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
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(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.

Dunn Did: Rep. Dunn files companion Don't Say Gay bill in House

Today Rep. Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville) filed HB0229, the companion bill to Senator Stacey Campfield's Don't Say Gay bill.

Dunn was a "fierce advocate" for the bill in the former House Education K-12 subcommittee last year.

Equality advocates will fight the bill at Advancing Equality Day on the Hill on March 1.

-Chris

Tennessean profiles student activists

The Tennessean featured two teenagers, Nicholas Allen & Eric Austin, in Gail Kerr's "Eight faces of patriotism" story that ran on the front page on Friday, July 4.

Allen, who is gay, and Austin, a straight ally, both helped organize students to get the Metro School Board to pass a comprehensive anti-bullying policy.

You can read the profile and see their photo here.

The story is an example of how policy can be changed at any level should we actually take interest and get invovled.

At least The Tennessean featured the two students and actually covered a gay topic.

Meanwhile, Neal Anthony continues his fight against all kinds of homophobia in Warren County. A fight The Tennessean continues to ignore, as does Neal's local newspaper, The Southern Standard.

Jackson Sun backs Herron's Bible course

A Jackson Sun editorial calls on the Legislature to pass Sen. Roy Herron's (D-Dresden) proposed non-sectarian Bible course for public schools. In the Sun's view:

"What makes Herron's bill appealing is that he already has answered the constitutionality question. He has gotten an opinion from the state attorney general confirming the bill's constitutionality. That means school systems should be able to offer the course, using the guidelines to be developed, without fear of being sued.

Another good thing about Herron's bill is that it provides clarity to an often murky and emotional issue. It would create a workable framework for talking about the Bible in school, something people in Tennessee want to do and have been trying to do with mixed results for years.

There's no doubt the Bible is a valuable education tool, even outside of church. Herron is right in his assertion that it is one of the most important books in history. It has influenced countless people for two millennia in areas as diverse as art, music and philosophy. Students deserve to learn about that influence."