Grand Divisions

Tennessee Equality Project seeks to advance and protect the civil rights of our State’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons and their families in each Grand Division.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Gratuitous jab at marriage equality of the week: Becky Ruppe

Earlier in the week, Sean Braisted blogged about Democratic Senate candidate Becky Ruppe's radio spot. Thanks to Sean, you can find the audio of the spot here. The ad tells the struggles of her life and then ends with a list of conservative stances including her opposition to "gay marriage."

Thanks for sharing, Ms. Ruppe. Is your district a hotbed of GLBT activism? What exactly prompted you to include that item in your ad? You have heard, I hope, that the Legislature and the voters have already decided this matter in Tennessee.

The ad is also posted here at the Tennessee Democratic Party's blog. Interestingly, it is posted without comment and no one has complained in the comment section.

On her website, she says, "Marriage, as so defined, is a union between one man and one woman: I will make all my decisions regarding this issue based on Christian values." What would she say if she were to learn that some of us who want marriage equality were pursuing it because of Christian values?

Ruppe's ad is pernicious for at least one of two reasons. Either she is misleading the voters into thinking that marriage is an issue in Tennessee or she is whipping up prejudice against GLBT people to bolster her conservative credentials.

If you'd like to share some of your own gratuitous opinions with Ms. Ruppe, you can do so in a variety of ways here.

2 comments:

Scott Co. Liberal said...

As one of Ruppe's constituents, and the administrator of an online community of progressives in Scott County, Tennessee, I am sorely disappointed with her demonstrated reproach for the LGBT community.

Initially, we endorsed her candidacy, believing that securing a majority in the State Senate could only help to further a progressive agenda for Tennessee. However, her most recent campaign circular, where she uses the voices of concerned gays & lesbians in Tennessee as a tool to garner support from conservatives crossed the line, prompting us to contact her with 2 questions:

1. Why should a Democrat vote for Becky Ruppe?

2. Is Becky Ruppe interested in representing the interests of all the voters of District Twelve, or just the straight, Christian ones?

For more info on our efforts, visit our blog.

Unknown said...

Hello my name is Travis Settles and I'm her gay nefue. With her pull in owed local community with Dr. Office she made sure me and my brother were prescribed powerful narcotics. He also ended up with aids and I HIV. Long story short he is dead and not by aids I was here in this house when he died. He was murdered by owed family's paid hoodlums. The prescriptions didn't kill him nor did aids so they druged him with riddelen combined with his nervw eds is a deadly speed ball. Me I was eventually prescribed adderall after my scrips and set up car wrecks faid to kill me. And I now have an inlarged heart and the local hospital sends me out the door when I have chest pains with panic attach. There killing me and I'm all that's left to compromise her anti gay platform to run for high office again. I need help please. I'm on face book under Tamara st John. I been warned they used the words molester to turn the world against me. Then why haven't I been charged. Don't elect a murderer. And I'm at 342 Bullard ford rd Harriman tn 37748.and my dad and brother gave left me living over an open sewer for three years. Please do something b 4 its to late.