TEP's Grand Divisions

I'm angry

2012-01-24T14:51:00.000-06:00

I'm angry today.

I'm agonizing over yet another suicide of a young gay teen in Tennessee. It's the second loss in as many months. Phillip died because he could not escape the endless bullying from his peers. He died because he lived in a world where being gay made him a target. He died scared, hopeless and alone.

Will Batts is the Executive Director of the
Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center.

I feel a rage building inside me. This is not the world we want for our kids. This is not an environment where LGBTQ kids can prosper and succeed. You know what it's like. Those of you who grew up gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer...you know what it's like to be afraid, to be bullied, to be ridiculed, to feel alone. Some of us had it worse than others. But most of us have felt that knot in the pit of our stomachs when someone finds out we're not straight. We all remember the anxiety the first time we said to another person "I have something to tell you" or "I have a secret." Many of us remember feeling afraid for our safety. Some of us have survived damaging abuse. I can only imagine the pain that led Phillip and too many others to want an end to their suffering. But WE CANNOT let that be the end of the story. We CANNOT let suicide be the way that our kids find relief.

All of us who work for LGBTQ equality in Tennessee want this to end. We want a better world for our kids and our friends. But this is not about us today. This is not a request to donate to MGLCC. This is a request for your voice and your presence.

We have a legislature that actively targets the LGBTQ community. We have a legislature that wants us to be hidden and silent and ostracized. We have a legislature that wants to give religious exemptions to bullies. We have a legislature that wants teachers prohibited from even acknowledging our existence. These horrific laws must be stopped. Their passage means a perpetuation of the dangerous environment where our kids find no relief or refuge.

YOU have an opportunity to make a difference. See...part of the problem is that we don't have enough folks raising their voices and shouting that this must end. I know it can be scary to take a stand. Doing so might threaten our jobs, our position in the community, or simply make us uncomfortable. But somewhere in Tennessee, in a small town of 2,000 people, there is a little kid who needs each one of us to stand up to our legislators and say "STOP! Stop targeting our community. Stop making it easier to hurt our kids. Stop denying us equal protection. Stop attacking our right to live in peace!"

Tennessee Equality Project coordinates a day for us to speak one-on-one to our legislators. This is the 8th year for Advancing Equality Day on the Hill. The date is Tuesday, March 13, in Nashville. I am asking each one of you to show up that day and respectfully demand that our legislature stop targeting our community. We have people in our city, and in small towns all over this state, who are looking to us to lead. They are praying for some kind of relief. They need our help. We won't be able to stop this overnight. But neither can we wait for a better time to fight. The attacks on our community must end.

Signed,

Will Batts

Executive Director

Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center

Reprinted with permission.

TEP responds to tragedy in Gordonsville

2012-01-24T06:01:00.000-06:00

As TEP leaders, members and supporters grieve the loss of Phillip Parker in Gordonsville, Tennessee Equality Project is taking steps to respond to the tragedy. Here's what we are doing:

TEP joins the family and friends of
Phillip Parker in grieving a senseless loss.

TEP has contacted Smith County School Superintendent Roger Lewis and District Principals to advocate for more teacher training and revision of school anti-bullying policy. We are offering TEP Foundation's LGBT diversity and cultural competency training. We've asked the administration to work with their school board to expand the list of differentiating characteristics in their anti-bullying policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity. We've shared research with the administration that demonstrates how taking these steps can lead to improving educational and health outcomes for all students.
TEP is engaging the media to make sure the public is aware of the issue and the connection to bad state legislation such as the "License to Bully" bill and the "Don't Say G_y" bill.
TEP Upper Cumberland Committee is holding a Candlelight Vigil in Cookeville on Thursday at 8 PM in solidarity with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth.
TEP is actively fighting negative state legislation through professional lobbying strategy, generating thousands of email contacts with state legislators and the Governor, and putting together events at the Legislature to show that Tennesseans don't want discriminatory bills.

You too can take positive steps to raise awareness about the importance of providing safe schools in your community. Here are some concrete actions you can take:

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper outlining the hazards of the "License to Bully" bill and the "Don't Say G_y" bill.
Make a Youtube video with your webcam or flipcam that shows your support for LGBTQ students in Tennessee. Share that video with Tennessee lawmakers and members of you local school board. Post it on Tennessee Equality Project's Facebook Fan Page to reach a wider audience.
Mark your calendar for the 8th Annual Advancing Equality Day on the Hill on March 13, 2012 and plan to talk with your State Senator and Representative in Nashville about the need to confront anti-LGBT bullying in Tennessee schools.

Gordonsville student endured years of anti-gay bullying before ending his life

2012-01-23T07:27:00.000-06:00

Late Friday night, Tennessee Equality Project began hearing reports that an 8th grader in Gordonsville in Smith County, Tennessee had completed suicide after enduring years of anti-gay bullying. Ironically, the news arrived as members of TEP's board attended the first Bully-Free Tennessee Conference in neighboring Putnam County with educators, parents and other safe school advocates.

Local news confirmed on Saturday that Phillip Parker was the 8th grader who had ended his life.

TEP Board members Jonathan Cole and
H.G. Stovall paid respects to Phillip Parker
outside his school last Sunday.

While attending Saturday's conference, H.G. Stovall and I met a former teacher who knew Phillip while he attended Gordonsville Elementary School. Tears flowed as she told us that Philip had endured years of anti-gay bullying at the school and that bullying in general at Gordonsville Elementary School often goes unaddressed by faculty and staff. She knew of several students who had to transfer to other schools to escape the harassment. This educator also knew Phillip had endured anti-gay preaching from the pulpit of his church.

After the conference, H.G. and I visited Gordonsville to pay our respects to Phillip. On Sunday, we laid a vase of purple flowers at a shrine outside the entrance of Gordonsville High School. Members of the community brought cards, flowers and teddy bears. Most were quiet and tearful in their grief. We were able to speak to one of Phillip's teachers. Sadly, she confirmed the same stories we had heard the day before about Philip's experience at school and at church. She recalled learning that his pastor had recently told him to "pray the devil out him, so he could be straight." His teacher also remembered that beneath his inner turmoil Philip was always smiling and would often tell his peers how beautiful they were.

We've learned from Phillip's teacher that the school invited a grief counselor to speak to faculty about information to share with the kids about the Trevor Project and other outlets for LGBT kids to seek help. She said: "I hope if nothing else, the students of our school will see how much words can hurt and how much healing can and should happen when compassion and kindness are shown to others."

While these resources are helpful, we must do more than provide crisis hotline numbers to Tennessee students who feel isolated and alone. Bullying is a problem allowed by adults. In December, we learned after the suicide of Jacob Rogers that the anti-bullying policy of Cheatham County School District did not include sexual orientation or gender identity or expression among the enumerated protections. Smith County's school district policy lacks the same protections.

A school should be a place where students feel safe and protected by the teachers and staff charged with their care. Phillip clearly had teachers who tried to watch out for him. But the educators who knew Phillip shared that not all teachers were willing to confront the anti-gay bullying that he and other students have endured in the school system.

A crisis hotline number is not a plan to address bullying. A crisis hotline number does nothing to address bullying. Smith County and other school districts in Tennessee must adopt strong anti-bullying policies with enumerated protections for students who are the most vulnerable to bullying. They must also consider data-driven tracking systems to empower administrators and teachers with the tools they need to provide a safe environment. Local school boards and the Tennessee General Assembly must address the bias that exists in our schools. Tennessee students are depending on the adults to do the right thing to protect them. Will they?

What are the limits of natural human reproduction science?

2012-01-18T09:33:00.000-06:00

Will an amendment to HB0229
prohibit abstinence education?

At a hearing later today, the State House Subcommittee on Education will consider an amendment to HB0229, otherwise known as the "Don't Say G_y" bill. The amendment would match language approved by the Tennessee Senate last year in SB0049:

Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, any instruction or materials made available or provided at or to a public elementary or middle school shall be limited exclusively to natural human reproduction science. The provisions of this subdivision shall also apply to a group or organization that provides instruction in natural human reproduction science in public elementary or middle schools.

No one is really sure what limiting instruction and materials to "natural human reproduction science" really means. Google it. You won't find an accepted definition for this phrase: only news reports on legislation. The amendment raises questions about the potential impact of the legislation on curriculum standards for grades K-8. We've attempted to answer some of them.

1. Will teachers be allowed to discuss the ethics of human cloning or assign a debate on it in a social studies or essay writing unit? May the first "test-tube baby" be discussed in a history class? Will it be permitted to assign students essays or debates on so-called artificial reproductive technology or infertility treatments?

No. In-vitro fertilization, cloning, adoption, frozen embryos, and other non-natural reproductive methods used to create families would fall outside the scope of “natural human reproductive science.” Teachers would be forbidden from discussing these topics. Reference materials on these subjects in school libraries would have to be removed

2. Will it be permitted to assign a science fiction book on human cloning in class or for such a book to be on the reading list for a class?

No. At least twenty four (24) science fiction books and stories about human cloning would have to be removed from library shelves.. Students would not be allowed to give books reports on these books.

3. Will teachers and counselors or DCS/DHS personnel be allowed to discuss and give out material on rape and sexual abuse?

Probably not. Discussions about resources available to victims of rape, such as referrals to health facilities that offer such methods of reproduction may be off limits.

4. May a teacher discuss adoption?

Probably not. Adoption is not natural human reproduction for adoptive parents. Adoption is a legal process pursued by adoptive parents that is sometimes facilitated by the Department of Children Services and other child welfare agencies. Fiction and non-fiction books on adoption would have to be removed from school libraries.

5. Is it permitted for a teacher to discuss abstinence?

Probably not. Abstinence is the opposite of “natural human reproduction.” Educational materials and programs which include abstinence as a means of avoiding pregnancy or the contraction of sexually transmitted diseases would be prohibited.

6. May a teacher discuss the causes of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic?

Age-appropriate discussions about HIV or sexually transmitted diseases that include mention of sexual activities that fall outside natural human reproduction science (oral or anal sex) would be prohibited. Students could be led to believe that certain sexual activities pose no risk to them.

- Jonathan Cole

Police the Potty bill flushed?

2012-01-12T20:57:00.002-06:00

Has the "Police the Potty" bill
been safely flushed?

In the span of one day, the "Police the Potty" bill (SB2282/HB2279) was filed by State Representative Richard Floyd (R-Chattanooga) and Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson) and then withdrawn by the Senate sponsor. Earlier in the day, I described how the proposed bill would criminalize the use of restrooms by transgender people, "parents accompanying their children into a restroom, custodial staff responsible for cleaning restrooms, [and] attendants or family members assisting elderly or disabled people in the restroom."

When asked to defend his House bill, Rep. Floyd stated that he would "stomp a mudhole" in any transgender woman who would trouble his wife or daughters:

I believe if I was standing at a dressing room and my wife or one of my daughters was in the dressing room and a man tried to go in there — I don’t care if he thinks he’s a woman and tries on clothes with them in there — I’d just try to stomp a mudhole in him and then stomp him dry. . . . We cannot continue to let these people dominate how society acts and reacts. Now if somebody thinks he’s a woman and he’s a man and wants to try on women’s clothes, let them him take them into the men’s bathroom or dressing room. Don’t ask me to adjust to their perverted way of thinking and put my family at risk. I’m just sick and tired the way this thing’s been going.

The Urban Dictionary defines "stomp a mudhole" as something so graphic and horrifying that I cannot bring myself to include it here, except by link. To read such violent intent voiced by a State Representative raises serious doubts about the fitness of Rep. Floyd to serve his district and the State of Tennessee.

Within hours of Rep. Floyd's statement, the Senate sponsor of the "Police the Potty" bill withdrew his version of the bill saying:

I understand Rep. Floyd’s passion about the issue, but we have more pressing issues before us that we need to focus our attention on and we don’t need to get sidetracked.

I hope that Senator Watson will take greater care in reviewing the legislation that he is asked to sponsor in the future.

Tennessee Equality Project and many others moved swiftly to attack the viciousness of this bill. While I am grateful for the support of local, state and national advocates who spoke against the Police the Potty bill, we are not yet out of the woods.

The filing deadline for new bills in this session of the legislature is January 26, 2012. There are 32 other senators who may agree to sponsor this bill in the State Senate. Tennessee Equality Project will not rest from its watch until that deadline has passed. In the meantime, be vigilant fellow Tennesseans. The "Police the Potty" bill remains a threat to civil liberties until we can be certain that no one steps forward to sponsor this bill in the Senate.

- Jonathan Cole

Tennessee lawmakers introduce "Police the Potty" bill

2012-01-12T14:12:00.000-06:00

Gotta pee? I'll need to see some ID.

Senator Bo Watson and Rep. Richard Floyd of the Tennessee General Assembly want to know what's going on in the stall next to you in the bathroom. They filed a bill yesterday that seeks to police restrooms and dressing rooms in public buildings. The bill clearly targets transgender people born in the state of Tennessee.

The bill states "where a restroom or dressing room in a public building is designated for use by members of one particular sex, only members of that particular sex shall be permitted to use that restroom or dressing room."

SB2282/HB2279 defines sex as "the designation of an individual person as male or female as indicated on the individual’s birth certificate." Tennessee law already prohibits anyone born in the state from amending their gender on their birth certificate making this law one of the most vicious attack bills ever filed against transgender people in state government.

Violators of the proposed law would be considered guilty of a Class C misdemeanor and fined $50.

As proposed, the "Police the Potty" bill will harm other Tennesseans too. While this bill clearly targets transgender people born in Tennessee, it could make criminals of parents accompanying their children into a restroom, custodial staff responsible for cleaning restrooms, attendants or family members assisting elderly or disabled people in the restroom. What will it cost the State of Tennessee to hire extra male or female custodial staff to clean public restrooms or security staff to check people's identification before entering a restroom?

With unemployment rates higher than the national average and poor educational outcomes in the State of Tennessee, it's alarming to see lawmakers champion legislation that will only bring unwanted embarrassment to our state. I suppose it's easier for some lawmakers to manufacture a problem, propose an invasive big government "solution", and target a small minority than to actually solve real problems in Tennessee.

- Jonathan Cole

FACT playing fast and loose with the facts...again

2012-01-09T09:23:00.000-06:00

David Fowler of the Family Action Council is counting on a twisted interpretation of two cases, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District and Zemecnik v. Indian Prairie School District, to support his claim that anti-bullying laws infringe on the First Amendment rights of anti-gay students. Neither case refers to civil discourse or classroom discussions. Civil discourse about differences in religion, philosophy, or politics is already protected in the schools under federal law. The wording of this amendment is broad and vague, and creates confusion about the differences between bullying and civil discourse.

The language in this amendment is not a reflection of federal law as claimed, nor is it supported by the case law David Fowler cited. Tinker was a case about students who wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. In Tinker, the Court distinguished between passive, non-aggressive expressions of opinions and disruptive behavior:
“The school officials banned and sought to punish petitioners for a silent, passive expression of opinion, unaccompanied by any disorder or disturbance on the part of petitioners. There is here no evidence whatever of petitioners' interference, actual or nascent, with the schools' work or of collision with the rights of other students to be secure and to be let alone. Accordingly, this case does not concern speech or action that intrudes upon the work of the schools or the rights of other students.” (Tinker, 393 U. S. 503, 508 (1969))

Bullying is not silent, or passive. Bullying is aggressive and carries intent to intimidate, harass and/or harm another student. Bullying infringes on the rights of another student. Bullying intrudes upon the work of the schools, creating a hostile environment that impedes the ability of the victim to learn in a safe environment.

Zamecnik was about t-shirts being worn by students that said “Be Happy, Not Gay”. The 7th Circuit did not find that the wearing of these t-shirts posed a risk of a substantial disruption of the educational environment. Like Tinker, this case does not support Mr. Fowler’s position either, although the distinction is harder to find without an example:

Let’s suppose my son wears a t-shirt to school that says “Libertarians like RON PAUL Worship that Atheist Whore of Babylon, AYN RAND” on the back. The shirt has this picture on the front:

Technically, this is an expression of religious, philosophical, and political speech. Legally, he can wear it every day to school, despite the fact that many of the kids in his class are admitted Libertarians and come from Libertarian families. What my son cannot do is corner a kid at his locker, in the lunchroom, or in the classroom and say to him “Ayn Rand was an atheist, and you and your parents are going to burn in hell for being Libertarians, you sinner!” That would be horrid, ugly, and bullying, and for the record, I wouldn't let my kid wear a shirt like this, nor speak to another student in this manner without getting into nine kinds of trouble from his father and me.

Why is wearing the t-shirt okay and the hypothetical statement isn’t? While the t-shirt may make various people disgusted or angry, it is a general statement of a position and displayed to everyone equally. The statement, however, is directed at a particular student and intended to cause harm or intimidate. The t-shirt is unlikely to create such a hostile educational environment that other students would be unable to learn. The statements created a specific harm to a specific student, and create a hostile educational environment for the intended victim.

David Fowler also made a claim recently that this amendment does protect students from a hostile educational environment. Actually, this amendment limits the definition of a hostile educational environment by inserting this:“"Creating a hostile educational environment" shall not be construed toinclude discomfort and unpleasantness that can accompany the expression of aviewpoint or belief that is unpopular, not shared by other students, or not sharedby teachers or school officials.”The term “discomfort and unpleasantness” is disturbing. This language discourages victims from reporting the bullying in the early stages. If a student is being made to feel uncomfortable by bullying directed at them by anyone, they should feel safe in reporting this to school administration so the issue can be addressed before it gets more serious. This type of language in the bill is just another example of minimizing the harm that occurs when students are harassed by other students. In effect, this clause (combined with the limiting language on what constitutes bullying earlier in the bill) tells students they should put up with this behavior until their bullies threaten them with physical harm or harm to their property.

Bullying should never get that far. Ultimately, when a teacher or administrator addresses bullying, they are promoting a teachable moment in civil discourse. Addressing bullying is an opportunity to discuss empathy, respect, and what is acceptable behavior in a civil society. Teaching children how to discuss differences of opinion without resorting to hateful, harmful words or behavior is a worthwhile educational goal per se, that benefits society as a whole by encouraging civil discourse.The biggest and most disturbing thing about David Fowler’s arguments in support of HB 1153 is that there is little to no mention of the victim. The focus is decidedly on protecting the person who chooses to utter words intended to harm another…to protect the bully, not the victim. Nothing in the current Anti-Bullying law restricts students from civil discourse on political, religious or philosophical issues.

Despite the Family Action Council’s protests, they are not trying to protect our kids, just those who would bully them.

License to Bully and Don’t Say Gay bills place TN students in double jeopardy

2012-01-09T05:26:00.000-06:00

Over the last week, TennesseeEquality Project has called attention to the dangers of the “License to Bully”bill (SB 0760/HB 1123) that religious conservatives have championedas a legislative priority. Thislegislation creates a loophole in current education policy that gives studentspermission to intimidate, harass and bully their classmates when expressing“religious, philosophical, or political views.”

The Family Action Council of Tennessee wants to issue
a "License to Bully" to student in Tennessee.

