ABC's Nashville gets a gay kiss, kind of

Well, it finally happened.  I wondered how long it would take.  ABC's Nashville had its first gay kiss tonight, kind of.  Gunnar's friend Will tried to steal one in an awkward scene.  We'll see what the show does with it.  It was a little disappointing because it could play into the whole sad, hackneyed "gays are predatory and opportunistic" theme.  But there is something gutsy about it, too.  Again, we'll see how gutsy if the storyline develops.

Gunnar and Will from Nashville's Twitter feed

At least it tells the rest country what they might not expect given all the national exposure our Legislature has received for anti-equality legislation:  There are boys who kiss boys in Tennessee and girls who kiss girls and the world hasn't come to an end yet. 

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?

What happens when we discover the cause of sexual orientation?

The recent UT study which used mathematical modeling to show links between epi-markers on genes and sexual orientation led me to raise questions with Darrell Greene on Fox 13 in Memphis last night:


This new report revisits an old question: What causes sexual orientation? I personally side with nature over nurture as a cause along with many other gay, lesbian and bisexual people. Others claim they had a choice. This study also raises new questions:

• Whether sexual orientation is determined by genes or epi-markers on genes, what do we do when and if that question is settled?
• What would parents do, if their doctor tells them that an epi-marker test projected they will have a gay or lesbian child?
• What if we had the medical technology to ensure that certain epi-markers were "switched on" for a particular orientation?
• Would such knowledge lead to genetic engineering to eliminate homosexuality or bisexuality in newborns? 

After struggling with homophobia for many years, I finally came to the conclusion that a person's orientation is a morally neutral phenomenon. In my personal experience, I find being gay to be a gift. Being gay brings a perspective that enriches my life and career. I believe it would be wrong to terminate a pregnancy if parents learn that that unborn child will be gay, lesbian or bisexual. I also think it would be unethical to apply "treatments" to an unborn child that would ensure heterosexuality.

Our society needs to explore these matters more deeply before a cause for sexual orientation is known. We need an ethical framework for new discoveries that will have profound social and political consequences for gay, straight, lesbian and bisexual people. What do you think?

 - Jonathan Cole

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 .

Key step in ending job discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people

Word has it over the last week that the national organizations that serve the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community are going to press for an executive order from President Barack Obama to bar job discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity among federal contractors.

Tennessee Equality Project is wholly supportive of this move.  Such an executive order would touch thousands of firms and hence millions of employees across the country, including people who work in Tennessee.

Tennesseans have a particular interest in this issue.  In 2011 the Metro Nashville Council passed a contractor non-discrimination ordinance that did the same thing as the requested executive order but with Metro Government contractors.  Unfortunately the Legislature passed SB632/HB600 that not only nullified that ordinance but robbed every city and county in the state of the ability to do the same thing when awarding their procurement dollars.

If you're not sold on the idea that it would help people in Tennessee, then I'm not going to try to oversell the proposal.  But it's out there and there's something you can do to help.

You can sign this petition at the White House petition site.  And you can email it to your friends and post it on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.  It will help grow citizen support for the lobbying effort our national organizations are pursuing.

Nope, it's not as dramatic as the petitions calling for secession, but it's far more constructive. 

Attacks on the Governor's diverse hires could threaten economic development, says Williamson Co official

Last week's Republican county party attacks on Governor Bill Haslam for employing or retaining Muslims, gays, and Democrats are dividing Republicans in Williamson County, according to today's Tennessean.

Image from Equality Florida

What's more, a top economic development official in Williamson County, when pressed, admits he is worried these attacks on diversity could hurt the area's ability to attract companies seeking to relocate:

Matt Largen, director of Williamson County Economic Development, often works with the state office in which Ali is employed. He described it as “one of the most important relationships” his office has cultivated. That the dominant political party in his community is accusing an employee in that office of subverting the very economy she was hired to promote could become embarrassing, Largen said.

Moreover, employers looking to relocate here often have preconceived notions about the level of diversity in Tennessee, said Largen, and are anxious to see an inclusive community. Largen said he does not know whether these criticisms of the governor will hurt the county’s reputation, but acknowledged there is reason to be concerned.

Let's focus on one phrase:  "anxious to see an inclusive community."  Most of the larger companies have realized diversity and inclusion = good business.  Let's hope these extremist attacks don't get Tennessee off course.

Cheatham County Board of Ed buries head in sand when it comes to bullying

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.

WSMV has the video on those opposing takes on the policy here.

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! 

