Tennessee Equality Project seeks to advance and protect the civil rights of our State’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons and their families in each Grand Division.
It's not over yet, but 2013 has been an incredible year in forward movement for equality in Tennessee. We fought hard and even got some results. Check out a few of the highlights.
Advancing Equality Day on the Hill brought advocates from East, West, and Middle TN to the Capitol to attempt to stop negative bills like Don't Say Gay and advance positive legislation like the Dignity for All Students Act. Here we are preparing for a press conference in Legislative Plaza.
On July 22 the Knox County Commission passed an inclusive non-discrimination ordinance for Knox County employees. Pictured are bill sponsor Commissioner Amy Broyles and supporters in Knoxville in Commission chambers after the victory.
When Rep. John Ragan, House sponsor of the Don't Say Gay bill received an award from Students First, 11-year-old Marcel Neergaard called foul. As a student who has endured bullying for being gay, Marcel received national attention when he called on Students First to rescind the award, which they did. Yes, a student really can teach the public about what's going on in our Legislature! Marcel continues to inspire us all at TEP.
In order to show the reality of discrimination, couples in Nashville and a couple in Wilson County...
as well as couples in Shelby County applied for marriage licenses.
Knoxville, Memphis, Cookeville, West TN, Chattanooga, and Nashville held rallies at the end of August to celebrate TN Marriage Equality Day to counter the Legislature's Traditional Marriage Day. I think we had a better turnout than they did.
In September the push began for inclusive non-discrimination and anti-bullying policies in Rutherford County Schools after a teacher was told to take down a safe schools poster. The fight continues today with advocates developing strategy to advance their proposal in the School Board.
At Olympus TEP honored 8 Champions of Equality--7 from state media outlets and 1 Memphis City Councilman--for their work in advancing equality in Tennessee. Nothing we do is possible without our allies!
The Memphis community gathered in October to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the non-discrimination ordinance.
Also in October attorney Abby Rubenfeld, other Tennessee attorneys, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed suit to have the marriage of couples who moved to Tennessee legally recognized. TEP identified 2 of the 4 plaintiff couples.
Collegedale detective Kat Cooper (center) led her city to be the first in TN to offer partner benefits. Knoxville soon followed by executive order of Mayor Madeline Rogero. In November Chattanooga Councilman Chris Anderson passed his partner benefits and non-discrimination ordinance making it the third city in Tennessee to offer such benefits. Also pictured is Kat's TEP Hamilton & Bradley Counties Committee co-chair Marcus Ellsworth (viewer's left) and TEP executive director Chris Sanders.
During yesterday's House Education Subcommittee discussion of HB927, a great anti-bullying bill that was sent to the State Department of Education for study, Rep. Roger Kane made some of the most tone deaf comments about bullying imaginable. In the discussion of bullied students, he said, "That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger."
Well, Representative Kane, I guess you haven't heard that bullying does kill, specifically in Tennessee. The cases of Jacob Rogers and Phillip Parker are well known throughout the country.
"Rep. Kane's cavalier comments are deeply disturbing coming from a public official responsible for shaping school safety policies in Tennessee," said Jonathan Cole with the Tennessee Equality Project. "He's essentially saying that bullying is good for you because it toughens you up. Rep. Kane sends a terrible message to those Tennesseans who have forever lost a friend, a student, a son, or a daughter."
A person with Rep. Kane's lack of awareness and empathy has no place in the Legislature and certainly not on the House Education Subcommittee and full Committee.
Please, call Speaker of the House Beth Harwell at (615) 741-0709 or email her at speaker.beth.harwell@capitol.tn.gov and urge her to remove Rep. Kane from the House Education Committee.
A student who is a member of Oak Ridge High School's GSA has shared the following thoughts about being bullied for being gay via Beth Adler, the adviser for the club. Please, take a moment to read it and consider what's going on in our schools and in our Legislature:
In nature humans think
of themselves to survive. In society
they do it to elevate themselves to a
superior level. Those mighty who travel in packs dictate who I am and don’t allow my true
self to just be ... gay. The word is often hurled as an insult, beating me down. I feel sorry
for someone who believes being different is wrong because they miss out on the
enormous world of amazing people. They see gays and think “God wouldn’t approve” so
they yell “FAGGOT!” as a put down. Not nearly enough people understand what it is
like to feel ashamed of being yourself. They aren’t concerned with how it feels because
all they think of is themselves. That needs to change.
My story is like many
others. Words of hate like “girl shoes”, “gay”, and “faggot” fly as I enter a hostile
classroom. It’s a constant flow of attempts to put me down. I.Won’t. Let. Them. They
can laugh in my face, point at my boots, but they will never reach my soul. Believe
in what you believe, keep your head up high, and don’t ever let them put you down is
the phase which shields me from the sorrow. I know some of those people base their
life on God, but If they left God for a bit to put themselves in my skin they might see
through my eyes.