This dangerous proposal would give license to students tofully express intolerant biases based on race, religious belief, sexualorientation and gender identity or expression. Making matters even worse, the“License to Bully” bill would prohibit schools from adding socioeconomicstatus, academic status, disability, physical appearance, sexual orientationand gender identity or expression to the list of enumerated protections inbullying policy. SB0760/HB1123 would also prohibit the formation ofstudent-led, teacher-advised, and parent-supported Gay Straight Alliances inschools - a strategy with a proven record for reducing anti-LGBT bullying inschools.

Since the Tennessee General Assembly adjourned in the springof 2011, TEP has highlighted the current inadequacies of school bullyingpolicy. Students and parents at Sequoyah High School in Madisonville, TN triedto organize a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) to confront the bullying of lesbian,gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning students. School administrators andreligious leaders in their community opposed this initiative and even led tocharges of assault of a student leader of the proposed GSA by the school’sprincipal.

In December, Tennesseans learned of the tragic suicide ofJacob Rogers in Ashland City, a student who endured years of anti-gay bullyingat Cheatham County Central High School. While many factors contributed to thisincident, the absence of sexual orientation and gender identity or expressionamong the enumerated protections in the school’s bullying policy at the time wasa contributing risk factor according to reports from friends and family.

While the push to enable bullying with policy loopholes inTennessee is troubling enough, Tennessee Equality Project learned over theweekend that the House sponsor of last year’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill hasrequested that the house version of the bill be put on notice in the HouseGeneral Subcommittee on Education (a version of the bill passed the Senate lastyear). As originally proposed, the HB 0229/SB 0049 states that “ no public elementary ormiddle school shall provide any instruction or material that discusses sexualorientation other than heterosexuality.”

Imagine this scenario if the “License to Bully” and “Don’tSay Gay” bills become law in Tennessee: A student expressing the teaching ofhis religion repeatedly tells a classmate perceived to be gay that he is asodomite and that he faces hell and eternal damnation. Not only would suchbullying be allowed by the “License to Bully” loophole, but the target of suchattacks could not seek help from teachers forbidden from discussing the subjectof gay people by the “Don’t Say Gay” proposal. Standing alone, these billscreate an unsafe situation for students in schools. Together, these bills placestudents in double jeopardy. Students with an anti-gay bias would be free andencouraged to bully LGBTQ students, and teachers and other school staff wouldbe prohibited from speaking about the issue.

The "Don't Say Gay" bill will violate free
speech protection in schools.

In an October 26, 2010 letter to school officialsnationwide, the Office of Civil Rights for the U.S. Department of Educationreminded that “Title IX also prohibits sexual harassment and gender‐based harassment of all students, regardless of the actualor perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of the harasser or target.”The “License to Bully” and “Don’t Say Gay” bills may promote the crossing ofthat line in Tennessee schools.

It's time for Tennesseans to stop using children as pawns in thepursuit of social, religious and political agendas. The time and effort ofpolicymakers would be better focused on ways to ensure that Tennessee studentsreceive an education free from bullying, harassment and intimidation. We needto increase protective factors and decrease risk factors for students in Tennesseeschools. Parents, teachers, students and other advocates must contact theirlawmakers in state government to voice their opposition to the “License toBully” and “Don’t Say Gay” bills. The health and welfare of Tennessee childrendepend on it.

License to BullyPetition addressed to the House and Senate Education Committees:

http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-tn-lawmakers-vote-no-on-the-license-to-bully-bill

Don’t Say GayBill Petition to the House Subcommittee on Education:

http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-tennessee-lawmakers-to-vote-no-on-the-dont-say-gay-bill

For more information contact:

Jonathan Cole | Tennessee Equality Project | Jonathan@tnequalityproject.com| 615-669-8057

tnep.org | grand -divisions .blogspot .com| Facebook | Twitter: tnequality

Tennessee EqualityProject advances and protects the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender people and their families in Tennessee.

State Representative claims objectivity on LGBT issues

2012-01-03T13:49:00.000-06:00

In an earlier post about the "License to Bully" and "Don't Say Gay" bills, I shared disturbing correspondence from one of our State House Representatives, John Ragan (District 33 - Oak Ridge). In his correspondence, Ragan showed little concern about the anti-gay bullying of a teenager in Tennessee who later took his own life.

In May of 2011, Rep. Ragan shared his views with a constituent regarding the advance of the "Don't Say Gay" bill (SB0049/HB0229) in the State Senate at that time. In his response to a constituent he claims his view is objective and then compares lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families with drug addicts, prostitutes, and criminals. Rep. Ragan's bias against LGBT people and their families is even more apparent than in his most recent message to TEP, but you be the judge.

- Jonathan Cole

Email reply to constituent from Rep. John Ragan (May 25, 2011):

Dear [Name withheld by request],

Thank you for your input on the legislation recently passed in the Senate concerning education for Tennessee students. It is obvious from the length of your communication that you feel passionately about its topic.

However, it is good to remember that, sometimes, passion can cloud objectivity.

To begin an objective discussion, please read the bill (re-printed below) as amended:

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-1005, is amended by adding the following as new subsection (c) and by relettering the existing subsection (c) accordingly:
(c)
(1) The general assembly recognizes the sensitivity of particular subjects that are best explained and discussed in the home. Human sexuality is a complex subject with societal, scientific, psychological, and historical implications; those implications are best understood by children with sufficient maturity to grasp their complexity.
(2) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, any instruction or materials made available or provided at or to a public elementary or middle school shall be limited exclusively to natural human reproduction science. The provisions of this subdivision shall also apply to a group or organization that provides instruction in natural human reproduction science in public elementary or middle schools.

As you can see, the bill is about education. In particular, it is about elementary and middle school, public education.

Principally, in elementary school, education should be about mastering the most basic of academic disciplines such as reading, writing and mathematics. Acquiring foundational skills during these crucial years of a child’s education is far more important than someone’s social or political agenda. For example, numerous studies have shown that children who cannot read adequately by the end of the third grade are negatively impacted the remainder of their academic career, in deed, the rest of their lives.

Likewise, basic science education, at all academic levels, is about the systematic study of the fundamental principles of natural phenomena not social or political schema. With the possible exceptions of medicine, psychology or sociology, which are not elementary or middle school, in-depth, study areas, science does not address “lifestyle choices.” Consequently, it is certainly logical to limit the topic as specified in the bill for those grade levels in favor of devoting limited classroom time to more critical, curriculum areas.

I am especially appreciative of your recognition of the principles and values upon which our founders established our nation. However, again, it is worth noting that passion for a particular issue may cause one to “filter” out relevant information that is contrary to a particular perspective. For example, consider the following quotes from our founders concerning those principles you previously referenced.

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. – John Adams
Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness. – George Washington
It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible. – George Washington
It is better to tolerate that rare instance of a parent’s refusing to let his child be educated, than to shock the common feelings by a forcible transportation and education of the infant against the will of his father. – Thomas Jefferson

As to your objection concerning the labeling of homosexual behavior as “unnatural,” consider the following argument:

Darwinian selection, i.e., survival of the fittest: Homosexual individuals are incapable of reproduction if they are exclusively homosexual. Any species or sub-species that does not reproduce tends to become extinct. The conclusion of this line of reasoning is that the "natural" destiny for exclusively homosexual behavior practitioners over time is extinction. It is "unnatural" for any species or sub-species to intentionally and knowingly try to become extinct.

If these individuals do not practice exclusively homosexual activity, then, by definition, they can choose not to be homosexual… and the issue is entirely defined as a voluntary, behavioral choice.

Therefore, any sanctions, legal restrictions, or societal disapproval accorded to homosexual behavior practitioners is completely a matter of choice on their part. If the homosexual behavior practitioner chooses not to engage in that particular behavior, he or she avoids any sanctions, legal restrictions, or societal disapproval associated with it.

Relative to your question: “Shouldn't the discussion be more of when and in what way it is appropriate to teach homosexuality instead of how to ban discussion of homosexuality?”

The bill to which you are objecting does exactly that. By restricting classroom teaching and materials to scientific examination of normal human reproduction, the bill specifies the way that is appropriate is in the home by the parents, not in a classroom by a public school teacher. By specifying elementary and middle school, the bill identifies the "when" as some point after that (as far as public schooling is concerned).

Relative to your comment: "...that there is never a reason to discriminate, silently or loudly, against any group of people.”

People legally and freely, even ethically, discriminate all of the time… They discriminate on what city in which to live, what job to take, what friends to choose, what church to join, against people who engage in certain behaviors (crime), etc. What you are objecting to is not discrimination, per sae, but to illegal discrimination.

However, it is not illegal discrimination to disapprove of a group of people who engage in abuse of certain drugs. One can easily discern the negative impacts of such behavior and refuse to allow these individuals certain privileges such as piloting an aircraft, etc. without bothering to examine, even, one, individually. Similarly, one can legally choose to discriminate against felons or child abusers or allowing them to be school teachers without ever having met one.

Relative to your comment: “Should we show our children that America values the quality of life a person lives based upon the right of choice? And that nothing can keep a person from following their dreams - not race, religion, disability or sexuality?”

None of the things you cited are based upon behavior, or “the right of choice” except religion. Under the Fourtheenth Amendment and follow-on legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, national origin, religious creed, or color. However, the definition of sex in these laws is based upon anatomy.

Relative to your paragraph: “Homosexuality is … a choice… It is a freedom that should not be denied or silenced because some of the population disagree based on religion?”

As I posited in earlier paragraphs, you are absolutely correct that homosexual behavior is a choice. However, so is prostitution. Am I to infer from your espoused position that prostitution is also “…a freedom that should not be denied or silenced because some of the population disagree based on religion?” What about extra marital, consensual sexual relations between a fourteen-year-old (with permission of a parent) and a thirty-year-old? Is this also a choice? Is this, also, “…a freedom that should not be denied or silenced…”?

Relative to your comment: “Homosexuals are …asking that homosexuality not be silently labeled as unnatural, unclean or bad…”

"Unnatural?" Recall the extinction argument? How could exclusively homosexual behavior be anything else but "unnatural?" Is voluntarily and intentionally exposing yourself and your "partner(s)" to the following list of problems not “unclean and/or bad?”

A partial list of the statistics documenting the negative impacts of the homosexual behavior under discussion: U.S. health regulations currently prohibit men who have sex with men (homosexual practitioners - aka "gays") from donating blood. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration studies categorically confirm that if homosexual practitioners were permitted to give blood, the general population would be placed at risk.

According to the FDA: "[homosexual practitioner or 'gay' men] have an HIV prevalence 60 times higher than the general population, 800 times higher than first-time blood donors and 8,000 times higher than repeat blood donors."

The FDA further warns: "[homosexual practitioner or 'gay' men] also have an increased risk of having other infections that can be transmitted to others by blood transfusion. For example, infection with the Hepatitis B virus is about 5-6 times more common, and Hepatitis C virus infections are about 2 times more common in "homosexual practitioners than in the general population."

A 2007 CDC study found that, although "gay" men comprise only 1-to-2 percent of the population, they account for an epidemic 64 percent of all syphilis cases.

Relative to your comment: "They are asking that the fact that they are a part of our society be recognized."

This group is recognized. However, the counter question is why should anyone be recognized for what is, or, ostensibly, should be, a private behavior that no one else need know about? The second portion of any question concerning recognition is why should any acknowledgement be accorded out of proportion to their percentage of the population (approximately 2%)? For example, 24 hours of TV programing times 2% is less than 1 hour. How many “gay characters” as part of the story line are there in any given day of TV programing? Before you answer that, consider that there are 2 entire networks on cable that are marketed as “gay” programing for the entire day. It would appear that homosexual behavior practitioners are more than adequately recognized.

Relative to your comment: “They are asking that the fact that their choices have an impact upon our society - positive or negative -just the same as a heterosexual persons choices have an impact in either a positive or negative way be recognized.”

Their impact of their choices on our society was just cited, i.e., 64% of all syphilis cases, etc. The assessment of that impact could be expanded to include their proportion of the suicides or of the pedophiles or any number of other impacts. I invite you to look up these “impacts.” I guarantee it will “water your eyes.”

Relative to your comment: “They are asking that children not be barred from being able to talk about their home life or their thoughts simply because they or their parents are gay.”

Nothing in the bill you wrote about barred any child or children from talking about their home life. Read the bill! It is elementary and middle school teachers who are restricted from “teaching about it or distributing material about it.”

However, I suspect that you seldom find children “bragging” about parents that are drug addicts or incarcerated, even formerly so. Since both of the previously named conditions are the result of behavioral choices of the parents, how are these any different from the behavioral choice of homosexual conduct? If children bring up any of these situations before their peers as conditions at home, the children will very likely suffer the same treatment from their peers. Why is one any worse than any of the others? If they are all equally bad in terms of impact on the child, then don’t single any of them out to be protected more than another.

Relative to your comment: “So will you choose to protect our rights from all groups, foreign or domestic, who dare try to take them away?”

Madam, I spent 24 years defending the rights of American citizens. That included more than 7 years overseas and time in 2 combat theaters. I have carried the lifeless body of a comrade-in-arms on my shoulder on foreign soil, and when I was 25, walked the widow of my best friend and squadron mate to the cemetery.

Consequently, I have earned the right to speak my mind regardless of what the mavens of political correctness may prefer. Homosexual behavior has no more right to be taught in our schools than does prostitution, polygamy, pederasty, pedophilia or any number of other licentious activities into which George Washington warned us abused liberty could disintegrate.

Regards,

John D. Ragan

State Representative

Constituent email message to State House Representatives (May 24, 2011):

Dear representatives of the State of Tennessee,

As you are well aware SB049 recently came to a vote and passed the Senate and is moving on to the House. If you supported this bill I urge you to think about the words that I am writing and reconsider your position over the next year as it truly is a poor reflection of the values that our wonderful government and nation are based upon.

First and foremost, our nation is a nation based upon the right to personal freedoms and the power of choice. We can choose our religion, our words and our beliefs. We can choose who we support, how we support them and how we announce that support. We can choose to agree to have differences or to actively express our common bonds. There are many things we can choose to do, all without the fear of government or the military knocking on our doors to remove us from our homes and our families because we dared to disagree with the policies of our government.

The absolute conviction that each person has certain inalienable rights such life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are the very things that our troops valiantly fight to protect. And it should be these same things that our representatives fight to uphold. These attributes define the United States of America so much so that if a person is fighting to protect America, they are fighting to protect these rights.

If we become separated from this fact then what are we fighting for? What are we promoting? If we lose even one of these rights, how long before we lose more?

When I see a debate such as this come up and see people who are on both sides openly stating their thoughts and feelings on the matter I am very proud to be an American. After all, that is freedom of speech at its finest. But when I see that a group of representatives of the law of this land is trying to build a wall around a group of people to prohibit others from noticing them except to notice that their chosen lifestyle is labelled as unnatural I am reminded of the scarlet letter that Hester Prynne was forced to wear that branded her as unclean because she chose to do something that others considered wrong. When reading this story now do we not cringe at the short-sighted and small-minded views of these people? If SB49 passes the House and becomes a part of our history how much cringing will future generations do when they review this story?

Her child was ridiculed because of her choice from birth. Is this really what we want to happen to our youth? Should they be penalized because there are people in our nation who think that homosexuality is wrong? Or believe that homosexuality will stop being a part of our society if it is not spoken of in our schools?

Homosexuality has been and will always be a part of our society. Kings, clergy, slaves, businessmen/women, home makers, tax payers, Caucasians, Hispanics, Blacks, Chinese, Japanese - all races from all nations have homosexual members.

Homosexuality, much like sex, if not discussed at home and in the classroom will be discussed among their peers and we can see how that is working. The difference is that if homosexuality is labeled unnatural by silent implication then when students discuss their feelings and thoughts with their peers we can not be certain what will happen. Will there be acceptance and understanding or will there be fear and violence?

Fear of word creates confusion and discord. Knowledge of a word enables clarity and understanding. Understanding of a word removes all fears and social stigmas so that tolerance and love are allowed to flow.

Shouldn't the discussion be more of when and in what way it is appropriate to teach homosexuality instead of how to ban discussion of homosexuality? Teachers do not teach how heterosexuals actually have intercourse so why would people think that they would teach how homosexuals have intercourse? Shouldn't our children be taught that, at least in America, everyone is equal and has equal rights?

At the age group this bill is geared toward shouldn't we be showing our children by example that there is never a reason to discriminate, silently or loudly, against any group of people? Shouldn't we show them that America values the quality of life a person lives based upon the right of choice? And that nothing can keep a person from following their dreams - not race, religion, disability or sexuality?

I say that if the fact that a person is homosexual influenced the choices they made and that those choices impacted the course of our history then it should be presented as such. Much like Harvey Milk - his personal lifestyle affected his political choices. The same as someone being a minority will affect their political choices.

Should either one be ignored? I think not.

Homosexuality is not a disease, it is not contagious, it does not make a person evil. Living a homosexual life style is a choice. Wether or not people are born gay or made a choice to be gay based on their experience with people of the opposite sex, actually living the lifestyle - having a partner or just having same sex relations is a choice. It is a freedom that should not be denied or silenced because some of the population disagree based on religion.

Homosexuals are not asking for teachers or anyone else to encourage children to be gay - they are asking that homosexuality not be silently labeled as unnatural, unclean or bad. They are asking that the fact that they are a part of our society be recognized. They are asking that the fact that their choices have an impact upon our society - positive or negative -just the same as a heterosexual persons choices have an impact in either a positive or negative way be recognized. They are asking that children not be barred from being able to talk about their home life or their thoughts simply because they or their parents are gay.

SB49 HB229, if passed, will impose fines or worse on educators who chose to notice the fact that homosexuality exists and impacts the lives of the students they teach. SB49 HB229 will effectively glue educators mouths shut on an issue that effects many of the students. This legislation will silently label homosexuality as abnormal and lend silent approval to anyone who wishes to treat it as such.

The vote you cast on this piece of legislation is not just a representation of the here and now but of the future also. It will set a precedent for other pieces of legislation that could strip more of our valuable rights. I encourage you to think about this especially as this legislation has grabbed the attention of not just America but other nations as well. The question now becomes, will Tennessee (and America) be viewed as the state (nation) that is known as the "do what I say, not do as I do" nation? Remember, we take up up arms against and go to war for other nations to help their citizens move toward enjoying the rights we enjoy. So will you choose to protect our rights from all groups, foreign or domestic, who dare try to take them away?

I hope so.

Sincerely,

Concerned Citizen [Name withheld by request]

TEP at work on Franklin Police Dept's handling of gay man's sexual assault case

2011-12-30T20:11:00.001-06:00

Tonight Out & About Newspaper reported the story of the sexual assault of a gay man and the Franklin Police Department's handling of it.

The Tennessee Equality Project is very disturbed by these reports. Our primary concern is for the victim and for the safety of our community. We are also disturbed by the reports of how the Franklin Police Department handled the incident. Within half an hour of the story breaking, we reached out to them and expressed our concern and offered them our TEP Foundation diversity training. We want to make sure that no victim is degraded in the process of reporting a crime.

-Chris Sanders

Playing politics with no thought for the safety of children in Tennessee

2011-12-29T16:20:00.000-06:00

There is a dangerous movement at work in Tennessee: a movement to make public schools less safe for our children.

In a recent email sent to supporters, the Family Action Council of Tennessee declared its support for the "License to Bully" bill (HB1153/SB0750):

We plan to press the legislature to amend our state’s school anti-bullying law to make sure it protects the religious liberty and free speech rights of students who want to express their views on homosexuality.

