A look back on a year in the politics of equality in Tennessee: Photos from around the state

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.

Only 11, Oak Ridge High GSA student talks about being bullied for being gay

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?

Media Release: TEP urges equality advocates to wear purple Tuesday at House Education Subcommittee meeting

March 18, 2013

Contact:          Chris Sanders            

                        (615) 390-5252                                  

                        chris@tnequalityproject.com                       

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. 

For more information on the Tennessee Equality Project, go to http://www.tnequalityproject.org .

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Media Release: Advancing Equality Day on the Hill

March 11, 2013                                                               

TEP’s 9^th annual Advancing Equality Day on the Hill highlights clergy support, new fronts in the battle for equality in Tennessee

Nashville, TN—The Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), a statewide organization advocating equal rights for Tennessee’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community, will hold its 9^th annual Advancing Equality Day on the Hill on Tuesday, March 12 in Nashville. 

This year’s events 

-feature a clergy prayer breakfast at Legislative Plaza and constituent meetings with 17 senators and 37 representatives followed by a press conference,

-highlight new fronts in the battle for equality in Tennessee,

-and are designed to address bills affecting the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community, which are up for key votes this week and the next. 

The Legislation

SB514/HB1185—This bill would allow students in counseling, psychology, and social work programs at Tennessee’s public universities to opt out of serving certain clients if they have a religious objection.  The examples cited by advocates for the bill and even mentioned during a recent Senate Education Committee hearing focus on opting out of serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community.  The bill is set for a vote by the full Senate on Monday evening (March 11).

SB234/HB1332—The new Don’t Say Gay bill includes provisions that would require school personnel to out students who come to them about issues of sexuality and gender.  A recent MTSU poll showed that a clear majority of people in Tennessee oppose the bill.  Rep. John Ragan, the House sponsor, has received over 1400 emails and hundreds of phone calls urging him to withdraw the bill.  His legislative assistant has told citizens calling his office that the bill is being rewritten.  

SB1241/HB1150—The bill is a new version of legislation designed to punish Vanderbilt University for its inclusive all-comers non-discrimination policy for student clubs.  It threatens Vanderbilt with removal of its police force.  The harms to public safety embodied in the bill are obvious, as is the animus toward gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.  The bill is up in the House Education Subcommittee on March 12 and up in the Senate Education Committee on March 13.

SB1241/HB927—For the first time legislation has been introduced to enhance the state’s anti-school bullying efforts by adding protections enumerating factors such as disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation since these factors are often the basis for bullying.  The bill should be up in committee in the next two weeks.

The Events

TEP Foundation and Clergy for Justice Anti-Bullying Prayer Breakfast—The event takes place Tuesday, March 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Legislative Plaza cafeteria.  Clergy and other guests will hear presentations on school bullying issues to help them advocate for safe schools in Tennessee.

Constituent meetings with Legislators—Citizens from Memphis, Jackson, Nashville, Murfreesboro, Cookeville, Crossville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Maryville, and the Tri-Cities will meet with their senators and representatives throughout the day on March 12 to discuss bills important to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community.

Press conference—TEP will hold a press conference at 1:00 on March 12 at the top of the escalator in Legislative Plaza to discuss important legislation and to make public the Tennessee Human Rights Statement and the businesses, religious organizations, and community organizations that have endorsed it.  The Tennessee Human Rights Statement provides a stark contrast to the discriminatory legislation filed this session and shows the beginnings of a new inclusiveness emerging in Tennessee.  

For more information on the Tennessee Equality Project, go to http://www.tnequalityproject.org .

Contact us at chris@tnequalityproject.com .

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Renewing his License to Bully, Rep. John Ragan picks up House companion to Don't Say Gay bill

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.

TEP Supports Dignity for All Students Act

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.

- Jonathan Cole

Sen. Campfield refiles Don't Say Gay bill. Is it any better?

Sen. Stacey Campfield has refiled the infamous Don't Say Gay bill.  He calls SB234 the "Classroom Protection Act," although on the summary page it is called the "Child Protection Act."

Rally at the Capitol in 2012

Protect children and classrooms from what or whom?  That's the obvious question. 

The real answer is "the gays," of course.  The language in the bill indicates it's to protect children and classrooms from anything that is "inconsistent with natural human reproduction," which "shall be classified as inappropriate for the intended student audience and, therefore, shall be prohibited." 

The bill's language represents an effort by Sen. Campfield to respond to the objections that frequently arose over the last few years, viz., that it directly showed bias to any sexuality other than heterosexuality, that it had a chilling effect on children's conversations with teachers and counselors (we'll get to that in a minute), and that it paradoxically required the teaching of sex education and nothing but sex education in grades K-8. 