In America, we say we
have freedom and are “God’s best friend,” why then does a good man have to hide
himself? Why must he be afraid to say he is gay? Why should he hesitate to tell his
“dark secret”? Why does he have to allow what he is to be used against him as a word
of insult? As the people stand by, the government chooses to exclude those citizens
whom they believe are disgraceful. Every individual inside and outside of the gay
community can take the hand of a friend and stand up to this exclusion.
First, I have to say how completely sad this piece is and how brave and thoughtful the student is! Second, thank goodness for GSAs. It's clear we need safe spaces in our schools for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students. Third, what are we doing in state public policy? Why is Don't Say Gay going through so many iterations? We need to move forward with the Dignity for All Students Act. An 11-year-old can see. Why can't we?
Tennessee Equality Project urging
equality advocates to wear purple to House Education Subcommittee March 19 for
hearings on 3 discriminatory bills and 1 anti-bullying bill
Nashville,
TN—The Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), a statewide organization advocating
equal rights for Tennessee’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community,
is urging equality advocates to attend the House Education Subcommittee meeting
at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday to show opposition to three discriminatory bills and
support for one anti-bullying bill.
The
meeting takes place in HHR 30 in Legislative Plaza.For more information about the event, go the
Facebook event page at www.facebook.com/events/485159184867426/
.
The Legislation
SB514/HB1185—This bill would allow students in counseling,
psychology, and social work programs at Tennessee’s public universities to opt
out of serving certain clients if they have a religious objection.The examples cited by advocates for the bill
and even mentioned during a recent Senate Education Committee hearing focus on
opting out of serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
community.The bill was approved by the
full Senate on March 14.
SB234/HB1332—The new Don’t Say Gay bill, as written, includes
provisions that would require school personnel to out students who come to them
about issues of sexuality and gender.If
the proposed amendment is adopted, the bill would prohibit school personnel
from counseling students on matters other than education and career unless they
are certified in counseling or psychology.They would have to make a referral to a certified professional, which
would generate a contact with the student’s parents.That would also have the effect of outing the
student.
SB1241/HB1150—The bill is a new version of legislation designed to
punish Vanderbilt University for its inclusive all-comers non-discrimination
policy for student clubs.It threatens
Vanderbilt with removal of its police force.The harms to public safety embodied in the bill are obvious, as is the
animus toward gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.
SB1241/HB927—The
Dignity for All Students Act would enhance the state’s anti-school bullying
efforts by adding protections enumerating factors such as disability, gender
identity, and sexual orientation since these factors are often the basis for
bullying.
Rep. John Ragan of Anderson County filed the House companion bill (HB1332) to Sen. Stacey Campfield's Don't Say Gay bill today.
Rep. Ragan is well known for his condescending comments to citizens about last year's License to Bully bill, most famously to Kristin Johnson. So few people who have been following these issues over the last year will be surprised that Rep. Ragan has signed on as the House sponsor.
Even though the Associated Press reported a few weeks ago that Governor Bill Haslam, Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey, and Speaker of the House Beth Harwell have all distanced themselves from the bill, Rep. Ragan is either oblivious to or indifferent to the bill's harm to children and to the image of the state.
TEP is urging citizens to call on Rep. Ragan to withdraw the House companion bill. You can do so at this Change.org petition that sends a message to Rep. Ragan. You may also call Rep. Ragan's office and leave a message asking him to withdraw the bill at 615-741-4400. State your name and address and ask him to withdraw HB1332.
Let's preserve the confidential relationship of trust between counselors and students and not give in to this hateful bill that hurts real people and hurts the image of Tennessee.
All students deserve to be treated
with dignity in Tennessee.
On Jan 31, Senator Jim Kyle of Shelby County filed a bill that would strengthen current anti-bullying policy by clearly identifying common factors that become the focus of bullying in schools:
"Harassment, intimidation, or bullying” also includes any written, verbal, or physical conduct that substantially interferes with a student's educational benefits, opportunities, or performance, and that is based, all or in part, on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, academic achievement, sexual orientation, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or physical appearance of either the student or a person with whom the student has an actual or perceived association.
SB1124 also empowers school administrators, teachers and other school staff by defining the important role they play in preventing harassment, intimidation and bullying of students.
Lastly, local education authorities (LEAs), are encouraged to review anti-bullying policies at least once every three years and to share updates with the Commissioner of Education.
By expanding the definition of bullying, the Dignity for All Students Act will provide clear guidance to educators on prohibited forms of bullying. The proposed law will empower educators to define acceptable conduct, promote a safer environment for students at school and promote academic achievement.