Will State government create a "License to Bully" in Tennessee?

The religious liberty and free speech rights of students are already protected by the U.S. Constitution. This legislation would give special protections to students of a particular religious point of view. If made into law, FACT would give students a "license to bully" that allows them to hide their irrational biases behind an extreme religious belief.

The last year has been difficult for students in Tennessee. Students at Sequoyah High School in Monroe County have faced community and school district intimidation in trying to confront examples of bullying and harrassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning students. Students and parents have fought hard to win support for a Gay Straight Alliance - a student organization shown in many academic setting to promote understanding and respect for LGBTQ students in schools.

In December, we learned from family, friends and fellow students that Jacob Rogers experienced years of anti-gay bullying at Cheatham County Central High School in Ashland City prior to ending his life.

Faced with such news, the Tennessee General Assembly ought to focus on increasing the number of protective factors that promote the safety of students in public schools. The "License to Bully" and "Don't Say Gay" (HB0229/SB0049) bills will only serve to increase risks to students. But some lawmakers don't seem to get it.

During the break in session, Tennessee Equality Project forwarded a link to Tennessee lawmakers of the recent column written by Gail Kerr of the Tennessean which outlined the perils of enacting the "Don't Say Gay" bill in relation to the reports of anti-gay bullying that preceded the suicide of Jacob Rogers in Ashland City. We wanted to make sure that lawmakers in the Tennessee understood the danger of enacting the "Don't Say Gay" bill into law.

We received rather disturbing responses from two Tennessee Representatives (one of whom sits on the House Education Committee).

From Rep. Joshua Evans (District 66 - Greenbrier):

If Gail's against it, that's reason enough for me to be for it.

Thanks,
Joshua

A simple "no comment" would have sufficed. From Rep. John Ragan (District 33 - Oak Ridge) who serves in the House Education Committee, we received this:

Dear Mr. Cole,

The article you forwarded by Gail Kerr, “Teen's suicide shows danger of 'don't say gay' bill” (Tennessean Dec. 18, 2011) is so slanted as to qualify as propaganda. Ms. Kerr spends almost her entire column selectively citing anecdotal, discriminatorily inequitable support for her position.

It is mentioned, in passing, that the school had a policy against bullying. However, the effectiveness of the policy is then dismissed peremptorily on the basis of a grandmother’s commentary. That is certainly, an unbiased source, right? Perhaps, the opinions of faculty or other students on the effectiveness of the policy could have been included. Did the author not interview any of them? Alternatively, did she elect to exclude such interviews because they disagreed with her implied point?

Oddly, while willing to include a close relative’s unsubstantiated opinion, she failed to include any facts potentially contradictory to her implied cause. Could the presence of such facts cause a reasonable person to question her unprofessional implication of the cause of an unfortunate, self-inflicted demise of a young Tennessean?

For example, she could have pointed out that suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens in this country. Additionally, she could have mentioned that U.S. Teenage boys were four times as likely as teenage girls to die by suicide. Could the mere mention of such statistics possibly cause a reader to conclude that Ms. Kerr’s analysis was intentionally skewed?

She could have mentioned that it has been well known for a decade that suicide is attempted much more frequently in the homosexual community than in the heterosexual community (Mathy, Cochran, Olsen, & Mays, 2009). This same source pointed out that, on average, suicide is approximately three times more likely among homosexuals than heterosexuals. Could the inclusion of these facts in her column have possibly indicated to a reasonable reader that Ms. Kerr’s implications were erroneous?

Finally, there is the truly, most relevant question that Ms. Kerr studiously and meticulously avoided: Could the high school senior’s suicide have had more to do with his own proclivities and behavior than anything to do with schoolmate bullies or a bill that was discussed, but not acted on, in a legislative committee?

In short, Mr. Cole, the column you forwarded qualifies as nothing but a politically distorted, intentionally poorly sourced, screed. Anyone who is taken in by this agitprop is intellectually asleep, or has, obviously, never been exposed to, even, the most basic level of education in critical thinking.

It is not only incredibly poor taste, but, truly disgusting, that a columnist in a major, metropolitan newspaper would stoop to the level of using the tragic loss of family’s loved one to try to make a political point. It is even worse that such a columnist would omit relevant facts and attempt to misrepresent circumstantial context for the sake of a fashionable, political correct perspective.

Good Day,

John D. Ragan
State Representative

As I read each response, I searched for concern or compassion for Jacob or students like him. But I came up short. Had Rep. Ragan really done his research, he would know that Cheatham County School District's bullying policy does not provide enumerated protections that include sexual orientation (or gender identity or expression). Additionally, school settings hostile to LGBQ students contribute to poor outcomes for LGBQ students. A recent study concluded that there is :

. . . an association between an objective measure of the social environment and suicide attempts among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. The social environment appears to confer risk for suicide attempts over and above individual-level risk factors. These results have important implications for the development of policies and interventions to reduce sexual orientation–related disparities in suicide attempts.*

It's time for Tennesseans to stop using children as pawns for social, religious and political agendas. We need to be focusing on ways to ensure that Tennessee students receive an education free from bullying, harassment and intimidation. We need to increase protective factors and decrease risk factors for students in Tennessee schools. I ask you to join us in that effort. We need parents, teachers, students and other advocates to step up conversations with their elected representatives in state government. The health and welfare of Tennessee children may depend on it.

- Jonathan Cole

*Hatzenbuehler, M.L. April 18, 2011. "The Social Environment and Suicide Attempts in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth." Pediatrics.

Former Metro Council candidate VanReece finds inclusive workplace at Nashville Symphony

2011-12-27T09:19:00.000-06:00

We recently caught up with former Metro Nashville Council candidate Nancy VanReece to find out what she's been up to. Quite a bit, as it turns out.

Grand Divisions: You recently took a new position with the Nashville Symphony. Tell us what you'll be doing.

Nancy VanReece: I am working with a great Communications team as part of the External Affairs Department. Daily, you can bet that I am busy crafting and managing social media strategies for each event produced by the Nashville Symphony as well as for each department of the Nashville Symphony and Schermerhorn Symphony Center. In addition to doing our best to turn content into conversations in the social-sphere, I am managing the updates to to www.nashvillesymphony.org and www.schemerhorncenter.com. I will also be chief curator for a new blog launching in 2012 that will help share the stories of Nashville's symphony on a daily basis.

Grand Divisions: You've always indicated that equality in the workplace is an important value to you. Tell us about what modifications to their employment policies that the Symphony has made since you started working there.

Nancy VanReece: Actually, there has been no modification of practice, just an update in the language to their nondiscrimination policy. Back when I was the Executive Director of the Nashville Shakespeare Festival I did a quick survey of nonprofit arts organizations receiving funding from Metro Davidson County that had inclusive non-discrimination polices. Almost all did, including the Nashville Symphony. I learned at that time that they also allowed domestic partners of employees to receive health benefit options. I tucked that information away back in 2007.

You can bet that it came back up when I was interviewing for the position 4 years later. I asked again about both. I had pledged to not work for a company that didn't have an inclusive policy so it was imperative that what I learned in 2007 was still true. After reading the policy, however, there was some antiquated language that I asked to be updated. Jonathan Norris, VP of Human Resources didn't hesitate. I simply suggested they use the same exact language that our Metro government uses. The policy was quickly updated. I was proud to add it to the website the first week I was there.

The domestic partner benefit option, although not inexpensive, was one the factors that encouraged me to leave my growing free-lance work for the opportunity to be part of the NSO team. Joan, my partner of nearly 24 years, is still under employed part time (She is the food bank coordinator at Martha O'Bryan and fulfills customer orders for Cool People Care). We have been unable to afford 2 individual policies at the rate offered to us. It's still expensive this way and until federal changes are made, we have to pay taxes on her benefit, but it still costs less than buying it directly.

Grand Divisions: As well as your work with non-profits and your engagement with artistic creativity, you're known as an advocate for the Madison area of Davidson County. What neighborhood projects do you have in the works?

Nancy VanReece: I'm an advocate for Nashville and for the development of the Northeast Corridor. The new District 8 is part of Madison, Maplewood, Gra-Mar, Inglewood, It's Dickerson Pike and Gallatin Pike and everything in-between. it's all Nashville. At the request of some folks I met during the campaign this past year, I help start a Facebook Group called the The Blue Star Group. It exist to provide information and facilitate conversation about the corridor that is part of Districts 7,8 and 9. Councilmen Pridemore and Davis have participated on occasion. I'm still waiting to see how many of the 12 of us that started the page will facilitate. I asked Council-lady Bennett to join and post updates but she told me, "I don't have time for Facebook.". I certainly hope that she will change her mind.

I went to a local coffee chat with Councilman Anthony Davis and there were people there from 7,6 and 8. We are all in this together. The success of Riverside Village in 7 will bring confidence to the development of the Madison Village in 8/9. The success of the East-West Connector mass transit line into 5-points in District 6 connects the Rivergate-Madison MTA 56 BRT-Lite directly in a way that can only be productive up the northeast corridor. I still envision a major Madison resurgence with landscaping, park and rides, local shops and restaurants all coming… and it can't come soon enough. Meanwhile, the people that live in this area continue to enjoy their escape to a suburban environment only 9 miles away from the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Grand Divisions: Thank you, Nancy, and congratulations!

-Chris Sanders

Update on hospital visitation case: Toward a successful resolution

2011-12-19T22:15:00.000-06:00

Out & About Newspaper reported today that Val Burke had been denied the ability to visit her partner at Rolling Hills Hospital in Franklin.

TEP learned about the case last night from Out & About when they were seeking comment. So we immediately went to work. At about 9:00 p.m. on Sunday I contacted Rolling Hills and spoke with a receptionist. I explained the situation and asked her whether they participate in Medicare/Medicaid. They do, which is no surprise. But it's a critical point because, based on recent federal Health and Human Services regulations, all facilities that participate in Medicare/Medicaid must grant equal visitation, meaning a patient has the right to choose who visits him or her.

The receptionist transferred me to the voice mail of one of the administrators and I explained the incident I was aware of, cited the regulation, and made it clear that if the incident had occurred that they "can't do that."

Today I got a call from another administrator who said that she had held a meeting with their leadership team and explained the regulation. She indicated that things would change.

So far so good. I had an email exchange with Val today and she reported that the hospital had contacted her about arranging visitation.

The regulation is still relatively new, so it's likely that these kinds of incidents will unfortunately continue to occur. It's incredibly frightening and enraging to experience something like Val went through. Fortunately, once the regulation is pointed out, I would expect most health facilities to comply. It is clear that we all need to do more to educate the health care industry about this important policy change.

In the mean time, we're all relieved for Val and her partner. I'm personally grateful for administrators who "get it" the minute something like this is brought to their attention.

-Chris Sanders

Register for TEP's Mardi Gras Gumbo and Bread Pudding Competition in Memphis

2011-12-16T15:02:00.000-06:00

Tennessee Equality Project is proud to host its 4th Annual Mardi Gras Party on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, which includes our second Gumbo Tasting Competition and a new Bread Pudding Contest. The ingredients of Gumbo are as diverse as the LGBT and allied community, and we celebrate this in Mardi Gras style! Participation was so enormous last year that we've moved the competition to a larger space at Spectrum Memphis. Funds raised from the competition will benefit TEP to advance and protect the equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families in Tennessee.

The Mardi Gras Party competition has multiple categories:

Amateur Gumbo - teams of non-professionals who love to cook. Entry fee: $25.
Professional Gumbo - teams that include at least one person who is or has been paid to cook (you know who you are!). Entry fee: $50.
Bread Pudding - teams that include bakers of any background for single division contest. Entry fee: $15.

Space for competing teams is limited. Gumbo and Bread Pudding Teams must submit completed entry forms online and submit their registration fee by Feb. 1, 2012 to guarantee a chance to compete. Teams may register for Gumbo, Bread Pudding, or both competitions.

TEP is offering sponsorships for this year's event for only $100. This includes advertising of your organization or business in event publicity, two (2) sets of People’s Choice tickets, and free entry into Gumbo or Bread Pudding competition. Sponsors must register by January 20, 2012 to ensure advertising for printed event posters.

Judging Criteria: The Gumbo Tasting Competition shall be judged on aroma, consistency, taste, and aftertaste by a panel of public figures from the Memphis area. First, Second and Third Place winners will be declared by the Judges Panel and by Gumbo tasters who attend for People’s Choice awards.

Register for competition or sponsorship for this event online at this link: http://bit.ly/TEPMardiGrasOnlineApp2012. Click here for a "print-friendly" version of the competition invitation, rules and application. Gumbo team registration shall be confirmed by event organizers after application and entry fee are received.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

The Shelby County Committee
Tennessee Equality Project

SAVE THE DATE!

4th ANNUAL TEP MARDI GRAS PARTY:

GUMBO AND BREAD PUDDING COMPETITION

Sunday, February 12, 2012, 4:30 -7 PM

SPECTRUM MEMPHIS

616 Marshall Avenue

Memphis, TN 38103

For more information, call 901-301-3306 or email jonathan@tnequalityproject.com

Cheatham County High School dodges questions about anti-LGBT bullying

2011-12-13T14:28:00.001-06:00

Will Cheatham County Central High School promote
a "No Bullying Zone" for all students?

Last night, parents, students, concerned citizens and TEP Board members gathered in Ashland City, TN to participate in a meeting about suicide and suicide prevention at Cheatham County Central High School. Representatives from the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network were on hand to provide information. TSPN shared an important resource for anyone who is contemplating suicide or knows someone who is. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) is the number to call for anyone who needs help. Program this number on your mobile phone in case you ever need it.

During the meeting, a TSPN official shared that bullying had nothing to do with Jacob Rogers’ decision to end his life last week; other factors played a greater role. However, parents and students at the meeting were not satisfied with this assessment. Many parents and a student aware of anti-LGBT bullying at the school tried to ask questions about what the school was doing to address the issue. TEP Board member H.G. Stovall asked a pointed question to Principal Glenna Barrow during the brief time that was alloted::

I asked Principal Barrow if the school’s bullying policy included explicit protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. At first, she said it did. I asked her to check the policy which she happened to hold in her hand. She read aloud the protected factors from the Cheatham County Board of Education Policy 6.304 that prohibit discrimination, harassment, bullying, and intimidation that is “sexual, racial, ethnic or religious in nature.” When she realized that sexual orientation and gender identity/expression were not specifically included, she said she interpreted the policy to cover those areas.

The meeting ended abruptly before Stovall could ask Principal Barrow if the the rest of the faculty shared her interpretation of the policy. While Principal Barrow should be applauded for her broad interpretation of the school board’s anti-bullying policy, her response points out a real problem for Cheatham County Schools, including Central High School. Without specific protections for LGBT students, how are staff supposed to know when to intervene when they witness anti-LGBT bullying? What sort of training do school staff receive on bullying? How is intolerance of LGBT students among students and faculty addressed? What safeguards are in place to protect against anti-LGBT bias at the school?

These questions show no signs of going away. Many parents were frustrated by the unwillingness of officials to answer their questions about bullying. Parents and students at last night’s meeting expressed a willingness to continue casting a bright spotlight on an issue they feel is important for ensuring a safe school for students. The school must go further than sharing a 1-800 number to provide protective factors for students who may be bullied, feel depressed or isolated, or be contemplating suicide.

Anyone interested in being a part of this change is encouraged to contact Chris Sanders or H.G. Stovall.TEP stands ready to empower parents and students in Cheatham County in their quest to bring about specific protections. If you have not already done so, I invite you to participate in TEP’s petition to the Cheatham County School Board and District Director calling for policy reform. Then share this petition with your friends and family.

- Jonathan Cole

Take action to promote safer schools in Cheatham County

2011-12-08T10:11:00.001-06:00

Our hearts go out to the family, friends, classmates and teachers of Jacob Rogers, a student at Cheatham County Central High School in Ashland City, TN who completed suicide on December 7, 2011. A news report alleges that Jacob Rogers complained of frequent bullying at school based on sexual orientation. A friend of Jacob reported that he dropped out of school before Thanksgiving after feeling ignored by school officials.

This terrible event serves as a reminder to all parents, teachers and school administrators that they share a responsibility for supporting the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Individuals, families, communities and the whole of society have a responsibility to promote a culture that welcomes, accepts and supports LGBT students for who they are.

During this difficult time, we encourage students, parents and teachers to take advantage of grief counseling offered by Cheatham County Central High School or other mental health resources in the community. Discussions that follow youth suicide deaths present an important opportunity to remind people — and families of LGBT youth in particular — of how important it is to love, embrace and accept their entire child for all of who they are.

Following this terrible event, Tennessee Equality Project calls upon the Cheatham County School Board to fully investigate this tragic incident and the school’s response to the bullying of Jacob Rogers. We also call upon the School Board to implement the following recommendations from GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) for addressing anti-LGBT bullying and harassment:

Revise district policy to explicitly prohibit student discrimination, harassment, bullying, and intimidation based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The school district must establish an enumerated policy for unwelcomed conduct that focuses on sex, race, ethnicity, religious belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. An enumerated policy is crucial to ensure that anti-bullying policies are effective for all students.
Require staff trainings to enable school staff to identify and address anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying, and harassment effectively and in a timely manner.
Support student efforts to address anti-LGBT bullying and harassment on campus, such as the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance or participation in events such as the National Day of Silence and Ally Week. GSAs in schools have proven effective in reducing violence and harassment of LGBT students.
Institute age-appropriate, inclusive curricula to help students understand and respect difference within the school community and society as a whole.

Send a message to the Cheatham County School Board to ask them to take positive steps in response to this tragedy.

- Jonathan Cole

The Impact of Secretary Clinton's Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day

2011-12-07T15:18:00.001-06:00

We at Tennessee Equality Project are still considering the full impact of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's speech on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people given at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on December 6, 2012 in anticipation of Human Rights Day. I can't help but think that this address will mark a turning point in the history of human rights. Secretrary Clinton adeptly captures this moment in time recognizing the reality and challenges we face as a global community in honoring and protecting the rights of LGBT people.

In her speech, the Secretary noted that while the world must address the human rights of LGBT people, the United States has much work left to do:

I speak about this subject knowing that my own country's record on human rights for gay people is far from perfect. Until 2003, it was still a crime in parts of our country. Many LGBT Americans have endured violence and harassment in their own lives, and for some, including many young people, bullying and exclusion are daily experiences. So we, like all nations, have more work to do to protect human rights at home.

The Secretary is exactly right. Tennessee has actually taken steps backward in the last year with the advance of the "Don't Say Gay" bill and the anti-LGBT law that prohibits workplace protections for LGBT employees (HB600/SB632). It's why the Secretary's remarks are encouraging to hear only a few days after Tennessee Equality Project invited individuals and organizations to support the Tennessee Human Rights Petition.

It can be difficult for those of us in Tennessee to affect national or international policy toward LGBT people and their families. But influencing policy in our own community and state is within our grasp and power. Take a moment to read or watch Secretary Clinton's inspiring and historic speech below. May her remarks inspire us all to action at home and abroad.

