Breaking: Campfield files Don't Say Gay bill

Everything old is new again. Senator Stacey Campfield has filed his Don't Say Gay bill again. It's SB0049 just filed today.

Here's a review:



Please, join us on March 1 for Advancing Equality Day on the Hill to work against this unneeded, discriminatory legislation. The legislation sounds a particularly tone deaf note in light of so many youth suicides last year (and years before) across the country due to bullying.

-Chris Sanders

The Leadership Vacuum and "Trickle Down" violence against GLBT people

I'm noticing that more commentators are starting to explore the connection between anti-equality rhetoric in the political sphere and the notable cases of GLBT youth suicides due to bullying.

Take this passage from a post at Americablog by Gabriel Arana:

"The real charge is that anti-gay rhetoric in politics has a trickle-down effect that reinforces the type of anti-gay attitudes that make life tough for gay teens. The connection between the work of the National Organization for Marriage and the culture of homophobia that prevails in schools is much less direct, but it exists."

In other words, the aim of anti-equality rhetoric in politics is directly to impede law and policy that would advance civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people; it is not to promote physical violence against us. But physical violence against our community exists and it is worthy of asking whether anti-equality rhetoric in politics is one cause.

So let's look at the situation in Tennessee.

*Vonore, TN fire: I'm not aware of any high-ranking elected official in Tennessee who either uttered words of comfort to Stutte family who recently lost their home to anti-gay arson or made any public condemnation of this violent act. As far as I know, the last time any public official condemned violence that involved our community was when Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam made these remarks about the shooting at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church:

"It is often easy to make these tragic events, which are far too frequent, about the community in which they occur. Knoxville is a caring, compassionate city where diverse viewpoints are shared and respected. Every person, regardless of race, religion, age, sex, or sexual orientation is a person of human dignity and a valued member of our community."

He was prompted to do that, but at least he did it. Others condemned the shooting, but didn't mention our community.

*Lack of positive discourse: Apart from some members of the Memphis City Council, the Shelby County Commission, members of the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County, a few state legislators and local school board members, you won't find many elected officials having anything positive to say about legislation that promotes equality in our state. With the exception of Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, you won't find anyone in the executive branch of government who is openly supportive.

Instead what you're more likely to find are remarks like these from Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey:

“Tennessee has a direct interest in the outcome of this case,” said Lt. Governor Ramsey. “If upheld, it will be used to allow same-sex marriage in Tennessee. Over 80% of Tennessee voters chose to define marriage in our constitution as the union of one man and one woman. Tennessee has an important interest in protecting the ability of our state to define marriage and I strongly urge Attorney General Cooper to join other states fighting for that same right.”

I'd say that Tennessee GLBT and questioning youth are at particular risk because most of the public discussion they hear about themselves from leaders in their communities is of a very similar negative variety. It means their straight peers are absorbing it with the idea that there's something wrong with the GLBT kids. That's a short leap to bullying. We need more community and political leaders to speak out in specific ways for our state's GLBT community.

With particular attention to the Don't Say Gay bill: I shouldn't have to mention it, but I'm going to because it bears most directly upon the issue of bullying GLBT youth--Rep. Stacey Campfield's Don't Say Gay bill. Do I think Rep. Campfield wants youth to take their lives or to be bullied? No, I don't. But I do think his ideology about sexuality and gender makes him utterly and dangerously oblivous to the situation youth find themselves in. And it blinds him to the need for specific protections against the violence they face as well as the specific affirmation they need to overcome the despair that can drive them to take their lives.

Watch these videos again and reflect upon them in light of the youth who have taken their lives. Do I have to hit you over the head with the question: "How long are we going to tolerate legislation like this? When are we going to put this awful bill out of its misery and move on to take positive steps to address bullying and its very specific victims?"

-Chris Sanders

Southern GLBT youth running the gauntlet for prom

2010 is the year the prom became ground zero for the culture war in the South. Constance McMillin wanted to bring another young woman to prom in Itawamba County, Mississippi and was denied by school officials. The ACLU sued, so the school canceled prom. But now there's going to be a private prom and the story goes back and forth about whether everyone can attend with his or her chosen date. I'm betting not.

Inspired by Constance's stand, Derrick Martin of Cochran, Georgia decided to approach his school about bringing another young man to his prom. At first the school denied his request, but then they decided to grant it. As a consequence, his parents threw him out of the house. And people in the community have decided to protest the school's decision to be inclusive.

So let's summarize. First, people who are barely adults have to take a risk getting thrown out of their homes, risk getting denied by public school officials, and risk setting off the wrath of their community FOR PROM! Can anyone seriously deny that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth are substantially more likely to commit or attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers?

I think if you asked people in these two small towns (before Constance and Derrick made their requests) what prom is about, they would say things like a high point of the school year, a rite of passage, a night of fun for the students; the word special would no doubt appear over and over. But now that these two extremely brave students have asked to have a night of fun, experience this rite of passage, and commemorate a high point of the school year with someone they care about, the prom is revealed to be a celebration and defense of heterosexuality.

No? Sounds like something from a p.c workshop at a lefty university? Well, here's what people in Derrick Martin's home town said:

"We knew Derrick was gay," said Keith Bowman Jr., a high school senior who showed up at the rally. "They don't want (Cochran) to be known as a pro gay town."

Most of the dozen attending the rally said they weren't bothered by Martin being gay or being allowed to attend prom with his partner. But they said the school system's decision has brought too much attention to their small town.

"People who don't know the area will think it reflects on everybody," said John Smith, a grandfather who owns an air-conditioning business in Cochran.

Guess what, Mr. Bowman and Mr. Smith, how you include or exclude people does reflect on the entire town. So we can now add another part to the gauntlet: (a) your parents might throw you out, (b) the school might say no, (c) the community might reject you, and (d) you have to keep quiet about it.

Issues like these are exactly why two events happening at opposite ends of the state in the coming weeks are so important. Jonathan has written in a previous post about the Stand for All Families Rally happening on Monday in Shelby County. The event will highlight those in Shelby County who stand for a message of inclusion in response to the Tony Perkins/Family Action Council of Tennessee event happening the same day. And on April 16 students in Knoxville will hold their Breaking the Silence event to bring attention to anti-GLBT violence and bullying in schools.

What these two events and the stands taken by Constance and Derrick illustrate is that youth are providing valuable leadership for inclusion in our communities and there are views that run counter to the kind of ideology that leads to invisibility, violence, and the pressure to take your own life. But can we step out of the situation for a second and acknowledge it's insane that we're making kids fight for the chance to participate in the prom and fight to be safe in our public schools?

Living Wage connection to homelessness

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080411/OPINION01/804110424/1007/OPINION

Opinion piece in today's Tennessean from the Homeless Power Project on the connection between a living wage and the ability to afford basic shelter. A day's pay should be able to pay for three days of shelter if a person is going to be able to get by, argues Patricia Bryant.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force released a study in late 2006 on GLBT homeless youth and found that of "the estimated 1.6 million homeless youth, between 20 and 40 percent identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender..." http://www.thetaskforce.org/reports_and_research/homeless_youth . The realities of coming out and discrimination coupled with substandard wages creates a deep pit for GLBT youth from which few emerge with the start they need as they begin their adult lives.