Sen. Campfield has attempted to take care of these objections with various clauses in the new bill.  But did he succeed?

Required Sex Ed:  I'll give him credit on one point.  He dealt with the last objection in the language of the new bill with his last clause:  "Nothing in this section shall be construed to require instruction relative to natural reproduction in grades pre-K though 8."  The amendment to the old bill seemed to require teaching sex education in these grades, which conflicted with existing policy.  He's dealt with that.  Fair enough.

Bias Persists:  But the bill still shows bias and animus to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people by labeling us "inconsistent with natural human reproduction" and "inappropriate for the intended student audience."  The purpose of the bill is clear--to erase our community in grades K-8. 

Counselors become informers:  What about the chilling effect on counseling when a student has personal questions of identity that need to be explored with care and discretion?  Here's where the bill may fool a lot of people. 

(c) LEA policies and procedures adopted pursuant to this section shall
not prohibit:
(1) Any instructor from answering in good faith any question or
series of questions, germane and material to the course, asked of the
instructor and initiated by a student or students enrolled in the course;
SB0234
001988
-2-
(2) A school counselor, nurse, principal or assistant principal from
counseling a student who is engaging in, or who may be at risk of
engaging in, behavior injurious to the physical or mental health and wellbeing
of the student or another person; provided, that wherever possible
such counseling shall be done in consultation with the student's parents
or legal guardians. Parents or legal guardians of students who receive
such counseling shall be notified as soon as practicable that such
counseling has occurred; or
(3) Any school counselor, nurse, principal or assistant principal
from responding appropriately to a student whose circumstances present
immediate and urgent safety issues involving human sexuality. Parents
or legal guardians of such students shall be notified as soon as
practicable of the circumstances requiring intervention; provided, notice
shall not be given to any parent or legal guardian if there is reasonable
cause to believe that the parent or legal guardian may be the perpetrator
or in any way responsible for sexual abuse of the student.

Sounds good, right?  Counselors can address these questions with students.  The bill doesn't prohibit the discussion. 

BUT...

...the bill actually seems to force counselors to become tattletales.  They have to inform the parents after counseling takes place.  That requirement will erode the trust between students and counselors and leave students without any confidential resource in a place where they might be enduring bullying or other issues related to their sexuality, gender, or other factors. 

Students and school personnel are not well served by this dangerous bill.

Don't Say Gay bill costs Rep. Joey Hensley Tennessean endorsement in primary

The Tennessean couldn't bring itself to endorse Rep. Joey Hensley in the Republican State Senate primary for District 28.  Instead, they went with Dean Dickey.  Rep. Hensley's sponsorship of the Don't Say Gay bill played a big role in the decision, according to the paper:

Hensley’s tenure in the House has been marred by his preoccupation with divisive, social legislation, notably his “Don’t Say Gay” bill, that is bad for this state and a distraction from matters that voters want legislators to deal with, such as the economy. The Tennessean endorses Dean Dickey in the Republican primary.

The endorsement may not make much difference in this right of center district, given The Tennessean's liberal reputation.  Still, it does provide more name recognition for Dickey outside his Columbia base.

Early voting in the primary continues today and tomorrow.  Election Day is August 2. 

Rep. Jeanne Richardson and out AR Rep. Kathy Webb to headline press conference on equality and choice issues Fri

Rep. Jeanne Richardson

Rep. Kathy Webb

Drawing attention to what is at stake in this year's legislative races in terms of equality and choice issues, Tennessee Rep. Jeanne Richardson, a candidate for the District 90 House seat, and out lesbian Rep. Kathy Webb of Arkansas will hold a press conference on Friday at 5:15 p.m. at the corner of Cooper and Young Streets in Memphis prior to a reception for Richardson. For more information on the event, see the Facebook event page.

Richardson is battling State Rep. John DeBerry for the seat.  The contrast couldn't be clearer when it comes to equality issues.  Richardson was a strong opponent of HB600, which stripped Nashville of its 2011 contractor non-discrimination ordinance and she has been the sponsor of bills that would add gender identity and expression to the state hate crimes statute and allow Tennessee residents to amend the gender designation on their birth certificates.  Her comments from the House floor debate on HB600 follow, as recorded by The City Paper:

Rep. Jeanne Richardson, D-Memphis, called the bill “anti-gay” and castigated Casada and the Republicans as deceitful for pretending it is about jobs.