- Jonathan Cole

THE SPEECH

Good evening, and let me express my deep honor and pleasure at being here. I want to thank Director General Tokayev and Ms. Wyden along with other ministers, ambassadors, excellencies, and UN partners. This weekend, we will celebrate Human Rights Day, the anniversary of one of the great accomplishments of the last century.

Beginning in 1947, delegates from six continents devoted themselves to drafting a declaration that would enshrine the fundamental rights and freedoms of people everywhere. In the aftermath of World War II, many nations pressed for a statement of this kind to help ensure that we would prevent future atrocities and protect the inherent humanity and dignity of all people. And so the delegates went to work. They discussed, they wrote, they revisited, revised, rewrote, for thousands of hours. And they incorporated suggestions and revisions from governments, organizations, and individuals around the world.

At three o'clock in the morning on December 10th, 1948, after nearly two years of drafting and one last long night of debate, the president of the UN General Assembly called for a vote on the final text. Forty-eight nations voted in favor; eight abstained; none dissented. And the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. It proclaims a simple, powerful idea: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. And with the declaration, it was made clear that rights are not conferred by government; they are the birthright of all people. It does not matter what country we live in, who our leaders are, or even who we are. Because we are human, we therefore have rights. And because we have rights, governments are bound to protect them.

In the 63 years since the declaration was adopted, many nations have made great progress in making human rights a human reality. Step by step, barriers that once prevented people from enjoying the full measure of liberty, the full experience of dignity, and the full benefits of humanity have fallen away. In many places, racist laws have been repealed, legal and social practices that relegated women to second-class status have been abolished, the ability of religious minorities to practice their faith freely has been secured.

In most cases, this progress was not easily won. People fought and organized and campaigned in public squares and private spaces to change not only laws, but hearts and minds. And thanks to that work of generations, for millions of individuals whose lives were once narrowed by injustice, they are now able to live more freely and to participate more fully in the political, economic, and social lives of their communities.

Now, there is still, as you all know, much more to be done to secure that commitment, that reality, and progress for all people. Today, I want to talk about the work we have left to do to protect one group of people whose human rights are still denied in too many parts of the world today. In many ways, they are an invisible minority. They are arrested, beaten, terrorized, even executed. Many are treated with contempt and violence by their fellow citizens while authorities empowered to protect them look the other way or, too often, even join in the abuse. They are denied opportunities to work and learn, driven from their homes and countries, and forced to suppress or deny who they are to protect themselves from harm.

I am talking about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, human beings born free and given bestowed equality and dignity, who have a right to claim that, which is now one of the remaining human rights challenges of our time. I speak about this subject knowing that my own country's record on human rights for gay people is far from perfect. Until 2003, it was still a crime in parts of our country. Many LGBT Americans have endured violence and harassment in their own lives, and for some, including many young people, bullying and exclusion are daily experiences. So we, like all nations, have more work to do to protect human rights at home.

Now, raising this issue, I know, is sensitive for many people and that the obstacles standing in the way of protecting the human rights of LGBT people rest on deeply held personal, political, cultural, and religious beliefs. So I come here before you with respect, understanding, and humility. Even though progress on this front is not easy, we cannot delay acting. So in that spirit, I want to talk about the difficult and important issues we must address together to reach a global consensus that recognizes the human rights of LGBT citizens everywhere.

The first issue goes to the heart of the matter. Some have suggested that gay rights and human rights are separate and distinct; but, in fact, they are one and the same. Now, of course, 60 years ago, the governments that drafted and passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were not thinking about how it applied to the LGBT community. They also weren’t thinking about how it applied to indigenous people or children or people with disabilities or other marginalized groups. Yet in the past 60 years, we have come to recognize that members of these groups are entitled to the full measure of dignity and rights, because, like all people, they share a common humanity.

This recognition did not occur all at once. It evolved over time. And as it did, we understood that we were honoring rights that people always had, rather than creating new or special rights for them. Like being a woman, like being a racial, religious, tribal, or ethnic minority, being LGBT does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.

It is violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation, or because they do not conform to cultural norms about how men and women should look or behave. It is a violation of human rights when governments declare it illegal to be gay, or allow those who harm gay people to go unpunished. It is a violation of human rights when lesbian or transgendered women are subjected to so-called corrective rape, or forcibly subjected to hormone treatments, or when people are murdered after public calls for violence toward gays, or when they are forced to flee their nations and seek asylum in other lands to save their lives. And it is a violation of human rights when life-saving care is withheld from people because they are gay, or equal access to justice is denied to people because they are gay, or public spaces are out of bounds to people because they are gay. No matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we are, we are all equally entitled to our human rights and dignity.

The second issue is a question of whether homosexuality arises from a particular part of the world. Some seem to believe it is a Western phenomenon, and therefore people outside the West have grounds to reject it. Well, in reality, gay people are born into and belong to every society in the world. They are all ages, all races, all faiths; they are doctors and teachers, farmers and bankers, soldiers and athletes; and whether we know it, or whether we acknowledge it, they are our family, our friends, and our neighbors.

Being gay is not a Western invention; it is a human reality. And protecting the human rights of all people, gay or straight, is not something that only Western governments do. South Africa’s constitution, written in the aftermath of Apartheid, protects the equality of all citizens, including gay people. In Colombia and Argentina, the rights of gays are also legally protected. In Nepal, the supreme court has ruled that equal rights apply to LGBT citizens. The Government of Mongolia has committed to pursue new legislation that will tackle anti-gay discrimination.

Now, some worry that protecting the human rights of the LGBT community is a luxury that only wealthy nations can afford. But in fact, in all countries, there are costs to not protecting these rights, in both gay and straight lives lost to disease and violence, and the silencing of voices and views that would strengthen communities, in ideas never pursued by entrepreneurs who happen to be gay. Costs are incurred whenever any group is treated as lesser or the other, whether they are women, racial, or religious minorities, or the LGBT. Former President Mogae of Botswana pointed out recently that for as long as LGBT people are kept in the shadows, there cannot be an effective public health program to tackle HIV and AIDS. Well, that holds true for other challenges as well.

The third, and perhaps most challenging, issue arises when people cite religious or cultural values as a reason to violate or not to protect the human rights of LGBT citizens. This is not unlike the justification offered for violent practices towards women like honor killings, widow burning, or female genital mutilation. Some people still defend those practices as part of a cultural tradition. But violence toward women isn't cultural; it's criminal. Likewise with slavery, what was once justified as sanctioned by God is now properly reviled as an unconscionable violation of human rights.

In each of these cases, we came to learn that no practice or tradition trumps the human rights that belong to all of us. And this holds true for inflicting violence on LGBT people, criminalizing their status or behavior, expelling them from their families and communities, or tacitly or explicitly accepting their killing.

Of course, it bears noting that rarely are cultural and religious traditions and teachings actually in conflict with the protection of human rights. Indeed, our religion and our culture are sources of compassion and inspiration toward our fellow human beings. It was not only those who’ve justified slavery who leaned on religion, it was also those who sought to abolish it. And let us keep in mind that our commitments to protect the freedom of religion and to defend the dignity of LGBT people emanate from a common source. For many of us, religious belief and practice is a vital source of meaning and identity, and fundamental to who we are as people. And likewise, for most of us, the bonds of love and family that we forge are also vital sources of meaning and identity. And caring for others is an expression of what it means to be fully human. It is because the human experience is universal that human rights are universal and cut across all religions and cultures.

The fourth issue is what history teaches us about how we make progress towards rights for all. Progress starts with honest discussion. Now, there are some who say and believe that all gay people are pedophiles, that homosexuality is a disease that can be caught or cured, or that gays recruit others to become gay. Well, these notions are simply not true. They are also unlikely to disappear if those who promote or accept them are dismissed out of hand rather than invited to share their fears and concerns. No one has ever abandoned a belief because he was forced to do so.

Universal human rights include freedom of expression and freedom of belief, even if our words or beliefs denigrate the humanity of others. Yet, while we are each free to believe whatever we choose, we cannot do whatever we choose, not in a world where we protect the human rights of all.

Reaching understanding of these issues takes more than speech. It does take a conversation. In fact, it takes a constellation of conversations in places big and small. And it takes a willingness to see stark differences in belief as a reason to begin the conversation, not to avoid it.

But progress comes from changes in laws. In many places, including my own country, legal protections have preceded, not followed, broader recognition of rights. Laws have a teaching effect. Laws that discriminate validate other kinds of discrimination. Laws that require equal protections reinforce the moral imperative of equality. And practically speaking, it is often the case that laws must change before fears about change dissipate.

Many in my country thought that President Truman was making a grave error when he ordered the racial desegregation of our military. They argued that it would undermine unit cohesion. And it wasn't until he went ahead and did it that we saw how it strengthened our social fabric in ways even the supporters of the policy could not foresee. Likewise, some worried in my country that the repeal of “Don't Ask, Don’t Tell” would have a negative effect on our armed forces. Now, the Marine Corps Commandant, who was one of the strongest voices against the repeal, says that his concerns were unfounded and that the Marines have embraced the change.

Finally, progress comes from being willing to walk a mile in someone else's shoes. We need to ask ourselves, "How would it feel if it were a crime to love the person I love? How would it feel to be discriminated against for something about myself that I cannot change?" This challenge applies to all of us as we reflect upon deeply held beliefs, as we work to embrace tolerance and respect for the dignity of all persons, and as we engage humbly with those with whom we disagree in the hope of creating greater understanding.

A fifth and final question is how we do our part to bring the world to embrace human rights for all people including LGBT people. Yes, LGBT people must help lead this effort, as so many of you are. Their knowledge and experiences are invaluable and their courage inspirational. We know the names of brave LGBT activists who have literally given their lives for this cause, and there are many more whose names we will never know. But often those who are denied rights are least empowered to bring about the changes they seek. Acting alone, minorities can never achieve the majorities necessary for political change.

So when any part of humanity is sidelined, the rest of us cannot sit on the sidelines. Every time a barrier to progress has fallen, it has taken a cooperative effort from those on both sides of the barrier. In the fight for women’s rights, the support of men remains crucial. The fight for racial equality has relied on contributions from people of all races. Combating Islamaphobia or anti-Semitism is a task for people of all faiths. And the same is true with this struggle for equality.

Conversely, when we see denials and abuses of human rights and fail to act, that sends the message to those deniers and abusers that they won’t suffer any consequences for their actions, and so they carry on. But when we do act, we send a powerful moral message. Right here in Geneva, the international community acted this year to strengthen a global consensus around the human rights of LGBT people. At the Human Rights Council in March, 85 countries from all regions supported a statement calling for an end to criminalization and violence against people because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

At the following session of the Council in June, South Africa took the lead on a resolution about violence against LGBT people. The delegation from South Africa spoke eloquently about their own experience and struggle for human equality and its indivisibility. When the measure passed, it became the first-ever UN resolution recognizing the human rights of gay people worldwide. In the Organization of American States this year, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights created a unit on the rights of LGBT people, a step toward what we hope will be the creation of a special rapporteur.

Now, we must go further and work here and in every region of the world to galvanize more support for the human rights of the LGBT community. To the leaders of those countries where people are jailed, beaten, or executed for being gay, I ask you to consider this: Leadership, by definition, means being out in front of your people when it is called for. It means standing up for the dignity of all your citizens and persuading your people to do the same. It also means ensuring that all citizens are treated as equals under your laws, because let me be clear – I am not saying that gay people can’t or don’t commit crimes. They can and they do, just like straight people. And when they do, they should be held accountable, but it should never be a crime to be gay.

And to people of all nations, I say supporting human rights is your responsibility too. The lives of gay people are shaped not only by laws, but by the treatment they receive every day from their families, from their neighbors. Eleanor Roosevelt, who did so much to advance human rights worldwide, said that these rights begin in the small places close to home – the streets where people live, the schools they attend, the factories, farms, and offices where they work. These places are your domain. The actions you take, the ideals that you advocate, can determine whether human rights flourish where you are.

And finally, to LGBT men and women worldwide, let me say this: Wherever you live and whatever the circumstances of your life, whether you are connected to a network of support or feel isolated and vulnerable, please know that you are not alone. People around the globe are working hard to support you and to bring an end to the injustices and dangers you face. That is certainly true for my country. And you have an ally in the United States of America and you have millions of friends among the American people.

The Obama Administration defends the human rights of LGBT people as part of our comprehensive human rights policy and as a priority of our foreign policy. In our embassies, our diplomats are raising concerns about specific cases and laws, and working with a range of partners to strengthen human rights protections for all. In Washington, we have created a task force at the State Department to support and coordinate this work. And in the coming months, we will provide every embassy with a toolkit to help improve their efforts. And we have created a program that offers emergency support to defenders of human rights for LGBT people.

This morning, back in Washington, President Obama put into place the first U.S. Government strategy dedicated to combating human rights abuses against LGBT persons abroad. Building on efforts already underway at the State Department and across the government, the President has directed all U.S. Government agencies engaged overseas to combat the criminalization of LGBT status and conduct, to enhance efforts to protect vulnerable LGBT refugees and asylum seekers, to ensure that our foreign assistance promotes the protection of LGBT rights, to enlist international organizations in the fight against discrimination, and to respond swiftly to abuses against LGBT persons.

I am also pleased to announce that we are launching a new Global Equality Fund that will support the work of civil society organizations working on these issues around the world. This fund will help them record facts so they can target their advocacy, learn how to use the law as a tool, manage their budgets, train their staffs, and forge partnerships with women’s organizations and other human rights groups. We have committed more than $3 million to start this fund, and we have hope that others will join us in supporting it.

The women and men who advocate for human rights for the LGBT community in hostile places, some of whom are here today with us, are brave and dedicated, and deserve all the help we can give them. We know the road ahead will not be easy. A great deal of work lies before us. But many of us have seen firsthand how quickly change can come. In our lifetimes, attitudes toward gay people in many places have been transformed. Many people, including myself, have experienced a deepening of our own convictions on this topic over the years, as we have devoted more thought to it, engaged in dialogues and debates, and established personal and professional relationships with people who are gay.

This evolution is evident in many places. To highlight one example, the Delhi High Court decriminalized homosexuality in India two years ago, writing, and I quote, “If there is one tenet that can be said to be an underlying theme of the Indian constitution, it is inclusiveness.” There is little doubt in my mind that support for LGBT human rights will continue to climb. Because for many young people, this is simple: All people deserve to be treated with dignity and have their human rights respected, no matter who they are or whom they love.

There is a phrase that people in the United States invoke when urging others to support human rights: “Be on the right side of history.” The story of the United States is the story of a nation that has repeatedly grappled with intolerance and inequality. We fought a brutal civil war over slavery. People from coast to coast joined in campaigns to recognize the rights of women, indigenous peoples, racial minorities, children, people with disabilities, immigrants, workers, and on and on. And the march toward equality and justice has continued. Those who advocate for expanding the circle of human rights were and are on the right side of history, and history honors them. Those who tried to constrict human rights were wrong, and history reflects that as well.

I know that the thoughts I’ve shared today involve questions on which opinions are still evolving. As it has happened so many times before, opinion will converge once again with the truth, the immutable truth, that all persons are created free and equal in dignity and rights. We are called once more to make real the words of the Universal Declaration. Let us answer that call. Let us be on the right side of history, for our people, our nations, and future generations, whose lives will be shaped by the work we do today. I come before you with great hope and confidence that no matter how long the road ahead, we will travel it successfully together. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Compelling bullying video going viral, pre-emptive first strike against partner benefits, and Occupying equality in Nashville

2011-12-04T10:08:00.001-06:00

Brave student posts video about bullying: This weekend lots of people in Tennessee were posting this video by a boy named Jonah about the bullying he's facing every day:

Yes, this is happening to children every day around the country and, no, adults aren't doing enough. Instead of passing the policies that need to be passed, adults are standing in the way because they're somehow afraid they might accidentally teach or validate homosexuality. In the absence of policy, it's easy for adults to look the other way and dismissively say, "Kids." These videos show, however, that bullied children refuse to be invisible. We hope there's an adult at Jonah's school who intervenes and helps make it safe for him to get his education.

Casada launches first strike against partner benefits in labor bill restricting local governments: State Senator Brian Kelsey of Shelby County and State Rep. Glen Casada of Williamson County are targeting Tennessee's local governments again. The Tennessean's Michael Cass reports on the bill:

A bill the General Assembly will consider next year would prohibit local governments from imposing requirements on contractors doing business with them for health insurance coverage, minimum wage levels or family leave allowances beyond what state law requires.

But there's more. The bill would also have the effect of preventing a city in county in Tennessee from requiring government contractors from adding domestic partner benefits:

Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project, which supported the Metro nondiscrimination ordinance and is a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the state, said he’s worried about Republican efforts.
“All the lobbying interests that care about local government need to wake up,” he said. “If we don’t stop this train, local authority is going to be gutted in the next few years.”
Sanders said the legislation could prevent cities from requiring the extension of benefits to domestic partners of contractors’ employees. But he said he hasn’t heard anyone in city government talk about pursuing such an initiative.

Occupying equality this weekend: Occupy groups from around Tennessee came to Nashville this weekend and are holding a series of events including a teach-in on the history of the movement for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender rights, according to Nashville's Newschannel 5.

-Chris Sanders

Sign the Tennessee Human Rights Petition

2011-12-01T12:45:00.001-06:00

Sign the Tennessee Human Rights Petition
today at http://bit.ly/HumanRightsStatement

Earlier this year, the proponents of the "Equal Access to Intrastate Commerce Act" (HB600/SB632) claimed that local governments should not be enacting workplace protections or other employment provisions that affect private employers. They complained that a patchwork of non-discrimination ordinances would create regulatory burdens for private companies doing business in communities across the state. Proponents of HB600/SB632 were successful in enacting the law which repealed Nashville's Contract Accountability Non-Discrimination Ordinance (CANDO) and prohibits all local governments in Tennessee from extending LGBT-inclusive workplace protections to employees of private businesses.

Tennessee Equality Project actively lobbied against what we more appropriately called HB600/SB632: the "Special Access to Discriminate Act." We continue to challenge the SAD Act on constitutional grounds along with many allies as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the State of Tennessee. Today, we challenge our supporters and allies to commit one step further.

We disagreed with supporters of the SAD Act on the burden it would create for business. So does big business. The majority of Fortune 500 companies lead the way in providing LGBT-inclusive workplace protections because they've realized that inclusive work environments promote creativity in the workplace, employee retention, and recruitment of the best job candidates.

While the supporters of the SAD Act didn't see it that way, they exposed a great need in our State. Tennessee DOES need a uniform standard for protecting people from workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In fact, such discrimination ought to be prohibited by law in employment, housing, education, financing and public accommodations in the State of Tennessee.

The Board of Tennessee Equality Project recently approved the following statement expressing this firm belief for our beloved state. In anticipation of Human Rights Day on December 10, 2011, we invite individuals and organizations across the state to review and sign our petition in support of equal rights for all Tennesseans:

Equal access, equal opportunity, and equal protection are basic principles of American democracy reaffirmed again and again in our Constitution and laws. Discrimination against persons and groups based on factors irrelevant to merit runs counter to these traditions, hinders individual achievement, and produces social conflict.

We support the principle of equal protection and oppose discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity as well as any discrimination based on the current classes protected in federal and state law.

We call on the State of Tennessee to protect individuals and groups from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, education, financing and public accommodations.