 

 

Volunteers needed for study of gay black and white men in the South

Dominique White, graduate student of Sociology at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas is conducting a comparison study of the lives of gay black and white men living in the South, particularly Arkansas and Tennessee.   She is currently trying to find black male participants to partake in one focus group in Nashville and/or Memphis.  The focus group will consist of 10-15 gay black males.  The comparable focus group will consist of 10-15 white gay males.
The criteria for participation is as follows:

1. Participants must be 18 and older
2. Participants must live in Tennessee
3. Participants must be openly gay

If interested, please contact Dominique White at dominique.white@smail.astate.edu for more information.

TEP's commitment to inclusion

The Board of TEP often adopts policy positions for local and state level  legislation. Whenever we adopt such positions, we advance inclusive policies that protect people based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. 

All non-discrimination legislation supported and advanced by TEP seeks to protect lesbian, gay, straight, bisexual and transgender people. TEP Board members and I are often asked why we choose to be inclusive of the L, G, B and the T. The question is often accompanied by a criticism that advancing legislation that protects people based on sexual orientation is made harder by including gender identity and expression. Why don't we try to advance legal protections based on sexual orientation and then return  later to advance protections based on gender identity or expression?

There are many reasons for choosing LGBT-inclusive legislation. 

Anti-discrimination legislation that includes protections for sexual orientation but excludes gender identity or expression actually provides little protection for lesbian, gay, straight or bisexual people. Non-inclusive legislation creates loopholes that make it easier to get away with unfair discrimination. An employer can fire an employee based on how they express their gender and make no reference to his or her sexual orientation. 

We all express gender. While he is from South Carolina, you have probably observed US Senator Lindsey Graham on television talk shows and other news programs. Graham is a socially conservative, heterosexual Republican who has never married. Graham also speaks with one of those grand Southern accents that comes across as gentile, even effeminate. Tea Party activists in his home state recently accused Graham of being gay. Because the challenge was so public, Graham felt compelled to set the record straight (pun intended) that he was not gay in a newspaper interview.   If the conservative and heterosexual Senator Graham is susceptible to attacks about perceptions about his sexual orientation because of his gender identity or expression, we all are. 

While including gender identity and expression provides protections for straight, gay, lesbian and bisexual persons, it covers transgender persons too. Hate crimes and unemployment rates are terrifically and disproportionately high for the number of transgender individuals in our society. It's not hard to argue that they are in even greater need of protections in hate crime and anti-discrimination legislation for employment, housing, services and public accommodations.

Many local governments have advanced anti-discrimination legislation over the last several decades. In some instances, legislators abandoned gender identity and expression in favor of protections for sexual orientation only. Many of these jurisdictions still do not provide protections based on gender identity or expression. Some have closed the gap in their anti-discrimination law, but it took decades to correct the omission of gender identity or expression. Here in Tennessee, TEP is fighting to add gender identity and expression to our state's hate crime law years after sexual orientation was added. We all know that hate crimes against trans women of color in the Memphis area are disproportionately high.

These arguments are all good ones, but the most powerful arguments for me are deeply personal. My commitment to my transgender friends is deep and abiding. I have watched many dear friends bravely face an unfair, unjust and callous society. They are worthy allies in our common struggle for equality, and I choose to move forward with them. I am fortunate to Chair the Board of an organization like TEP that shares this conviction. 

News summary on the Shelby County Non-Discrimination Ordinance

Check out this morning's Commercial Appeal and WMCTV5.

What's happened to the Daily Dish?

One of my favorite blogs has gone silent since 9/8/08 at 1:48 PM. I am a regular reader of the Daily Dish, Andrew Sullivan's blog on the The Atlantic. Andrew is one of the most briliant voices and writers in the political blogosphere and is a study in contrasts: a gay, HIV+, conservative Brit expatriot who supports Barrack Obama for President. Rumor has that The Atlantic fired him.

With more than 1 million hits a day on his blog, it won't be long before he reappears elsewhere. He's moved sites before.

UPDATE: Fellow Atlantic blogger Mark Ambinder just posted this:

Lots of e-mails asking about Andrew's whereabouts. I checked in with him; he's fine. He's taking a few days off. Worry not, fans.

Still very suspicious. He's probably getting a lot of flack for his criticism of VP candidate Sarah Palin.

Take This Survey - Please!

Community Marketing, Inc is conducting an online GLBT Consumer Index Survey. Help make sure the Nashville GLBT community is represented well in this survey. Complete the survey here!

Leslie Jordan "...growing up gay in...Chattanooga, Tenn"

Palm Springs paper profiles comedian and Tennessee native Leslie Jordan: http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080322/LIFESTYLES01/803220306/-1/lifestylesfront

Jordan did a benefit for TEP's Vote No on 1 campaign against the marriage amendment a few years ago.