten through eighth.
Rep. Joey Hensley (R), a leading sponsor of legislation, said a survey of his district showed “well over 95 percent … don’t want homosexuality discussed in those grade levels.”
Yes, because if teachers say the word "Gay" those poor kids might become infected with the "gay disease" that is running rampant through God's Country and become indoctrinated into the evil gay lifestyle. Frankly I'm not sure why this is such an issue in Tennessee, since those good Christian folks are certain that the Gay can be prayed away (just ask Michele Bachmann's husband, and he'll tell you how it works). I never knew the words "homosexuality" or "gay" had such power. But maybe things are different in Tennessee than they are in other states. Maybe Gay Satan has targeted the good people of Tennessee more than others. Perhaps they are peculiarly sensitive to changing their sexual orientation at the mere mention of the well established fact that homosexuality occurs throughout the natural world among multiple species.
"One fundamental premise in social debates has been that homosexuality is unnatural. This premise is wrong. Homosexuality is both common and highly essential in the lives of a number of species," explains Petter Boeckman, who is the academic advisor for the "Against Nature's Order?" exhibition.
The most well-known homosexual animal is the dwarf chimpanzee, one of humanity's closes relatives. The entire species is bisexual. Sex plays an conspicuous role in all their activities and takes the focus away from violence, which is the most typical method of solving conflicts among primates and many other animals. [...]
Lions are also homosexual. Male lions often band together with their brothers to lead the pride. To ensure loyalty, they strengthen the bonds by often having sex with each other.
Homosexuality is also quite common among dolphins and killer whales. The pairing of males and females is fleeting, while between males, a pair can stay together for years. Homosexual sex between different species is not unusual either. Meetings between different dolphin species can be quite violent, but the tension is often broken by a "sex orgy".
Dolphin homosexual sex orgies! Male lions bonding through living the gay lifestyle! Who knew that the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was really a coded anti-gay anthem?
No wonder the good GOP politicos are so worried. If word of this gets out it might damage the reputation of the big guy in the sky who created man in his own image. It might even make students question the whole idea of "creationism" that teachers in Tennessee are now expected allowed to teach in Tennessee. Why it might even provide evidence that the "theory" of evolution that Tennessee teachers are now expected allowed to criticize and mock actually has some redeeming qualities. In other words, that the facts might support the existence of teh Gay. Oh the horrors!
Still one wonders why Tennessee's state legislators, such as good ol' boy Honorable Joey Hensley (R), are even bothering with taking up time trying to get this legislation passed since in Tennessee "alternative lifestyle discussions [I wonder if that covers the white supremacist lifestyle?] are already banned from the state school’s curricula guidelines."
Democratic Representative John Deberry of Memphis said, “I agree that these are issues that do not need to be put in front elementary children. However, officials say this is already state policy. And because it’s policy already, there was just no point in mudding the water.”
Well I guess when it comes to the power of teh Gays and their alternative lifestyles and agenda and all you can never ban mentioning them enough. Except in Fundie churches where they are regularly demonized from the pulpit, among other places, like the Christian "Kool-Aid" Kids at my daughter's high school (and no we don't live in Tennessee but at least teachers can talk about homosexuality in our schools). And, of course, in the Tennessee State House in an election year.
Ps. Rep. Hensley assures us that no gay child shall be bullied as a result of his legislation banning teachers from discussing "gays." Yeah, right, and I have a bridge in Brooklyn you can have dirt cheap.
UPDATE: Tennessee is not the only state where fear of teh gay is strong. An Ohio high school sought to ban a gay student from wearing a "Jesus is Not a Homophobe" T-shirt today as part of the Day of Silence - again. Fortunately for him, he was allowed to wear the shirt this year when the school district backed down following a federal lawsuit filed by the student after last year's ban:
Waynesville, Ohio--A federal lawsuit against the Wayne Local School District and high school principal Randy Gebhardt will continue although the school will now allow a pro-gay T‑shirt to be worn on April 20, the National Day of Silence.
Maverick Couch, the gay student who brought the suit said, “It’s good to wear the shirt on the Day of Silence, but we need to push for equal rights all the time, not just special events.” [...]
Lambda Legal attorney Chris Clark said the school agreed to allow the shirt on the National Day of Silence rather than litigate the temporary restraining order.[...]
Couch said there are maybe three to five openly LGBT kids in his school, and until his suit was filed, it was a subject that was “taboo and quiet.”
Couch said he is not aware of any gay or lesbian teachers, adding that teachers have been put in an awkward position. “I know some of them are supportive of me, but they are not allowed to say it.”
School board members and administrators are also not acknowledging Couch.
“They have all decided not to say anything to me,” Couch said, as he also pointed out the irony in free expression of board meetings starting with a prayer.
Couch said anti-LGBT bullying is also an issue at his school. He has been called names, including “faggot,” other students are rude to him and threaten him. He is afraid to go into the restrooms.
Since Federal Courts have previously allowed students to wear T-shirts with Confederate flags on them, the young and courageous Mr. Couch is on firm legal ground. That his high school allowed him to wear the anti-homophobia T-shirt today at least counts as a little progress. Always good to end a diary on a somewhat positive note.