We support the prerogative of local governments in Tennessee to adopt laws and policies that exceed the state in protecting individuals and groups from discrimination, including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

We can only move forward together in Tennessee. Discrimination is an obstacle on the path to individual prosperity and economic growth that benefits us all.

According to our rights under the Tennessee Constitution, we “apply to those invested with the powers of government for redress of grievances,” and we call on all Tennesseans who value basic fairness and equal protection to join us.

Click HERE to sign the petition in support of the above statement.

Then invite your friends, family, minister, church, employer, union, local chamber of commerce, community organization, neighborhood association or other group to make their support official. Refer them to this easy-to-remember link to the statement at http://bit.ly/HumanRightsStatement.

- Jonathan Cole

Many thanks to Chris Sanders, TEP Nashville Committee Chair, for authoring this statement of belief.

Use this QR Code to post in areas frequented by equality advocates:

Australian marriage ad everyone's talking about, TN Tech students against bullying, another swipe at HB600

2011-11-27T04:16:00.001-06:00

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Here's your weekend roundup.

Australian marriage campaign ad moves the world: You would have to have avoided Facebook for the last three days or not known any gay people to have missed this compelling ad for the campaign for marriage equality in Australia. I can't tell you the number of people, straight and gay, who posted "It's Time" over the weekend:

TEP wishes the Australians the best of luck as they get closer to marriage equality! Spreading the ad around Tennessee can't hurt our own chances for advancing some forms of relationship recognition around here, by the way, even if they don't amount to full marriage equality.

Tennessee Tech students take on bullying: The Herald-Citizen out of Cookeville has a great piece on a conference being organized by some Tennessee Tech students coming up in January. The conference deals with bullying that targets the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community as well as other minority communities and the topic of cyber-bullying:

Why should Putnam County be interested in bullying?

"Because it affects everyone," [conference co-organizer Justin] Sweatman said. "Even if you're not a student or parent, you are still in a community where students are being bullied, and it's your responsibility."

And the conference isn't just for locals -- it's a statewide affair.

"Problems don't stop at county lines," Sweatman said. "Bullying is everywhere. But if we can start at home, maybe awareness will spread."

It's always a major win when a local newspaper provides this kind of coverage of an equality issue in Tennessee. It helps change the attitudes of citizens and it sends a great signal to lawmakers representing the area.

Francois takes swipe at HB600: In today's Tennessean, former Metro Nashville Council candidate Renard Francois knocks the Legislature over HB600, the Special Access to Discriminate law that nullified Metro's Contract Accountability Non-Discrimination Ordinance, in the course of taking on another state bill that would usurp local control in the area of property taxes:

This is not the first time the state government has attempted to interfere and undermine the collective will of Davidson County. Last year, the state government simply overturned Nashville’s anti-discrimination ordinance despite robust countywide debate.

Yep, we hope more people will continue to notice the pattern and realize we should have all been trying to stop that train sooner. But there is still time to fight for legitimate local control. I hope that all the lobbying interests that are supposed to protect local government--and not the four largest cities in state that did an admirable job this year--get more involved in 2012.

The issue lives. The press has largely done its job of helping make the citizens of Tennessee realize that they are being usurped. It's up to all of us to start defending our right to shape our own communities throughout Tennessee.

-Chris Sanders

Debating the South, Transgender Day of Remembrance, and GSAs

2011-11-20T11:09:00.001-06:00

Southern questions: There's a vigorous discussion going on today at our Facebook page about whether it's appropriate to generalize that the South is "ignorant" or "hateful" and so on. Such a characterization ignores the countless people fighting back and working for change. It also enables the tendency of many in the country to write off our region and not bother assisting with the change we readily acknowledge we need. What do you think? Log in and join the discussion.

Transgender Day of Remembrance: It's so vitally important that there is a day to bring into focus all the members of the transgender community that we have lost to violence. Maryville held its first event yesterday, the same day Memphis held its annual event. Nashville's observance at Vanderbilt was earlier last week. Bianca Phillips makes it clear why it's such an important annual reminder in Tennessee:

Duanna Johnson. Tiffany Berry. Ebony Whitaker. These three transgender women were killed in Memphis over the past six years, and they're a small number in the hundreds of transgender homicide victims nationally.

Passing laws that include gender identity and increasing awareness are life and death matters in our state and around the world.

GSA of Greater Nashville kicks off: WSMV covered the first meeting of the Gay Straight Alliance of Greater Nashville yesterday and its unique form of organization is likely to get some notice:

Organizers say this is the first community GSA in the United States, as most GSAs are only offered in schools.
While the group is open to everyone, they cater to Nashville residents under 25.

This development is another example of imaginative leadership from our youth.

-Chris Sanders

"Don't tell the Chamber or TEP," says Family Action PLUS the protest of a Morristown transgender woman

2011-11-15T02:23:00.001-06:00

Worst kept secret: The Tennessean delves into the Family Action Council's correspondence with state lawmakers uncovered in the court challenge to HB600, which overturned Metro Nashville Contract Accountability Non-Discrimination Ordinance. They thought no one knew what they were up to:

Fowler wrote the group again on Jan. 29 after meeting with chamber officials.
“I felt it was pretty clear that they did not like the ordinance but didn’t want to come across as homophobes or send the country a signal that Nashville was not a great city for all people — was inclusive,” Fowler wrote. “In my opinion the Chamber is clearly trying to document ‘good reasons’ to oppose the bill that anyone with any common sense, regardless of where they stand on the ethic of homosexual conduct, could see are valid concerns.”
Again, Fowler concluded the email by asking recipients not to share it.
“We sure don’t need any loose lips getting word to the Chamber about what I think and for sure not (the Tennessee Equality Project)!” he wrote.

Let's bracket their interpretation of the Chamber's views for now. The issue is that Family Action officials thought they were fooling people, even TEP, which is odd since everyone knew they were lobbying against the Metro ordinance when it was working its way through the Council. The intent was clear from the beginning--to keep local governments from protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees in their jurisdictions throughout Tennessee. Although it was no secret, it's clear that Family Action thought discrimination should remain a secret. SAD!

Transgender woman protests double standard: WATE is reporting that Andrea Jones, a transgender woman from Morristown, protested the refusal of the DMV to change the sex designation on her licesnse, by taking off her blouse for which she was arrested.

Of course, this puts officials in an odd position. It's not considered indecent exposure for a male to go shirtless, but in arresting Andrea, they are treating her as a woman...until she tried to get the gender marker changed on her license when she was considered male. I don't see how they can have it both ways, which is exactly the point of Andrea's protest.

Secrets and doubles standards are the tools of discrimination in Tennessee!

-Chris Sanders

We are the 60%: Marriage inequality in TN and our options

2011-11-14T19:24:00.001-06:00

ThinkProgress takes a look at a New York Times editorial lauding the recent Senate Judiciary Committee vote to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, which would overturn the Defense of Marriage Act. The title of their post says it all: "60 Percent of Americans Live in Places That Don't Offer Protections For Gay Couples." 29 states, including Tennessee, bar same-sex marriage via


Image from the Repeal Tennessee's Marriage			Amendment Facebook page

constitutional amendment. They also include a map ominously called "The Geography of Discrimination." Again, that's about as clear as it gets.

What can we do in Tennessee? That's where things ain't so clear. Here are our options for advancing marriage equality. Nothing is easy or likely about any of them.

1. Move our current Congressional delegation on DOMA. We have a couple of Congressmen who might be persuaded to back repeal of DOMA--Cohen and Cooper. I wouldn't take such a move for granted. Our two U.S. Senators aren't fire-breathing Right wingers, but it would be an extremely heavy lift to move either one of them on DOMA. Senator Alexander is starting to show more of his trademark moderation and independence. And it's always good for more constituents to let him and Senator Corker, for that matter, know that they oppose DOMA, but don't hold your breath.

2. Elect new anti-DOMA members to our Congressional delegation. Defeating any of the decidedly pro-DOMA Senators or Congressmen with an anti-DOMA opponent also seems unlikely. If Congressman DesJarlais goes down in defeat, it will likely be in the primary to another Right winger. Tea Partiers talk about challenging Senator Corker, but we still don't know whether a viable Democrat will get in the race. And even if one does, the odds are low that such a candidate would oppose DOMA--a lesson we learned in 2006. Could the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community raise the $25,000+ in a House race or the $50,000+ needed to get the attention of a candidate in one of these races? Yes, it could be done. It seems unlikely to happen, though. And even if it did, the anti-DOMA candidate has to win and stick to his or her position.

3. Repeal Tennessee's amendment. I'll offer the warning again: Don't hold your breath. To repeal a constitutional amendment is to amend the TN Constitution again. That takes passing a resolution in two consecutive sessions and the second time you have to have two thirds of each House. So we've got to elect, reelect, or persuade 33 Senators and 66 Representatives. Are we willing to raise (and this is a conservative estimate) $10,000 for each of the 66 House races and $25,000 for each of the 33 Senate races? First, I want to say that it could be done. But I don't think it would happen because our community has shown more willingness to invest our political dollars out of state. Additionally, all our candidates would have to win and then vote with us in two consecutive sessions. If a miracle happened and the resolution passed, we would still have to win at the ballot. Oh, and one last thing, we'd still have to repeal a state statute defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. They spent over $3 Million in New York on ads designed to move Republicans in their legislative efforts. Daunting!

4. See you in court. If DOMA is struck down in a court challenge, that would help ease another court challenge to Tennessee's state constitutional amendment and statute. I'm not an attorney, but my hunch is that it is through the courts that Tennessee will achieve marriage equality. But I'll let the legal experts weigh in on that one.

The deck is definitely stacked against us, but it's always up to us to decide what to do. There's no doubt in my mind that we could raise the money and volunteer army needed to make a move in 1 to 4 federal races. That would increase the odds for desperately needed votes out of Tennessee's congressional delegation to pass the Respect for Marriage Act. As I said, my doubts hinge on our ability to get that kind of agreement and focus statewide.

I may very well have missed an option. If so, let's get it out there on the table and discuss it. Maybe that would help contribute to a statewide consensus so we could develop a plan of action to make our contribution to the movement for marriage equality in Tennessee.

I'm in. Are you?

-Chris Sanders

Weekend Roundup: Rutherford Rep urges purge; civic pride

2011-11-13T21:16:00.001-06:00

Mercifully, as far as I know, no Tennessee public official did or said anything incredibly embarrassing when it comes to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community this weekend. Sadly, though, that energy was used to attack another group.

Don't Ask, Don't Pray Five Times a Day?: I believe ThinkProgress broke the story over the weekend of State Rep. Rick Womick of Rutherford County calling for a purge of Muslims from the military. Here's the video:

Every citizen should be concerned about this kind of rhetoric. It inflames existing stereotypes and suspicions and it also inspires legislative proposals. Do I think any kind of bill banning Muslims from the military would pass or, if it did, pass constitutional muster in the courts? No, of course not. But I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a resolution had been filed in the General Assembly urging Congress to administer loyalty tests and the like.

I also look at this issue through the prism of the recent Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal, which social conservatives fought for years (some still are fighting it). If you can ban a whole class of people from the military, you can reinforce the argument that they aren't patriotic citizens and that some of their other rights can be taken away. Circular logic, to be sure.

And that brings us to...

Civic Pride: The constant stream of embarrassments emanating almost weekly from our red state officials is a strong inducement for many of us to retreat into the refuge of our cities. Our cities aren't perfect by a long shot. They have petty squabbles, minor scandals, budget woes, etc. But they tend not to cause nearly the same level of angst in the area of human rights and human relations as our state officials. At this point, it's far easier to get Tennessee's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community involved in city politics than it is in state politics because we can see positive results flowing directly from our actions like the election of Lee Harris to the Memphis City Council. We're not giving up on the state by any means, but it's nice to have a refuge from the storm. Beyond politics what we are beginning to see in Tennessee's larger cities is that our open participation in the ordinary life of the city is not some revolutionary act. It's just business as usual.


Team TEP

Our Nashville committee participated in the Mayor's Challenge 5K Walk/Run this weekend. The organizers didn't hesitate to invite us to form a team a few months ago and there were no gasps when we donned our TEP stickers at the event. The word "equality" doesn't bring to mind the blood bath of the French Revolution to most city dwellers. That's perhaps a fantasy of the suburbs. It was just another day and we were just one of dozens of other groups showing our civic pride. And that, my friends, is what the so called "gay agenda" is all about. Equal rights, equal participation until it becomes no big deal.

-Chris Sanders

Memphis Council runoff today, Rogero talks inclusion, Vanderbilt's non-discrimination policy up for consideration?

2011-11-10T07:07:00.000-06:00

Memphis: The long campaign season comes to an end in Memphis today with the runoff for City Council district 7 between Lee Harris, endorsed by TEP PAC, and Kemba Ford. Both campaigns are predicting a "nail-biter," according to the Commercial Appeal. If you live in this district, please, get out and vote. The Commercial Appeal link provides you links with information on polling locations and hours.

Knoxville: On the other end of I-40, the Metro Pulse says Mayor-elect Madeline Rogero was talking inclusion shortly after her victory:

In her victory speech to hundreds of cheering supporters at the Foundry Tuesday night, Rogero emphasized again the reach of her campaign. “Tonight we come together, as we did throughout this campaign, representing a broad and deep cross-section of Knoxville residents,” she said. “We ran a campaign of inclusiveness, from white collar to blue collar, from labor to management, from every neighborhood north, south, east, west, and downtown. We welcome people of all races and colors, gay and straight, people of all abilities, people from the youngest to the oldest.
“From the youngest to the oldest,” she continued, “from the richest to the poorest, because all of us are Knoxville. And Knoxville will only become greater if all of us are involved.”

These are words that I wish everyone in Tennessee would hear from his or her mayor and, frankly, from Governor Haslam. Unfortunately, you can count on one hand the number of executives in the state who are comfortable saying something like Rogero did on election night. But what a great message to come out of East Tennessee! And in the end, it's really an easy message to share once a candidate or elected official decides to cross the mark.

Vanderbilt: It's been no secret that Right wing groups like the Congressional Prayer Caucus and the Family Action Council have been putting pressure on Vanderbilt over its decision to apply its non-discrimination policy to all officially recognized and funded campus organizations. What I'm hearing from some employees is that they believe that the Board of Trust, which is meeting this week, may consider scaling back the application of the policy. If they do, it will be a step back and then the bad publicity will really begin.

We have taken the step of urging people to contact Vanderbilt and offer support for the policy. You can do so at this link.

Change.org|Start an Online Petition »

Another busy week for our work for equality in all three grand divisions of Tennessee!

-Chris Sanders

Morning brief: Perez, UK on West TN make up flap; Gay marriage play tonight; anti-gay bomb in Kelsey bill

2011-11-07T07:25:00.002-06:00

Welcome to the first weekday morning under the new time change. We've got the links and analysis you need to start your week.

Kasey Landrum story goes big: The story of Kasey Landrum, the Lexington high school student suspended for wearing make up at school is going national, even international. Perez Hilton has picked it up with lots of boos for the principal. "Awful," says Hilton. And, yes, the story has now crossed the pond. The Daily Mail reported it over the weekend. The Pink News (UK) has run a story this morning, discussing the sudden reversal of the principal's repressive make up policy after it was brought to the public's attention. They quote the district superintendent:

Superintendent Wilkinson, of Henderson County, said: ‘I guess that the easiest thing to do would be to go to a standard policy but we have in the past given a little freedom to our children and their parents about what they choose the wear.’

Good move, Mr. Wilkinson.

image from The Nashville Scene

"Gay marriage" play comes to Nashville Church: "Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays" comes to First Church Unity in Nashville tonight only, according to the Nashville Scene. 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Anti-gay bomb in Kelsey bill: As we mentioned over the weekend, State Sen. Brian Kelsey has filed SB2149, which would prevent any city or county in Tennessee from passing an ordinance making family leave, wage, or health insurance requirements for the private sector. While there are some such ordinances in Tennessee (not many), there is no flood of proposals in local governments around the state. But I believe there may be some anti-gay bias in the bill. I wonder whether it is really filed to prevent any city or county from requiring its contractors to provide health insurance for domestic partners, as Austin does. The discussion came up in a public forum with a leader of Family Action on the eve of the third reading of the Metro Nashville Contract Accountability Non-Discrimination Ordinance. The leader in question feared partner benefits was next. Furthermore, the House companion bill to SB2149 will be carried by Rep. Glen Casada whose work against equality is notorious. It's worth mentioning that Sen. Kelsey's voting record isn't exactly pro-equality. We'll be watching this bill.

Have a great week!

-Chris

Lawsuits, Occupy Nashville, boys in make up, coalitions, Sheryl Crow--Fighting back in a red state

2011-11-05T17:16:00.000-05:00

The majority of voters and the majority of elected stateofficials are decidedly right of center in Tennessee. Whether a true majority of the state goes red is anotherquestion. Every month Tennesseefinds a new way to become famous in the national media for embodying this bentin our public policy.

How do you fight back in a situation like this?

Lawsuits: If theLegislature and the Governor are trampling your rights, you can take ‘em tocourt. That’s what a group of plaintiffs including TEP have done in our challenge to HB600. The worst case scenario is that we put ouropponents on the defensive as they have to reexplain and redefend theirdiscriminatory actions. In the best casescenario, we win and the law is struck down. The Occupy Nashville movement is already seeing results from their court challenge to the administration’s efforts to shut down their protests.

We will likely have a red majority for at least ten years,so I would assume court challenges to bad legislation and bad policy willbecome business as usual for the foreseeable future.

Occupy Nashville: Three members of TEP’s NashvilleCommittee have been involved in the protests. So it’s a topic we watch very closely. By sustaining their protest over severalweeks, the participants have forced the hand of the state thereby showing thepublic in a very concrete way how much our state government has beenoverreaching since January. By orderingthe arrest of peaceful protesters on public property, the state has generated more disgust with state government than all the negative legislation that has appeared this year. Maybe it’s time moreissue specific strands of the progressive community take a page from thisexample.

Kasey Landrum photo from WKRN

Make up: If youreally want to make some principals angry in Tennessee,all you have to do is wear a shirt supportive of a Gay/Straight Alliance, as a student in East TN did, or wear make up, as Kasey Landrum a student in West TN did. Youth really are fighting on the front linesof equality. It’s sad that some adults getangrier about self-expression than low tests scores and other real problems inour schools. Self-expression is becominga form of everyday fighting back in Tennessee. Its value, besides just letting a person becomfortable in his or her own skin, is to make right wingers overreach in theirresponse, which has the effect of clarifying everyone’s rights. And that takes the issue beyond a mereexpression of the self and into the realm of commonly held values relating tothe First Amendment.

Coalitions: Sometimesorganizations have to focus strictly on their own issues and sometimes it isbeneficial to work in coalition and cast issues more broadly. I believe it is time for equality advocates,labor advocates, and local government advocates to work together to advanceSB2121 and fight SB2149 in the Legislature. SB2121 would restore the right of cities and counties to add to theirnon-discrimination ordinances, a right taken away from them by HB600 thatpassed this year. SB2149 prevents citiesand counties from passing ordinances related to health insurance, family leave,and wages. Labor, equality, and localgovernment defenders ought to make a pact to work together on both bills forthe common good. Creative alliances makesense during these tough times.