“Discrimination against gay people about jobs is wrong. I personally strongly feel it’s wrong. … We want to say in our state to the gay community all over this state that it’s OK to discriminate on sexual identity and gender identification. That’s what we’re saying. Let’s all be honest in this room. Everybody sitting in here knows that’s what this is about. You know, representative,” Richardson told Casada.

“I think there’s nothing homogeneous about this bill. But I think there’s a lot that’s homophobic about this bill.”

Rep. John DeBerry, on the other hand, spoke out for the Don't Say Gay bill in the House Education Subcommittee this year before casting his vote for the bill, which ultimately failed to advance beyond the full House Education Committee.   His comments on the bill can be found here:

 .  Election Day is August 2. 

Upper Cumberland Pride brings celebratory end to the 107th Tennessee General Assembly

"Your eyes don't deceive you. That's a pride celebration in Cookeville, TN with lots of people." said  Nashville Committee Chair Chris Sanders who reposted this picture on Facebook on Saturday. At least one observer from Cookeville beleieved that as many as 1000 people attended the event over the course of the day. 

The Upper Cumberland Committee provided an absolutely amazing LGBT Pride celebration in Cookeville, Tennessee on Saturday - a perfect end to a week of victories and positive news for LGBT people, their families and their allies in Tennessee. Upper Cumberland Pride which was sponsored by TEP Foundation also brought an inspiring end to the legislative session. Traveling back and forth on the road to Cookeville from my home in Memphis gave me some time to reflect on Tennessee Equality Project's efforts to advance and protect the rights of LGBT people and their families in state government. I'm pleased to share that with few exceptions we've done well for Tennessee during the last 5 months of the legislative session

Several members of the 107th Tennessee General Assembly promoted legislation with a far-right social agenda that attacked LGBT people and contradicted conservative ideals of smaller government. Much of that legislation focused "below the belt."

Police the Potty Bill Flushed!

The session began with the "Police the Potty" bill (HB2279) which would have criminalized the use of public restrooms and dressing rooms by transgender people. Rep. Richard Floyd threatened to "stomp a mudhole" through any transgender person he found in a restroom. Public pressure compelled the Senate sponsor to withdraw his version of the bill (SB2282). I can’t remember a lawmaker having this much concern about what’s happening in the stall next to him since Idaho Senator Larry Craig’s infamous troubles in a Minneapolis Airport men’s room. Tennessee Equality Project quickly responded against this bill along with Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition and other allies. No other Senator was willing to file a companion bill, so the legislation could not advance. The death of this bill was our first victory of the session but other lawmakers continued to obsess over what happens below the belt until the end of the session.

It's Still Okay to Say GAY! in Tennessee

Two bills with a rather prurient interest in sex education in public schools advanced this session, but only one passed both houses of the legislature. The "No Hand Holding" bill (HB3621/SB3310) which prohibited the teaching of something called "gateway sexual activity" in public education sought to leave Tennessee's youth with no information about how to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases should they become sexually active. By shifting the emphasis of sex education to "abstinence only," students and parents will now have to go outside public schools for accurate information about vital, life-saving strategies for good health. Tennessee parents deserve more sex education options to choose from in public schools for their children. While the "No Hand Holding" bill became law, other efforts to redefine sex education failed. 

Stacey Campfield's "Don't Say Gay" bill (HB0229/SB0049) passed in the Senate last year and re-appeared on the agenda in the State House this year. In its amended form, the bill would have banned "classroom instruction, course materials or other informational resources that are inconsistent with natural human reproduction" in grades K-8. Tennessee Equality Project fought hard against this bill with a multi-pronged approach that included professional lobbying, mass media, and YouTube videos made by students, parents and educators, visits with lawmakers, attendance at House committee hearings, phone calls, emails, and letters. Our lobbying strategy significantly reduced lawmakers' desire to vote on this bill. But they were also affected, as we all were, by the news of two gay students in Tennessee who completed suicided after enduring anti-gay bullying in school. Many conservative lawmakers began to realize that marginalizing LGBT students with anti-gay and anti-trans legislation would only increase the incidence of bullying in public schools. 

Despite opposition from Governor Bill Haslam, House Speaker Beth Harwell and other House leadership, Rep. Joey Hensley (HB0229's sponsor) continued to push his bill forward in the House. HB0229 advanced with close margins in the House Education Subcommittee and House Education Committee before landing in the House Calendar and Rules Committee. Lawmakers who wanted no part in voting on this legislation never scheduled HB0229 for a floor vote before the House of Representatives adjourned for the year. This victory was hard to win and would not have been possible without the efforts of people like you.

Special Rights for Bullies Defeated!

