March
11, 2013
TEP’s 9th annual Advancing
Equality Day on the Hill highlights clergy support, new fronts in the battle
for equality in Tennessee
Nashville,
TN—The Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), a statewide organization advocating
equal rights for Tennessee’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community,
will hold its 9th annual Advancing Equality Day on the Hill on
Tuesday, March 12 in Nashville.
This
year’s events
-feature
a clergy prayer breakfast at Legislative Plaza and constituent meetings with 17
senators and 37 representatives followed by a press conference,
-highlight
new fronts in the battle for equality in Tennessee,
-and
are designed to address bills affecting the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender community, which are up for key votes this week and the next.
The Legislation
SB514/HB1185—This bill would allow students in counseling,
psychology, and social work programs at Tennessee’s public universities to opt
out of serving certain clients if they have a religious objection. The examples cited by advocates for the bill
and even mentioned during a recent Senate Education Committee hearing focus on
opting out of serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
community. The bill is set for a vote by
the full Senate on Monday evening (March 11).
SB234/HB1332—The new Don’t Say Gay bill includes provisions that
would require school personnel to out students who come to them about issues of
sexuality and gender. A recent MTSU poll
showed that a clear majority of people in Tennessee oppose the bill. Rep. John Ragan, the House sponsor, has received
over 1400 emails and hundreds of phone calls urging him to withdraw the
bill. His legislative assistant has told
citizens calling his office that the bill is being rewritten.
SB1241/HB1150—The bill is a new version of legislation designed to
punish Vanderbilt University for its inclusive all-comers non-discrimination
policy for student clubs. It threatens
Vanderbilt with removal of its police force.
The harms to public safety embodied in the bill are obvious, as is the
animus toward gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. The bill is up in the House Education
Subcommittee on March 12 and up in the Senate Education Committee on March 13.
SB1241/HB927—For the first time legislation has been introduced to
enhance the state’s anti-school bullying efforts by adding protections
enumerating factors such as disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation
since these factors are often the basis for bullying. The bill should be up in committee in the next
two weeks.
The Events
TEP Foundation and Clergy for Justice Anti-Bullying
Prayer Breakfast—The event takes
place Tuesday, March 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Legislative Plaza
cafeteria. Clergy and other guests will
hear presentations on school bullying issues to help them advocate for safe
schools in Tennessee.
Constituent meetings with Legislators—Citizens from Memphis, Jackson, Nashville,
Murfreesboro, Cookeville, Crossville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Maryville, and
the Tri-Cities will meet with their senators and representatives throughout the
day on March 12 to discuss bills important to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender community.
Press conference—TEP will hold a press conference at 1:00 on March 12
at the top of the escalator in Legislative Plaza to discuss important legislation
and to make public the Tennessee Human Rights Statement and the businesses,
religious organizations, and community organizations that have endorsed
it. The Tennessee Human Rights Statement
provides a stark contrast to the discriminatory legislation filed this session
and shows the beginnings of a new inclusiveness emerging in Tennessee.
For
more information on the Tennessee Equality Project, go to http://www.tnequalityproject.org .
Contact us at chris@tnequalityproject.com .
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