Sheryl Crow: But I’vesaved the real creativity for last. Maybe we need to get more creative in candidate recruiting. I think Sheryl Crow ought to run for the TNHouse of Representatives from Williamson County. She’s getting more involved in philanthropic efforts in Franklin and she’s had ahigh profile as an activist on many issues.

I know what you’re saying. The Legislature isn’t big time enough for Sheryl Crow. But I would say our state government isgarnering a lot of media attention and it’s a good platform for someone to address the real hot button issues—attacks on teachers, voter disenfranchisement,nullifying local equality ordinances, guns everywhere, defunding familyplanning, and cutting unemployment benefits. If Sheryl Crow entered the race, she could shine even more light on what’sgoing on in Tennessee. And if she won, I suspect it would be alittle bit harder to find a lead sponsor for some of the nut bar bills we’veseen over the last year. We might evenget a song out of it. So if you’rereading, Ms. Crow, give it a shot, give us a chance!

There’s no doubt we need to fight back. I believe we will. The only question is how we’ll do it.

-Chris Sanders

Welcoming Family Action to Nashville

2011-10-29T10:43:00.000-05:00

Dear Members of the Family Action Council of Tennessee:

On behalf of equality loving citizens throughout Nashville,I want to welcome you to Music City today for your Stand for Truth event.

I think you’ll find Nashvillea welcoming city for everyone. In caseyou forgot just how welcoming we are, I’d like to take a moment to remind you:

In 2008 the Metropolitan Board of Public Education unanimously adopted non-discrimination policies for teachers and students protecting them from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Voters overwhelmingly rejected an English Only charter amendment in 2009.
That same year the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County adopted a non-discrimination ordinance protecting government employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
This year, with the support of over 70 congregations, businesses, and community and labor organizations, the Metropolitan Government adopted another non-discrimination ordinance protecting employees of government contractors from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
In August the Council passed a resolution honoring high school students protesting the Don’t Say Gay bill.
When the Council overwhelmingly passed a resolution urging them to do so, the Metropolitan Law Department announced that it will file an amicus brief in the court challenge to HB600, the Special Access to Discriminate law, that nullified our contractor non-discrimination ordinance.

I know that your events end on Saturday afternoon, but Iinvite you to stay longer and join us for some pre-Halloween bar hopping on Church Street tonight. The costumes are going to beFABULOUS! And if you’ve got a littlemore time, visit one of our many affirming congregations for worship on Sundaymorning.

WELCOME TO NASHVILLE!

-Chris Sanders

Family Action non sequitur of the day: School sex ed leads to funding for HIV+ prisoners?

2011-10-26T19:22:00.001-05:00

The notion of cause and effect has fallen on hard times over at the Family Action Council.

Can someone help our friends over at FACT with this?

In a recent blog post, they're trying to make a point that social issues translate into fiscal issues, which in turn affects the economy. But the connection they attempt to make can only be linked if one chooses to indulge in magical thinking.

They discuss the rise in HIV among young people in Middle Tennessee and say that we shouldn't be surprised because of condom instruction that has taken place in Metro Nashville schools. I'm not making this up. Go to their post and read it.

But then the connection completely collapses when they shift from young people in Middle TN (which includes more than Davidson County, by the way) to the cost of the federal government funding three positions to coordinate the treatment of HIV+ prisoners when they are released, as reported in a Tennessean article.

They conclude by asking coyly: "Still want to say that divisive social issues like sex education in our schools has no fiscal effect? Hope not."

What on earth does sex education in schools have to do with the treatment of HIV+ prisoners?

It's no wonder they want to quash the subpoenas in the court challenge to HB600. I wouldn't want to answer direct questions if I thought that's how the world worked either.

-Chris Sanders

Using small business to shield discrimination

2011-10-17T03:13:00.000-05:00

Photo from Out & About Newspaper

Friday's Human Rights Campaign / Tennessee Equality Project press conference with state and local lawmakers resulted in a couple of quick gains for the cause of equality in Tennessee.

First, State Representative Brenda Gilmore announced that she would be a House sponsor of SB2121, the bill filed by Sen. Jim Kyle to repeal HB600, which nullified the Metro Nashville Contract Accountability Non-Discrimination Ordinance. If passed, it would give us the status quo ante. Any sober observer realizes that the effort to pass SB2121 faces an uphill climb. Nevertheless the development represents progress because before Friday there was no House sponsor. Whether you look at it as a one yard gain or a first down, it's an advance.

Second, it put the opposition on the defensive and caused them to show a few of their cards. They have now backtracked from a general pro-business argument to a defense of small business argument. In light of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce's reversal on HB600, the right wing has lost half its shield. They have retreated to hiding behind only one segment of the business community. As WSMV's Cara Kumari reported on Friday:

"It just creates an environment for businessmen. So, no, it passed with bipartisan support and in this environment I just don't see it getting out of subcommittee," Rep. Glen Casada said.
Casada says this bill isn't for the Fortune 500 companies, it was passed for the small businesses.

The problems with this line of defense are numerous, however.

*The history is inaccurate. Supporters of HB600 did not make just a small business argument when they were advancing the bill. They made a general business argument. I can understand why they would want to hide their retreat, but the support of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, several of whose board members come from Fortune 500 companies, was trumpeted on the House floor.

*The Metro ordinance had a small business exemption.

*47 businesses (most of them small) supported the Metro ordinance, and they even supported it before the small business exemption was put into the bill.

*NFIB surveys of small business owners consistently reveal that poor or low sales are their number one concern with regulation registering lower. And by the way, when these business owners do indicate that regulation is a problem, they are typically talking about federal health and safety regulations, not local non-discrimination ordinances.

*Austin example disproves the negative effect on business, small and large. I've said it many times before, but Austin has a non-discrimination ordinance even stronger than the one Nashville passed and its economy is poised better than just about any other in the South to weather our current conditions.

HB600 never had any credible business rationale. It was always about preventing local governments from protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people from job discrimination. Hiding behind small businesses won't cut it.

-Chris Sanders

Zombie Walk for Equality seeks to reanimate government

2011-10-12T16:41:00.001-05:00

In just three days, zombies shall descend upon historic Beale Street in Memphis in search of tasty brains.

At first glance, this might appear to be an apocalypse of the undead, but it's really a protest of the lack of delicious brains in those elected to govern the State of Tennessee, Shelby County and the City of Memphis. With the passage of the Special Access to Discriminate Act (HB600/SB632) and the advance of the Don’t Say Gay bill (SB049) in 2011, there is little evidence of intelligent governance at the state level. At the local level, Memphis and Shelby County governments can’t seem to understand the importance of enacting ordinances that offer simple workplace protections for government employees.

Will the Tennessee General Assembly continue to take away the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families in 2012? Will Memphis or Shelby County ever pass ordinances that prohibit discrimination against government employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity?

Tennessee Equality Project calls on all zombies to join our search for intelligent brains in state and local government. Help us call attention to the fact that brains that value inclusion, diversity and equality not only taste better, but improve the lives of all people in our community.

Join TEP’s Zombie Walk for Equality in the Midsouth Pride Parade on October 15, 2011. Dress up like a zombie and make a clever sign. The lineup for the walking dead starts at 1 PM at 4th and Beale Street. Step off is a 2 PM. This peaceful walking group in the pride parade is designed to be fun and find some humor in the tragedy of bad governance.

To join TEP's Zombie Walk for Equality in the Midsouth Pride Parade on October 15, 2011, here's what you need to do:

Tell us you plan to attend the Zombie Walk for Equality at this link.
Invite your friends and family to participate by sharing this post with your friends.
Make a clever sign with a zombie and equality theme (Keep it civil - this is a family-friendly event).
Dress up like a zombie (see below).
Line up with the other walking dead at 1 PM at 4th and Beale Street on Oct. 15. Step off is a 2 PM.

Need some help on Zombie makeup?

During the Midsouth Pride Festival which begins at 10 AM at Robert Church Park, the Haus of Masquerade will be painting zombie makeup from 10 AM until 1:45 PM for $20 a head (with $5 going to TEP. This is a great option for folks without makeup experience who would like to participate.

YouTube offers a number of video tutorials to help you create the perfect zombie look for those who want to create their own look. Party City at Poplar Plaza Shopping Mall has great makeup supplies for would-be zombies. Take a look at these creative examples for makeup ideas or search for your own on YouTube:

Give Hate a Holiday - the event that almost wasn't.

2011-10-11T05:23:00.014-05:00

Yesterday, hate crime became real for me. First, you should know the City of Tupelo witnessed an extraordinary affair. "Give Hate a Holiday" helped "raise visibility and public awareness about the lives and concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Mississippi and throughout the South, and [helped] build support for ongoing local, state, and regional efforts to make our communities more just, inclusive, humane, and safe for LGBT [people] . . ." http://outinthesilence.blogspot.com/2011/08/give-hate-holiday-tupelo-or-bust.html. TEP co-sponsored the event with a coalition of groups including the Link Centre of Tupelo (former home of Harrisburg Baptist Church), the Unitarian Universal Congregation of Tupelo, PFLAG of Tupelo, PFLAG Oxford/University, PFLAG Gulf Region, and the Universal Unitarian Association of Congregations "Standing on the Side of Love" campaign. http://standingonthesideoflove.org. Tupelo served as the point location because it is the home of the notoriously anti-gay and Southern Poverty Law Center [SPLC] designated hate group, American Family Association. The Link Centre which occupies the former Harrisburg Baptist Church building hosted the event. link-centre.org.

We began the day with a well attended news conference covered by WCBI out of Columbus. Neither WTVA of Tupelo nor the local paper the Daily Journal made an appearance. The paper clearly had notice of the event as Tim Wildmon, president of AFA, had written a letter to the editor the day before. Nevertheless, Bob Spencer, a lay minister with the Universal Unitarian Church, opened with a statement that his personal campaign for equality had become a crusade. Tim Jordan, a former member and youth pastor at Harrisburg Baptist Church, followed. Tim told his story of being gay and being afraid that God did not love him for that reason. Yesterday, he stood on the very spot where he gave a sermon in 1979 about God's love for all and reclaimed that sermon after a life time journey as a gay man away from and back to faith. Representatives from Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays [PFLAG] from Oxford and the Gulf Region offered their support while Amanda Todd told of her efforts to bring a PFLAG chapter to Tupelo. pflagtupelo.org. Jaribu Hill with Mississippi Worker's Center for Human Rights spoke of its support for all human rights and her ongoing efforts to see justice done in the James Anderson murder in Jackson, Mississippi. msworkers.org. Representatives of Americans Civil Liberties Union [ACLU] of Mississippi spoke of their action on behalf of Constance McMillan and their involvement in two current school bullying cases in Mississippi. aclu-ms.org. I represented TEP and assured the GLBT citizens of North Mississippi that equality knew no state boundaries and that we supported their efforts to live fully realized lives. I also called upon the straight allies in North Mississippi to respond to National Coming Out Day and come out in support of the GLBT population. Mark Potoc, Director of the Intelligence Project for SPLC explained why the American Family Association is a SPLC designated hate group, and he rendered the attendees speechless with quotations from AFA's spokesperson Bryan Fischer. splcenter.org

The press conference dismissed to a colorful and enthusiastic demonstration along West Main street where the attendees waved banners and signs and proclaimed yesterday as a holiday from hate. Many passing motorists thrilled the numerous demonstrators with honks of support. However, the hate came in through the back door. While we were demonstrating, Tupelo City Police responded to an anonymous bomb threat and swept the Link Centre during our outdoor event. After the building was cleared, we breathed a sigh of relief and rejoined the day's planned festivities.

At 2:00 Joe Wilson and his partner in life and filmmaking Dean Hamer presented Out in the Silence, a film telling of the AFA's destructive interference in Mr. Wilson's life and in the lives of GLBT citizens in Oil City, Pennsylvania. The powerful film documented the far reaching impact of Tupelo's AFA and its often devastating effects on ordinary people's lives. The movie was, however, in the end, uplifting, moving, and inspiring, and the misters Wilson and Hamer distinguished themselves with the telling of the story. After the presentation, the filmmakers encouraged audience participants to tell their stories, and what emerged was an unexpected outpouring of support from the "straight" community of North Mississippi. A group of concerned citizens in Tupelo have informally joined to start challenging the status quo, and they identified themselves by website as tupelocitizens.com. They indicated that the GLBT community had a place at their round table and invited them to participate in the dialogue encouraged there. Another woman promoted the facebook page, It's Not Easy Leaning Left in Mississippi, which deals with progressive issues in the state. She invited the GLBT citizens to friend the page and participate in the conversation. Aleigh Farris, the daughter of lesbian parents, told of her life growing up in Tupelo, and Rick Davis reported the story of an attempt to establish a GSA at Tupelo High School which was derailed after the principal allegedly threatened the job of at least one of the only two teachers who agreed to sponsor the group. PFLAG Tupelo invited all to attend their new meeting on the last Tuesdays of the month at All Saints Episcopal Church, and Dr. Latoya Brock, a professor of social work at the University of Mississippi Tupelo campus, indicated she had invited her social work class to attend the film, but that none had been there. She was disappointed, but she hoped to see some present at the evening showing.

The takeaway from this day? The people of Mississippi are ready for equality, and they are incredibly courageous. I met my facebook friends Brandon Lacey and Cody Bruff, young partners who are ready to become activists. Benson Hill and his mother Mikrah are working with PFLAG and are making a change in Tupelo. Bob Spencer, a retired lay minister, seeks equality in his lifetime. I heard an African American Baptist minister who just wants to love everyone as he believes Christ intended everyone to be loved. I met a woman from my home town who knew my parents, and we were both so gratified to see Myrtle girls working for equality. Misty Waldrop attended, and she works in central Mississippi with GLBT youth. Lyrik, a very outspoken lesbian leader @thatdamnlyrik, entertained us all with her enthusiasm. I talked with Dale Merkle, PFLAG regional director, Gulf region, the Southern father of two gay sons. I spoke with Mr. Potoc and told him that his boss Morris Dees is my legal hero. I talked to two lovely performers from Tremont and Fulton, of all places. And I spent time with Casey who has been an out transgirl/woman since high school. A bomb threat did nothing to discourage these people from standing up to the AFA and to their own fears.

At the end of the day, I was the beneficiary of this outpouring in small town Mississippi. I saw a man reclaim his faith heritage. I saw an older generation reach out to a different generation and uplift them. I saw drag queens holding signs of encouragement. I was in a bomb threat situation. I met a transwoman who is seeking understanding and encouragement. I had dinner with this lovely couple who wants to change North Mississippi. I saw a film about empowerment and joy and commitment and the defeat of forces of destruction. I helped challenge the AFA on its home turf. I cried, I laughed, I gasped, and I cheered.

I am renewed and invigorated. I want to change my world, but if I cannot change it, I want to at least, irk it a little.

Anne Gullick

co-chair TEP Shelby County Committee

board member, TEP

Your Moment of Zen or What's Wrong with this Picture?

2011-10-09T12:08:00.001-05:00

When I saw this picture over at Family Action's blog, I just about howled. It's a photo in the current issue of Focus on the Family's Citizen magazine that goes with a story about Family Action's antics in Tennessee.

The first thing I saw was the word "Zen" in big letters next to David Fowler's head and thought, "Surely not." But then when I saw the words "Finding Harmony in Nashville," I said, "Well, you know, maybe they're going to feng shui their activism." But then I realized it was just Mr. Fowler's head hiding the other letters in the word "citizen," and I was a bit let down.

But then I looked at the picture on the left (if there is any left in such a publication) and I noticed Mr. Fowler with Sen. Beavers and Rep. Casada. That's when my mind turned from thoughts of wonder to irony. What do two people who live in Williamson County and one person who lives in Wilson County have to do with "Finding Harmony in Nashville?" Um, nothing.

Sen. Beavers and Rep. Casada were the sponsors of the bill pushed by Mr. Fowler to overturn Metro Nashville's contractor non-discrimination ordinance.

So maybe the subtitle of the article is missing. I'll help fill it in. "Finding Harmony in Nashville: Then Trampling on It."

-Chris Sanders

Memphis radio host resorts to anti-gay bias

2011-10-08T11:02:00.000-05:00

Thaddeus Matthews demonstrates how
anti-gay bias hurts all people in Memphis.

A local radio personality in Memphis recently launched a series of personal attacks against one of TEP PAC's endorsed candidates: Lee Harris who is running for Memphis City Council District 7. Harris is a law professor at the University of Memphis, a product of the Memphis City Schools system, and a family man with children who have lived in District 7 for eight years. He is committed to making Memphis and his community a better place to live for all people. Harris finished first in last Thursday's election in a crowded race for the only council seat where an incumbent was not running for re-election. He will face Kemba Ford in the runoff election scheduled for Nov. 10.

Thaddeus Matthews hosts a talk radio program on the AM dial. He claims to offer "exclusive news that no other media will release" on his blog and radio program.

Matthews is currently featuring a link on his website to a recorded interview of Lee Harris conducted by Michael Hildebrand of Memphis Loves Gays. Matthews posts the question "Is Lee Harris gay?" on his website and asked "Lee Harris, are you a faggot?" on his radio program on Friday. Matthews alleges that Harris must have something to hide since Harris's wife did not take his last name when they were married.

When Michael Hildebrand learned that Thaddeus Matthews was using his interview link to slander Lee Harris on his program, he decided to approach him at his office to discuss the issue directly with Matthews at his place of business:

I walked over and attempted to discuss the issue with hope he would take off the misleading link... well, being white was an issue, plus me being gay, then I mentioned that I would like him to remove the link. He went mad....Luckily the guys I work with were watching from the balcony of Harvest [Creative] otherwise I fear it would have gotten violent. He threatened me as he got in my face. Told me to leave his property, which I did promptly. He followed me out, continuing to threaten me. I am still just amazed. He is a very overweight man and full of anger. I am more than certain it would have gotten bad if I wouldn't have crossed the street.

After Hildebrand left, Matthews turned his attention to him on his radio program, calling him a "white sissy" and a "flaming sissy" and that he was "pink phone carrying." Matthews continued to threaten physical violence against Hildebrand on the air.

Matthews will say and do anything for attention and to create controversy - his business model for boosting ratings and attracting listeners for his program. Matthews' behavior demonstrates for all how anti-gay bias hurts our community. Engaging in gay-baiting distracts from the important issues in the District 7 election and the problems that Memphis must confront. The people of District 7 deserve better than a radio host more interested in attention seeking antics than finding the best candidate for Memphis City Council. Matthews has resorted to such behavior because he has no other tools in his toolbox for reasonable debate. I am confident that the people of District 7 in particular will see through Matthews' vulgar attacks and ignore them.

