Rallies for Equality: Roundup of the Coverage

Sarah Smith of Vanderbilt Lambda addresses the Nashville rally

Although we're still waiting for the Washington Blade piece, here's a roundup of some of the coverage of the Rallies for Equality that took place yesterday in Memphis, Cookeville, and Nashville:

Out & About Newspaper with story, photos, and video.

Tennessean piece with comments by Austin Peay State University GSA's Ryan Whipkey.

Fox17 coverage focused on safe schools issues in Tennessee and featured the comments of Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet High School student Gray Alexander. Now begins the waiting game to see whether the Don't Say Gay, License to Bully, and other negative education bills will be filed in the 108th General Assembly.

Barbara Stover, Darren Crawford, and Janet Moore in Cookeville (photo

 by R. G. Cravens)

Blurbs by WSMV and Newschannel5.

The TEP Shelby County Committee has posted photos from the Memphis rally on their Facebook page.  

Kal Dwight at the Memphis rally

To sign the petition urging President Obama to sign the executive order barring discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity among federal contractors, go to wh.gov/9ALQ .

Memphis, Cookeville, Nashville Rally for Equality/federal contractor executive order Dec 9

The Tennessee Equality Project has organized rallies for equality in Memphis, Cookeville, and Nashville to take place on December 9 to call on President Barack Obama to sign an executive order barring discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity by federal contractors and to call on the Legislature to end discriminatory legislation when it convenes in January.

The Memphis Rally takes place at 2:00 p.m. in the plaza in front of the federal building in Memphis.  More information can be found at this link. 

The Cookeville Rally takes place at 1:00 p.m. outside the Putnam County Courthouse in Cookeville.  More information can be found at this link.

The Nashville Rally takes place at 2:00 p.m. at the War Memorial Plaza in Nashville.  More information can be found at this link.  

Additional cosponsors of these rallies include the following organizations:  Austin Peay State University Gay/Straight Alliance, Out & About Newspaper, Tennessee Tech Lambda, Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition, Nashville GLBT Chamber of Commerce, PFLAG Nashville, Greater Nashville Prime Timers, GLSEN Middle TN, Metro Human Relations Commission, Nashville Pride, OutCentral, Just Us at Oasis Center, PFLAG Maryville, Human Rights Campaign Nashville Steering Committee, and CHOICES: Memphis Center for Reproductive Health.

TEP started a petition at the White House petition site to urge the President to sign the federal contractor non-discrimination executive order.  It can be found here.  

In 2011 Metro Nashville passed a contractor non-discrimination ordinance only to see it nullified by the Legislature the same year.  The presidential executive order is best chance to achieve job protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in states like Tennessee in the immediate future until Congress can take up the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

TEP calls on on other states and cities to hold similar rallies and spread word about the petition to increase public support for the executive order.