We give thanks to bill sponsor Senator Jim Kyle for introducing this legislation. This model legislation provides an important contrast to previous bills proposed in the Tennessee legislature (License to Bully and Don't Say Gay) which sought to marginalize and ostracize certain students. We urge all Tennesseans to contact their lawmakers and urge their support of the Dignity for All Students Act.
Hendersonville, TN—On
March 15, Sumner County residents delivered three anti-bullying proposals for
consideration by the Sumner County Board of Education at its March
meeting.The proposals resulted from
ongoing discussions of bullying by Sumner County residents and youth and
equality advocates from Nashville after a series of youth suicides over the
past three months.
Two of the proposals
acknowledge steps taken by Sumner County Schools to address bullying, including
efforts to provide teacher trainings.In
the first proposal, Dr. Ryan Footit of Hendersonville recommends that Sumner
County Schools provide a monthly report to the public that would document the
number of bullying cases per school and how they were resolved.In the second proposal, Helenmary Hendrix of
Gallatin proposes that copies of the curriculum used to train teachers on
bullying issues be made available for public inspection and that the district
provide information on how many teachers have been trained as well as reveal
any plans for ongoing certification of school personnel.
The third proposal
offered by Kelly Fussman of Hendersonville suggests a revision of the
district’s anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies to include the categories
“gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation” in their
enumerated classes to improve protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender students or those who are perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual,
or transgender.
The Tennessee
Equality Project provided assistance in drafting the proposals and advice in
navigating the Sumner County Board of Education’s policy process.
The next meeting of
the Sumner County Board of Education is March 27.
The Cheatham County Board of Education ignored the group of citizens that TEP has been assisting for as long as they could. These citizens are advocating proposals to bring more accountability and inclusiveness to their school district. Matters came to a head yesterday.
Here's how it went down:
1. The Director of Schools admitted that the citizens had followed the correct procedures outlined in Board policy in order to get an item on the agenda, but that they didn't have to put it on there if they didn't want to, according the Tennessean. So basically the board chair (an elected person) and the director of schools (an unelected person) get to decide what is on the agenda every month. In other words, the procedure outlined in board policy means nothing.
2. So the citizens went to the Board meeting, filled out green pieces of paper to get on the list to speak during the public forum. And so they did. You may need to turn up the volume in order to hear these speeches:
-First was Kaelynn Malugin from Ashland City, who was advocating adding "gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation to the district's anti-bullying/anti-discrimination policy:
-Second was Jeremy Rogers from Ashland City who talked about the importance of measuring the effectiveness of the existing anti-bullying policy. Jeremy talked about his experience as a student who was bullied for being gay and he called on the Board to issue a monthly report on incidents:
Third was Mary Ann Bernicky of Pegram, who called for more information about how teachers have been trained in anti-bullying measures:
3. After the citizens had spoken, Cheatham County Board of Education attorney Larry Woods got up and defended the existing policy as being in compliance. TEP responded that compliance means they're doing just enough to get by and that if they thought the policy already covered gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students, then they shouldn't be afraid to put it in writing.
TEP will continue to work with citizens of Cheatham County to advance safe schools proposals. Those efforts may include involvement in this year's School Board elections. Three seats are up this August!
Nashville,
TN—On February 22, Cheatham County residents delivered three anti-bullying
proposals for consideration by the Cheatham County Board of Education at their
March meeting.The proposals resulted
from ongoing discussions of bullying by
Cheatham County residents and youth and equality advocates from Nashville after
Cheatham County Central High School senior Jacob Rogers took his life in
December.Family and friends say that
Rogers was bullied at school for being gay.
Two
of the proposals acknowledge steps taken by Cheatham County Schools to address
bullying such as a revision of the district’s anti-bullying policy that took
place in November and efforts to provide teacher trainings.In the first proposal, Jeremy Rogers of
Ashland City recommends that Cheatham County Schools provide a monthly report to
the public that would document the number of bullying cases per school and how
they were resolved.In the second
proposal, Mary Ann Bernicky of Pegram requests that copies of the curriculum
used to train teachers on bullying issues be made available for public
inspection and that the district provide information on how many teachers have
been trained as well as reveal any plans for ongoing certification of school
personnel.
The
third proposal offered by Kaelynn Malugin of Ashland City suggests a revision
of the district’s anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies to include the
categories “gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation” in
their enumerated classes to improve protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender students or those who are perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual,
or transgender.
The
Tennessee Equality Project provided assistance in drafting the proposals and
advice in navigatingthe Cheatham County
Board of Education’s policy process.
The
next meeting of the Cheatham County Board of Education is March 5.