Memphis election results favor incumbents and equality

2011-10-07T10:51:00.000-05:00

The results are in and all 12 incumbents won re-election in their districts for Memphis City Council last night. What does that mean for the advancement of equality in the Bluff City? The results provide encouraging signs:

Both sponsors of the Memphis Employment Non-Discrimination Ordinance (ENDO), Janis Fullilove (8-2) and Shea Flinn (9-2) were re-elected in landslides by a 2 to 1 and 4 to 1 margins, respectively. At the very least, these results demonstrate that the elected officials do not suffer at the polls for voting pro-equality. They may have even benefited because of their convictions.
All six council members who voted for 2010's ENDO were re-elected: Wanda Halbert (4), Jim Strickland (5), Edmund Ford, Jr. (6), Janis Fullilove (8-2), Myron Lowery (8-3) and Shea Flinn (9-2). Strickland and Lowery were unopposed and the others won with very comfortable margins. Voting pro-equality proved to be no barrier to their successful re-elections.
Yesterday's election results demonstrate missed opportunities for Mayor AC Wharton and members of the council who voted against the ENDO to be on the right side of history. Mayor Wharton pledged support for an ENDO when he ran for Memphis Mayor. His administration worked closely with Tennessee Equality Project on acceptable language for the ENDO to present to the Memphis City Council in 2010. But when he was asked his position on the legislation, Wharton backed away. The Mayor declared that he would support any version of the legislation the Council sent to his desk. Mayor Wharton could have sided firmly with equality and suffered no loss of political capital or support for re-election. Close observers of the council will recall that Bill Morrison had pledged his support for an ENDO when he won his first term to represent District 1 in 2007. He later voted against the ENDO in 2010. Had he stayed true to his convictions, voting pro-equality on the ENDO in 2010 would not have hurt him in 2011. Let's hope for more courage from Mayor Wharton and Councilman Morrison in the new term.
Finally, Lee Harris who was endorsed in District 7 by TEP PAC finished ahead by 4 votes against Kemba Ford in yesterday's only race that has no incumbent running. Ford will face Harris in a runoff election on Thursday, November 10

The end result of yesterday's election favors the formation of a majority equality consensus on the Memphis City Council in the new term. TEP PAC will be calling on equality advocates to help confirm that result as the campaign for District 7 continues until November 10. If you care about advancing equality in Memphis, help TEP PAC carry Lee Harris to the finish line. Visit his website to make a donation or to find contact information to volunteer for his campaign.

For all the election results visit the Shelby County Election Commission website. With 100% of precincts reporting, here are the results for Memphis Mayor and City Council:

Mayor

Wharton 48,635 or 65.3%

Ford 20,907 or 28%

James Harvey 2,053 or 2.7%

Kenneth Robinson 774 or 1%

Robert ‘Prince Mongo’ Hodges 750 or 1%

Marty Merriweather 441 or 0.5%

James Barbee 310 or 0.42%

Carlos Boyland 169 or 0.2%

Write In Votes 160 or 0.2%

Leo Awgowhat 141 or 0.1%

DeWayne Jones 79 or 0.1%

Memphis City Council

District 1

Bill Morrison 4,905 or 64.8%

Kendrick Sneed 2,637 or 34.8%

District 2

Bill Boyd 7,170 or 74.7%

Sylvia Cox 2,391 or 24.9%

District 3

Harold Collins 6720 or 98%

Write-In 86 or 1%

District 4

Halbert 6,243 or 64.8%

Michelle Smith 1,897 or 19.7%

Louis Morganfield 767 or 7.9%

George Walker 692 or 7.1%

District 5

Jim Strickland 10,187 or 99%

Write-In 91 or 0%

District 6

Edmund Ford, Jr 8,606 or 63.8%

Sharon Webb 2,070 or 15.3%

Clara Ford 1,658 or 12.3%

Rhoda Stigall 1,123 or 8.3%

Write-In 24 or 0%

District 7

Lee Harris 1,983 or 24.1%

Kemba Ford 1,979 or 24%

Coby Smith 957 or 11.6%

Michael Steven Moore 562 or 6.8%

Erskine Gillespie 493 of 6%

Jesse Jeff 367 or 4.4%

Scott Banbury 358 or 4.3%

David Vinciarelli 351 or 4.2%

Raymond Bursi 284 or 3.4%

Darrell Wright 215 or 2.6%

Julie Ray 211 or 2.5%

Evelyn Fields 197 or 2.3%

LeAndrea Taylor 137 or 1.6%

Artie Smith 101 or 0.4%

Write-In 31 or 0%

Superdistrict 8, Position 1

Joe Brown 27,571 or 77%

Mark Coleman 4,358 or 12%

Tammy Warren 3,743 or 10.4%

Write-In 107 or 0%

Superdistrict 8, Position 2

Janis Fullilove 21,701 or 57.8%

Rosalyn R. Nichols 9,954 or 26.5%

Isaac Wright 2,978 or 7.9%

Mario Dennis 2,836 or 0.1%

Write-In 59 or 0%

Superdistrict 8, Position 3

Myron Lowery 31,553 or 98%

Write-In 436 or 1%

Superdistrict 9, Position 1

Kemp Conrad 19,919 or 64%

Paul Shaffer 11,313 or 36%

Write-In 87 or 0%

Superdistrict 9, Position 2

Shea Flinn 24,210 or 80.7%

James Sdoia 5,668 or 18.9%

Write-In 92 or 0%

Superdistrict 9, Position 3

Reid Hedgepeth 23,447 or 98%

Write-In 306 or 1%

Memphis City Council Election Guide for Oct. 6, 2011

2011-10-06T08:21:00.000-05:00

Today is election day in Memphis. TEP PAC is proud to endorse in every competitive race for Memphis City Council elections.

We urge you to support the following candidates to create a pro-equality consensus on the Memphis City Council. Pools are open until 7 PM today.

Districts

1. Kendrick Sneed

2. Sylvia Cox
3. No endorsement

4. Wanda Halbert

5. Jim Strickland
6. Edmund Ford, Jr.

7. Lee Harris

Superdistricts

8-1. Tammy Warren

8-2. Janis Fullilove
8-3. Myron Lowery

9-1. Paul Shaffer

9-2. Shea Flinn
9-3. No endorsement

All of the above candidates in italics are incumbents and they voted pro-equality in the last term. Council members Harold Collins (3), Jim Strickland (5), Myron Lowery (8-3) and Reid Hedgepeth (9-3) face no opponents in the October 6 election.

Additionally, TEP PAC recognizes the follow candidates as equality advocates: Scott Banbury (7), David Vinciarelli (7) and Rosalyn Nichols (8-2).

TEP PAC is a state political action committee registered in Tennessee, Joyce Peacock, treasurer. The endorsements of TEP PAC do not necessarily represent the views of the board of the Tennessee Equality Project.

What happened to "Love thy neighbor"?

2011-10-03T22:14:00.000-05:00

Homophobia leads to violence in Gibson County, Tennessee (in red)

Last week, Jerry Pittman, Jr. and his boyfriend Dustin Lee were brutally attacked on the grounds of Grace Fellowship Church in Fruitland, Gibson County. According to reports, Jerry's uncle and two church deacons to beat the two young men while yelling homophobic slurs at the direction of Jerry's father, the pastor of the church.

Tennessee Equality Project's Madison County Committee assisted the young men in making contact with local media at WBBJ to tell their story. The news has spread to local and national news outlets and blogs such as Joe.My.God, Towleroad, LGBTQNation, and the Advocate. TEP supports the following statement from its Madison County Committee leaders in response to the incident:

Tennessee Equality Project's Madison County Committee and leaders statewide stand firmly behind Jerry Pittman, Jr. and Dustin Lee as the facts of their case continue to emerge. Those facts as reported to us thusfar can only lead to one conclusion: the assault suffered by Mr. Pittman, Jr. and Mr. Lee were motivated by nothing more than hatred, homophobia, intolerance, and a lack of understanding. Particularly disturbing is the fact that Mr. Pittman, Jr. and Mr. Lee had been welcomed to worship services as a couple numerous times in the past. Equally disturbing is that Mr. Pittman's family members (who are leaders of this congregation) initiated, instigated, and carried out this assault.

The Tennessee Equality Project and its local committees across the state stand ready to assist and advocate for persons who find themselves the victim of discrimination.

- Drew Baker, Madison County Committee Chair and Tommy Schlindwein & Erin Bumpas Brine, Madison County Committee Vice Chairs

Stay tuned as more information becomes available on this developing story.

Newspapers: Our last line of defense in Tennessee?

2011-10-02T10:35:00.000-05:00

Tennessee newspapers have been full of stories and comment on equality issues lately. Today's Tennessean devotes its editorial section to Vanderbilt University applying its non-discrimination policy to all student clubs and organizations. Yesterday's Knoxville News Sentinel contains a column about civility in public discourse with a slap at the Don't Say Gay bill. The day before the paper featured a story on East Tennessee native Bleu Copas considering rejoining the Army in the wake of Don't Ask, Don't Tell's repeal. And the day before that, the Tennessean took a look at the statistics and stories of the growth in the number of same-sex couples in Tennessee.

That level of coverage and positive editorial comment has become business as usual for Tennessee's four largest newspapers for 2011.

Why? For a few years now the editorial perspective of these papers has been supportive of equality for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. It seems that the state's four big dailies are doing their best to keep up with the public policy and cultural debates on equality that are heating up in Tennessee. That level of coverage is welcome. At a time when the Legislature has gone on the attack against equality, the four dailies are one of the last lines of defense against a crushing socially conservative agenda. It may be that their advocacy mirrors one of the most important developments in coalition-building our community has seen this year, namely, Tennessee's four largest cities taking a stand against HB600. Of course, one could argue that the city governments are just beginning to catch up to their newspapers in this respect.

Their readership may be falling off and they are going through tough times financially, but we can't ignore the fact that despite these challenges Tennessee's big newspapers continue to step up and defend our community.

County newspapers: Not all is well in journalism land with respect to equality issues. County newspapers around the state continue to ignore equality issues for the most part while publishing the socially conservative line in the form of weekly Bible columns and the like. I've noted many times the complete failure of the Lebanon Democrat to cover the role that Sen. Beavers played in passing SB632/HB600 that nullified Metro Nashville's contractor non-discrimination ordinance. More recently the Shelbyville Times-Gazette ignored a request to cover the census data that indicates a significant increase in same-sex couples in that Middle Tennessee town. Still, there are bright spots like the Crossville Chronicle that publishes letters to the editor and stories on the GLBT community without bias. But there's a lot of work to do in getting many county newspapers up to speed. It's a critical need because a significant portion of the state's population looks to these papers for news and perspective to shape or reflect its views.

We can't advance equality in Tennessee if the rural/urban divide persists. We also can't leave rural and suburban gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people defenseless in their own communities. It's a strong challenge for our commitments as activists.

-Chris Sanders

John Ashbery - Poet

2011-10-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of the most successful poets, Ashbery has won almost every major literary award,

including the Pulitzer Prize.

Kye Allums - Athlete

2011-10-01T18:52:00.000-05:00

Family Action wants it all, but can't follow the money

2011-09-28T21:41:00.002-05:00

There is so much whining from Family Action that they can't dictate Puritan values in every corner of the state that it's hard to know where to begin. They could untangle all their confusion if they just learned to follow the money.

Vanderbilt: The latest episode in their melodrama comes in reaction to a clarification in Vanderbilt University's non-discrimination policy. Family Action is livid that the university is actually taking steps to apply the policy consistently to all officially recognized and funded student groups including religious organizations, most of which are already in compliance. Plus, the university is generously working with the rest in the mean time.

What's the problem? Family Action seems to think that TEP is being contradictory because we support the Vanderbilt policy on the one hand while saying that we don't wish to interfere with anyone's religion on the other in reference to case of Memphis' Bellevue Baptist Church abusing its tax-exempt status by engaging in candidate endorsements.

Are you confused? We suspect that's the idea.

That little word "money" can make sense of everything. Let's follow the money.

Vanderbilt funds and recognizes student organizations. If you want to get the funds and use space at Vanderbilt, you have to follow the rules. Is it really so crazy to say that you can't discriminate against other members of the university community, members who pay tuition and the activity fee? If you don't like the rules, you can exist unofficially and discriminate to your heart's content.

Bellevue Baptist: Would you believe that money takes care of the Bellevue Baptist question, too? Bellevue Baptist has tax exempt status as a Church. That means contributions to it are tax deductible and that for the most part the Church avoids paying many if not all taxes. The string that comes with that status, a status they indicate they want, is that they can't meddle in elections. If they want to give up their tax exempt status, they can say whatever they want about candidates. They could even register as a political action committee and contribute to them if they wanted to. They're free to choose, but they can't have both.

Other amazing difficulties solved: And would you believe that Family Action could unravel other puzzles just by following the money? Their recent complaints about Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee and Nashville's Contract Accountability Non-Discrimination Ordinance could all disappear if they'd just realize that people and organizations have choices about how they use their money. Blue Cross Blue Shield is free to determine if it wants to give some of its contracting business to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender owned companies. And before Family Action came along, cities and counties in Tennessee were free to determine their own contracting policies reflective of the will of local taxpayers. You'd think all this freedom would be right up their ally.

So not only can Family Action not follow the money, they can't bear private companies and organizations and local governments setting policies that reflect their own values about what to do with their own funds.

Is the thread of conspiracy, er, um, consistency clear now?

-Chris Sanders

Does Bellevue Love Memphis?

2011-09-27T10:54:00.000-05:00

Recently, I've heard friends ask why Bellevue Baptist Church is allowed to serve as a polling location for elections. Bellevue and its minister, Steve Gaines, frequently inject themselves into political discourse, particularly when it comes to denying equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families. Gaines opposed employment non-discrimination ordinances in Shelby County and in Memphis. A few weeks ago, Gaines used his pulpit, church email and the church blog to tell his congregation who to vote for in Memphis City Council elections.

I've heard many LGBT people and their allies say that they cannot bring themselves onto the Bellevue Baptist Church campus because of the hostility they feel from the congregation.

What do you think?

Should the Shelby County Election Commission allow Bellevue Baptist Church to serve as a polling site for voting ?

Voice your opinion in our Grand Divisions poll on the right side of this blog.- Jonathan Cole

Because It is Who I Am

2011-09-26T19:25:00.010-05:00

Why? What's in it for you? Why do you care? Who do you know? Are any of your relatives? Why this cause? Why now? Are you sure you want to do this? Does everyone know about you?

These questions and all their permutations have been asked of me on multiple occasions since The National Equality March, October 10, 2009, the first day of my out and open equality activism. I have stumbled over answers and left everyone feeling dissatisfied. I should have been clear and definitive in my answer because these are the questions an equality activist longs to be asked. They could have my invitation to persuade the "moveable middle" a little. But instead, I have stammered, hesitated, and betrayed my lack of direction. No more. I sat down and took at look at my motivations, wrote them out, analyzed them, and now share them with you so that the next time I am asked, I will have an answer.

What you first must know is that I have never been typical. I was not a typical little girl. I would rather play with trucks in the dirt and climb all over farm equipment than play house. I had three brothers, and I was determined to be the best brother of them all. After I broke my arm at age 5, I had to have the small cast replaced three times as I brandied it about as a weapon against those brothers. I was strong even then. While that may have been the last time I was ever the BEST at anything, I have always been good at lots of things. I have been determined, goal oriented, independent, and bright, and I was taught that I had the whole world ahead of me. I, however, was also fat. The combination of ambition, brains, and brawn made me different from all the girls in school. I was not the most popular and never had a boyfriend. I was bullied as all fat kids are, and I was left out a lot. Sound familiar to anyone? I knew then, and I know now, how being different affects a child. Fortunately, I had my mother as a safety net, but the hurt was deep and painful.

Secondly, I have a genetic predisposition for advocacy. My father was a high school educated poor dirt farmer in north Mississippi, but he was smart, well read, and a jack of all trades. As his farm grew, he got involved with agricultural politics. He served on the county Farm Bureau Board of Directors and worked on the state level. In 1978, he led a group of farmers from Mississippi in the march on Washington D.C. by the American Agricultural Movement. He sat in a tractor in an intersection in DC until attention was paid, and he lobbied for better benefits and legislation for the American family farmer. So, there you go. An activist by DNA.

Third, I am an advocate by training and trade. In law school, I honed my argument skills in other to make any case persuasively, passionately, and honestly. I can now use the law and the facts to persuade and defend, to move to action and to inhibit, to reach out to others and to separate myself, and to promote understanding and to divide when necessary. My training in advocacy enables me to take advantage of situations in which reasonable minds debate and where unreasonable minds can be shown a different way. In other words, I have been prepared for a good fight my whole life.

But these three factors do not answer the initial questions, do they? With these three, I could have taken up a number of causes like reproductive rights, access to health care, or education reform, all of which I strongly support. But I am here. With equality advocates and GLBT people in Tennessee fighting for fair treatment. Why this cause? Why now?

The answer is simple. Equality goes to my very soul. It speaks to all of me. I wanted to be treated like every other girl when I was in school and I wanted to be the best brother. This dichotomy separated me from the others, and I was treated differently. I have never nor will I ever fit someone's notions of who I am and, more importantly, who I am not. Today, I am treated differently when people learn that I am an attorney or that I was formerly morbidly obese. Neither of those facts define me, and if you did not know either, you would still have a clear picture as to who I am. However, being GLBT is not so easily dismissed. It can be hidden and denied, but it is always a part of a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender person. If it is hidden away for convenience, for acceptance, or, unfortunately, safety, then everyone is denied the privilege of knowing that hidden person. I want to help provide a safe place for everyone to be their full, authentic selves so that we are all beneficiaries of their great gifts and so that they may live their best lives.

I want equality in the simplest of everyday life and in the grandest of inherent, human rights. I want my GLBT friends to be able to put pictures of their partners or spouses on their desks. I want those partners and spouses to be able to pick their loved ones up from work without worry. I want GLBT people to attend company functions with their whole family without fear of retaliation or physical violence. I want them to be housed, to work, to marry without difference. Though some people are attempting to impose their personal belief system and biases on us all, my government was designed to preclude that. Equality is a concept birthed by slave owners, refined by future generations, and adopted into the very soul of the United States in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. That same amendment breathes life into everyone in this country who is not white, Anglo-Saxon, protestant, and male.

I swore to uphold the Constitution when I was admitted to the bar, when hired by the court, and when entering my current job. I take that vow seriously, and I will fight for our Constitution and its application to everyone. I will be there when bigots deny the 14th Amendment or want to change it, and I will be there when the judiciary informs "them" differently. I will be there when narrow minds and patriarchal religion seek to marginalize GLBT citizens. I will wave the constitution and yell, "Hell, no we can't" deny people their liberty. Thank you, Speaker Boehner. We cannot let prejudice win. We cannot let religious intolerance rule the day. We, allies and GLBT together, will make the future rich and full for all.

So, there you go. I am a trained attorney and a born atypical advocate who believes in the Constitution and that its protections belong to us all. That's what I will push with fundamentalists and red-state, white men and anyone else who opposes progress. More importantly and less legalistically, though, is that I want what is right to be done in this country, in this state, for our kids, and in our lifetime. So, why do I advocate for GLBT equality? It's where I belong. It's what I believe. It's what I hope for. It's how I teach my manchild. It's how I engage my husband. It's how I live my life. When we are all equal, we are all better. I work for equality because it's who I am. I work for equality for Jeremy.

Anne Gullick
co-chair Tennessee Equality Project Shelby County Committee
state board member of Tennessee Equality Project

Austin example disproves Family Action theory

2011-09-25T10:12:00.000-05:00

image from City of Austin's website

During the debate over SB632/HB600 that nullified Nashville's contractor non-discrimination ordinance, we heard all kinds of bizarre gloom-and-doom scenarios of what would befall our economy if Tennessee cities were allowed to add factors to their non-discrimination policies beyond what is covered by the state. Family Action of Tennessee crafted the message. Rep. Glen Casada and Sen. Mae Beavers delivered it.