Many of our supporters will recall the  "License to Bully" bill that appeared early in the session with the full backing of Family Action Council of Tennessee. David Fowler sought to write special protections into state law for students who harassed, intimidated or bullied fellow students based on their "expression of religious, philosophical, or political views." Early in the session, Tennessee Equality Project observed that lawmakers were attempting to place students in double jeopardy with the License to Bully and Don't Say Gay bills. "Students with an anti-gay bias would be free and encouraged to bully LGBTQ students, and teachers and other school staff would be prohibited from speaking about the issue."  The same TEP lobbying strategy used against the Don't Say Gay bill helped keep the License to Bully bill from advancing in the legislature.  Another victory for safe schools and equality in Tennessee!

Gay-Straight Alliances are Here to Stay in Tennessee

Tennessee Equality Project can also declare a victory in protecting the status of Gay-Straight Alliances in public schools throughout the state. In a past legislative session, Sen. Stacey Campfield targeted GSAs by introducing a bill requiring all students to obtain permission to participate in school clubs and activities. The bill would have placed many LGBT or questioning students at risk by forcing them to "come out" to their parents before participating in their school's Gay-Straight Alliance. Schools faced a potential nightmare in trying to manage all the permission slips for students participating in Spanish Club, the Thespian Society, the football team, cheer leading squad. etc. Tennessee Equality Project intervened by persuading the House sponsor to amend the language of the bill (HB2548/SB2488). Rather than require parents to "opt in" their children for school activities and clubs, the bill would give parents the opportunity to "opt out" their children from participating in school activities and clubs. The bill which passed into law essentially maintains the status quo by reinforcing the right of parents to balance their children's extracurricular activities with academic achievement.

Governor Bill Haslam Stands Up to Bullies in His Own Party

We can declare another victory with an education bill vetoed by Governor Bill Haslam. Your calls to the Governor helped give him the extra push he needed. The Governor announced last Wednesday that he would veto the "Anti-All Comers" bill that targeted Vanderbilt University's inclusive non-discrimination policy:

Although I disagree with Vanderbilt’s policy, as someone who strongly believes in limited government, I think it is inappropriate for government to mandate the policies of a private institution.

Supporters of the bill feared that Christian student organizations might elect someone into a leadership position who didn't hold the same beliefs as their group (e.g., LGBT people, Muslims, Jews, atheists, etc.). In reality, Haslam had to veto the amended form of HB3576/SB3597. Last year, he signed HB600/SB632 into law which forbade local governments from enacting laws which extended nondiscrimination provisions to private businesses that exceeded protections defined in state or federal law. The bill overturned a Nashville ordinance protecting LGBT employees of private contractors doing business with local government. Signing HB3576/SB3597 into law would have been a clear argument that Tennessee State Government was not concerned with preventing government interference in private business. Haslam really had no choice but to veto this bill in order to maintain the facade that the his party is the protector of private business' ability to make their own policies.

While Haslam can claim a consistent political philosophy, David Fowler and the Family Action Council of Tennessee cannot. Isn't it interesting that Family Action Council of Tennessee pushed the state legislature to enact HB600/SB632 with a pro-business argument, but pushed HB3576/SB3597 with a pro-religious arguments? With these two bills and the License to Bully bill (HB2548/SB2488), FACT tried to create special rights to discriminate against LGBT for people of faith. We can expect FACT to keep trying this "pro-business" approach in the 108th Tennessee General Assembly.

Knoxville Sends a Clear Message to Stacey Campfield

The prize for most inspiring good news last week goes to the City of Knoxville for enacting an ordinance protecting city employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity or disability (characteristics missing from the previous law on the books). Senator Stacey Campfield can't get a break. His Don't Say Gay bill lost, he can't find a restaurant that will serve him in his home town, and he won't find anyone in Knoxville City Government who agrees with his bigotry toward LGBT people (The Knoxville City Council enacted the nondiscrimination ordinance with a unanimous vote). Time to take a hint Senator.

Tennesseans Value Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The movement for equality and inclusion of LGBT people and their families is gaining ground in Tennessee. It's hard to realize sometimes when you consider the forces of opposition inside and outside our current government. I am persuaded that Tennesseans in the not-so-distant future will look back on the 107th General Assembly and shake their heads in wonderment. "What were they thinking?" they'll ask.

I am confident in my optimism after attending last Saturday's pride event in Cookeville.  Knowing the organizers of the Upper Cumberland Committee as I do, I fully expected to see a good turnout at Dogwood Park for Upper Cumberland Pride. What I encountered was a groundswell of people hungry for change in the rural Upper Cumberland Region of our state. Equality, diversity and inclusion aren't just big city values; they are Tennessee values that are here to stay.

- Jonathan Cole