It's a message that is pure theory and it ignores the real experience of cities in other states that have adopted more comprehensive non-discrimination ordinances that apply to the private sector.

Austin, Texas is a prime example. According to the Tennessean, the city (along with progressive Nashville) is weathering the economic downturn better than most Southern cities, even though it's a little "weird":

But it is Austin — wired, weird and bouncing back from recession better than most — that Nashville secretly dreams of matching for economic vitality.
The two state capitals have many similarities.
Both have strong presences in growth industries — technology for Austin and health care in Nashville.
Both can boast of a better-educated workforce, thanks in large part to being home to major universities. And both seem to have emerged from the recent housing bust with relatively fewer scars.
Austin, home of the University of Texas, also has made a concerted effort to keep a bigger share of its college graduates at home, and that pays dividends for many years, an economic consultant familiar with the city says.
“When I came here 28 years ago, we retained like 5 percent (of graduates),” said Angelos Angelou, principal executive officer of Angelou Economics Inc. “Now, it’s more like 35 percent or 40 percent.”
That’s one area where Nashville could learn from Austin, Schulz said.
Another is how to better retain and attract highly skilled workers, a key goal of the Nashville chamber after a recent study predicted Music City will face a shortage of employees in fields such as information technology unless something is done to boost training for jobs of the future.

It's refreshing to hear about the labor side of the jobs equation rather than just the message we get from many legislators about "regulation."

Austin not only has a comprehensive non-discrimination ordinance that applies to business, but it also has a contractor ordinance that requires vendors to agree to its non-discrimination policy and offer partner benefits. According to Family Action of Tennessee, that ought to be killing jobs and confusing people with a "patch work of laws."

Weird, huh?

-Chris Sanders

Sen. Mae Beavers pretends to believe in local control

2011-09-24T13:40:00.000-05:00

State Sen. Beavers is supposedly a fan of local control, local government, local communities. How do we know? She is the first signatory of this letter opposing a federal lawsuit brought by the ACLU against Sumner County Schools.

Here's a sample of what's in the letter:

The atmosphere within our classrooms is best placed in the hands of our teachers and principals in cooperation with students and parents, then with school administration and finally with our elected school board. It is healthy for us, as a community, to debate the policies of our schools. When we have disagreements it is up to us to work out those disagreements to the best of our ability within our own community, not in front of a federal court.

Oh, but wait. Let's back up. Wasn't Sen. Beavers the sponsor of SB632 that nullified Metro Nashville's contractor non-discrimination ordinance? Yep, she was. Not many people remember that because the editors at the Lebanon Democrat refused to take the opportunity to tell their readers that a Wilson County senator was meddling in another county. Sen. Beavers may have gotten a freebie from the Lebanon Democrat, but we noticed.

We thought you'd want to know, too.

-Chris Sanders

A Real Pro-Family Vote at Bellevue Baptist Church

2011-09-22T07:22:00.002-05:00

Bring your friends and family to Bellevue Baptist Church this Saturday at 12 Noon to vote early in City of Memphis elections for candidates who truly demonstrate pro-family and pro-equality values that Pastor Steve Gaines can only hope to represent.

Last Sunday, Pastor Gaines declared war on LGBT people and their families from his pulpit at Bellevue Baptist Church. Gaines asked his congregation this week to vote against candidates who support the right of people to earn a living, provide for their families and contribute to their communities.

It's incredible that Gaines could claim any knowledge of what it means to be pro-family (see http://bit.ly/SteveGainesisnotprofamily). Gaines kept a confessed child molester on his staff for six months and endangered children and families of his parish.

Don't let a demagogue determine the fate of Memphis City Council elections and pull the strings of Memphis government.

Let's show Memphis what pro-family really means. Come vote in City of Memphis elections for candidates who really do support families at 12 Noon on Saturday at Bellevue Baptist Church. Bring your photo ID and voter registration card and wear purple so everyone will know who the pro-family voters are!

See http://bit.ly/MemphisElectionGuide for more details about pro-family and pro-equality candidates endorsed by TEP PAC.

What: Pro-Family Vote for Equality
Where: Bellevue Baptist Church, 2000 Appling Road
When: 12 Noon, Saturday, September 24, 2011

Pastor Steve Gaines leads attack against working people in Memphis City Elections

2011-09-20T23:52:00.000-05:00

In a special email alert sent Tuesday of this week, BellevueBaptist Church called on members to vote against equality and fairness in thecurrent City of Memphis elections scheduled for October 6, 2011. The churchmentioned the Tennessee Equality Project's Political Action Committeespecifically in the email and on its blog:

It's shocking to learn that Pastor Steve Gaines called uponhis flock to vote for Memphis City Council candidates who support a"pro-family" agenda. Pastor Gaines is the same man who secretlyprotected a confessed child molester on Bellevue's clergy staff for over 6 months; the same man who allowed this child abuser to counsel others who workedwith children; The same man who allowed a sexual predator to counsel victims ofchild sexual abuse. What qualifies Pastor Gaines to say anything meaningfulabout family values when he places victims of abuse and children in hisown church at risk?

The link provided in the message leads to the Family ActionCouncil of Tennessee's website listing of "pro-family" candidates tosupport for Memphis City Council. Pastor Gaines is using his bully pulpit toattack law abiding people who simply want the right to make a living inMemphis. He's also using his Bible and church to prop up his personal bias and bigotryagainst gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Gaines lives outside Memphis city limits yet believes he should determine the fate of city elections.

How firmly does Pastor Steve Gaines pull the strings ofCouncilors Morrison, Boyd, and Conrad? How "pro-family" or pro-workercan these candidates be if Pastor Gaines is calling the shots from his pulpit? Surely the good people in the pews at Bellevue Baptist Churchand the people of Memphis deserve guidance from better men than this.

Truly pro-family voters will be voting for candidates whosupport the right of all people to earn a living, provide for their familiesand contribute to their communities without fear of unfair workplacediscrimination. Voters can be proud to cast their vote in District 1, District2, and Superdistrict 9-1 for pro-equality and pro-family candidates endorsed byTEP PAC: Kendrick Sneed, Sylvia Cox and Paul Schaffer. They aren't likely tosuccumb to a false prophet like Steve Gaines.

Learn about the other equality advocates endorsed by TEP PAC here.

- Jonathan Cole

Be an Informed Voter for Equality

2011-09-17T04:41:00.006-05:00

Early Voting has begun in the Memphis City elections, and will continue through October 1, 2011, with the General Election on October 4th. Information on Early Voting locations can be found here.

TEP PAC recently announced endorsements for City Council, and these biographical sketches are produced by the TEP Shelby County Committee to help our Equality voters to know more about their candidates. A special thanks to our TEP intern, Hannah Guess of the University of Memphis, for the work she put into compiling this for us.

It is important that every Equality Advocate in Tennessee votes in every election. Many races are won by just a handful of votes in local elections. Every vote counts, and it is your right as a citizen to vote. Remember, votes are like muscles, exercise them or you may lose them. See you all at the polls!

TEP PAC is a state political action committee registered in Tennessee, Joyce Peacock, treasurer. The endorsements of TEP PAC do not necessarily represent the views of the board of the Tennessee Equality Project.

Kendrick Sneed
Millington native Kendrick Sneed is running for District 1. After graduating from Millington Central High School, Sneed worked as a campaign aide for former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford, Sr., then went on to serve the county as a Deputy Sheriff for the Shelby County Sheriff's Department. Sneed is currently working towards a degree in Applied Psychology with a concentration in Criminal Justice from Christian Brothers University.
Sneed is committed to reforming the city's educational system and to serving the underprivileged in the community. He is also interested in registering and educating new voters on the issues that matter the most to them. Sneed's support of workers' rights and benefits has earned him an endorsement by the AFL-CIO Labor Council.

Sylvia Cox
District 2 candidate Sylvia Cox is originally from Illinois, but she has lived in Memphis for over 30 years. Cox has both a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Harding University and an Associate Degree in Business Applications Technology from Southwest Tennessee Community College. Prior to her current job as an IT Contractor with Accredo Health, Cox worked at FedEx, along with serving District 2 on the Memphis Charter Commission for three years.
Cox is very involved in the community, serving as a board member of both Network of Memphis, an organization for progressive businesswomen, and MidSouth Science Fiction Conventions. She also volunteers at the St. Jude Golf Tournament and the Orpheum Theatre. Cox is especially concerned with making positive changes at the Memphis Animal Shelter, and she shows her dedication to animals by serving as a volunteer for Real Good Dog Rescue.

Wanda Halbert
Native Memphian Wanda Halbert has served District 4 since 2007. Prior to her time on the city council, Halbert served on the Memphis City School Board for seven years and was its president in 2005. She has worked at FedEx for over 20 years. Halbert attended both State Technical Institute and the University of Memphis.
Halbert has shown a particular commitment to women and minorities in the community, having created the Minority and Women Business Enterprise Commission, as well as students, sponsoring a resolution to fund literacy programs for Memphis City Schools. In her time on the city council, Halbert has worked to clean up the blight in her district. She is dedicated to community service, volunteering her time to multiple organizations including March of Dimes and United Way. Halbert has been endorsed by the Memphis AFL-CIO Labor Council. Last session, Halbert voted in favor of the employment non-discrimination ordinance.

Jim Strickland
Jim Strickland has served District 5 since 2007. Although originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Strickland has lived in Memphis for over 30 years, attending both the University of Memphis and the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphrey's School of Law. Strickland is a practicing attorney, having formerly served as an instructor at the Cecil C. Humphrey's School of Law and as a Tennessee Supreme Court clerk.
An active member of the community, Strickland has volunteered for multiple organizations in the city, including the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen and Alpha Omega Veterans Services. Strickland also served on the Board of Directors for both Habitat for Humanity and the Memphis Botanic Garden. Strickland has shown a commitment to the environment, resurrecting the city's Recycling Committee and devoting a great deal of time to protecting Overton Park. Strickland supported last session’s employment non-discrimination ordinance. Strickland was also endorsed by the Memphis AFL-CIO Labor Council.

Edmund Ford, Jr.
Native Memphian Edmund Ford, Jr. has served District 6 since 2007. Ford earned both a B.S. in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science and an M.S. in Mathematical Sciences from Tennessee State University, before taking 2 years of PhD classes in Leaderhip and Policy Studies at Vanderbilt and earning an Ed.S. in Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University. Ford is currently working on an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University. Ford’s father, Edmund Ford, Sr. is running for Mayor in this election.
As a math teacher at Central High School, Ford shows a dedication to education, having created the Ford Gateway Tutoring Fund to aid students struggling with math examinations. Ford is an Advisory Board Member of the Tennessee Renewable Energy and Economic Development Council and an active member of the community, involved with multiple neighborhood associations and MPACT Memphis. The Memphis AFL-CIO Labor Council has endorsed Ford. Ford voted in favor of the employment non-discrimination ordinance last session.

Lee Harris
District 7 candidate Lee Harris was born and raised in Memphis. Harris earned a B.A. in International Studies from Morehouse College before earning a law degree from Yale Law School. Harris now teaches at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphrey's School of Law.
Harris has been involved with a number of organizations, including the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. He helped to form and lead the Young Democrats of Memphis and Shelby County, as well as chairing a local Head Start program. He also serves as a director of the Goodwill Homes Community Services Agency. Harris has been endorsed by West Tennesseans for Progress.

Tammy Warren
Proof not approved in time for publication

Janis Fullilove
Janis Fullilove has served District 8 since 2007. A native Memphian, Fullilove has a B.A. and a Masters in Communication from the University of Memphis. Before being elected to the city council, Fullilove was an instructor of communications at the University of Memphis and served on the Memphis Charter Commission. Fullilove also has a history in the broadcasting world, even earning an Emmy nomination for her reporting on ABC 24.
Fullilove is dedicated to serving the underprivileged and minorities in her district. She is also dedicated to transforming the city, helping to begin the South Memphis Revitalization Project. Fullilove was also endorsed by the Memphis AFL-CIO Labor Council. Fullilove is one of the most outspoken advocates in the city for LGBT rights, and she sponsored the first employment non-discrimination ordinance presented to the council.

Myron Lowery
City Council Chairman Myron Lowery has served on the city council for five terms. Although originally from Columbus, Ohio, Lowery has lived in Memphis for over 45 years. Lowery holds a B.A. in Sociology from LeMoyne-Owen College, an M.S. in Education from New York University, and an M.S. in Urban Education from University of Tennessee. Lowery served as Chairman of the Memphis Charter Commission and as Mayor Pro Tem. Lowery has been a board member of numerous city organizations, including the Headstart Policy Council, the Riverfront Development Corporation, and the Memphis Zoo. Lowery is the former Vice President of the National Association of Black Journalists. He is currently a board member of both the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and the National League of Cities.
Lowery is extremely involved in the community. Lowery has led a number of fatherhood events, as well as gun buy-back programs, and he has been endorsed by the Memphis AFL-CIO Labor Council. He is also involved with the Memphis Urban League and the Goodwill Boys Club. Last session, he voted yes on the employment non-discrimination ordinance.

Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer is running for Position One of District Nine. Although Shaffer is not originally from Memphis, he has lived in various parts of the city for nearly forty years. Shaffer has worked as a journeyman electrician since graduating from the Memphis Electrical Apprenticeship Program. Shaffer is currently the business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 474, as well as president of the Memphis Building and Construction Trades Council and vice president of both the Memphis and Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Councils.
Shaffer is involved in a number of local organizations, including Habitat for Humanity and United Way. He also volunteers his time to the Wolf River Conservancy and the National Ornamental Metal Museum. Shaffer has been endorsed by the Memphis AFL-CIO Labor Council, the Memphis and West Tennessee Building and Construction Trades Council, and the Memphis Firefighters Association IAFF 1784.

Shea Flinn
Shea Flinn has served District 9 since 2007. A native Memphian, Flinn has a B.A. from Rhodes College and a law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphrey's School of Law. Flinn was also an interim state senator. He is currently the vice president of, and attorney for, Flinn Broadcasting Corporation.
Flinn has shown a dedication to fighting crime in the city, creating Citizens Against Crime and serving as a chair of Operation: Safe Community. Flinn supports non-discrimination employment policies for public employees, and he sponsored the latest version of the employment non-discrimination ordinance presented to the council.

Who will be Tennessee's Tammy Baldwin?

2011-09-06T20:13:00.001-05:00

If you've been on Facebook today you've probably seen several announcements from different organizations and news outlets that Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin is officially running for the United State Senate. If elected, she would be the first out member of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community to hold this office. A Baldwin victory would be significant, not just in terms of the historical achievement, but also because it would help significantly in the fight against DOMA, for ENDA, and for a host of other equality legislation that is now bottled up. It's also significant that her candidacy emerges at a time when Wisconsin has seen attacks on domestic partnerships and organized labor from Governor Scott Walker and the Legislature.

Little noted in all the media coverage is how she got her start in politics. She started at the local level:

Tammy Baldwin served four terms as a Dane County (WI) Supervisor (1986-1994), representing the downtown Madison area, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. In 1986, Tammy also served briefly on the Madison Common Council, filling an aldermanic vacancy. She served three terms as a WI State Representative for the 78th Assembly District (comprising central and south Madison) from January 1993 to January 1999.

That's right. She started in city and county government and advanced to the Legislature and then to Congress in a methodical progression to higher office.

Lessons for Tennessee: We seen the election of a lesbian judge in the Memphis area and a gay man to the Metro Council in Nashville, but we've never elected an out member of our community to a legislative body in a competitive race. Candidates continue to run in Nashville, getting closer all the time, but we need more members of our community to do what Congresswoman Baldwin did--start local.

We're behind the curve in Tennessee, but not hopelessly so. There's no time like the present if you're interested in starting. Tennessee boasts several campaign board members of the Victory Fund who would love to see more viable candidates from our community running for office. The key is to start early and get the help you need. I know that TEP PAC, our state political action committee, is also interested in helping good candidates throughout the state.

If you're thinking about running for office and want to talk, contact us at info@tnep.org. Let's start the conversation and find Tennessee's Tammy Baldwin.

-Chris Sanders

Labor Day Edition: Making the Connection between the Labor and Equality Movements in TN

2011-09-05T00:20:00.000-05:00


Teacher Rights ARE Human Rights (photo from the March rally)

Happy Labor Day! Most of the media coverage of the holiday will focus on traffic reports, cookouts, sales, and the like. Lost is any historical connection to the Labor Movement that made the holiday possible, not to mention the two-day weekend to which the holiday is attached, and a host of other things we take for granted that were hard won victories. We see the effects everywhere, but we lose sight of the cause.

How Labor has helped the cause of equality in TN: Tennessee is a "right to work" (right to fire) state, so racking up achievements in the area of worker protections is a hard one. But the two laws that we've passed--the 2009 Metro non-discrimination ordinance and the 2011 CAN DO law--both came about with the significant help of organized labor. The International Association of Firefighters, the Service Employees International Union, the AFL-CIO, and the Central Labor Council have lent their endorsements to these laws that seek to protect employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In both cases, the support of Labor was vital to make it easier for the Council to support these measures. I should also add that Metro Nashville Education Association negotiated the first non-discrimination policy that included sexual orientation and gender identity for teachers in Tennessee. That policy built momentum for the 2009 Metro NDO.

There's endlessly more to do to protect workers in Tennessee from discrimination, but the support of Labor helps remind lawmakers and the public that we're talking about basic fairness on the job. And that kind of frame helps cool heads when religious pronouncements get thrown around, as they inevitably do when an equality bill is introduced.

Is it a two-way street?: Labor has clearly helped the Equality Movement in Tennessee, but I'd be hard pressed to find a way that we've returned the favor. The first thing I think we can do is remember and honor the history of help we have received. We remember the lawmakers who have made a difference. We sometimes remember our own community's activists. But we rarely remember and continue to thank our allies. Let's make it a point to remember and thank our allies in Labor.

The second approach involves looking at the overlapping patterns of relationships with friend and foe. Maybe it's possible for the Equality Movement to go its own way without regard to other causes and other issues, but I doubt it. Philosophically it seems wrong. From a practical point of view it seems that the well of good will must dry up at some point if our community always comes calling with a hand out and never a hand to help. Looking at mutual opportunities and mutual threats in the political sphere seems like a good place to begin. It's significant that the same politicians often push anti-labor and anti-equality legislation. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, for example, is notoriously anti-labor, but he has also opposed the state's domestic partnership law, and it ain't because he's aiming higher for marriage equality. We could find similar examples in Wilson and Williamson Counties in Tennessee.

Speaking of Williamson County and Wisconsin, guess who's going to be in Franklin on October 25. Governor Scott Walker will be here to speak at a partisan political fundraiser. There happens to be a protest marking his appearance.

Those of us who care about equality in Tennessee should be looking at specific opportunities to collaborate with Labor, as the Memphis community did in June at the Justice for All rally. But it's also clear, when one considers the kind of attacks that workers and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people have endured this year, that we need to build a longer term, statewide coalition of resistance to those efforts that would turn back the clock. Labor Day provides a good opportunity to think more about how to make that happen.

-Chris Sanders