Ron Kirkland the prophet: National liberals are NOW coming after him

In yesterday's Jackson Sun, Dr. Ron Kirkland, candidate for TN's 8th district congressional seat, said that "liberal forces from all over the country" were attacking him. Presumably that letter was written on Saturday. At that point, the story wasn't national. Now it is. National gay blog Good As You called out Dr. Kirkland today:

Oh no, please, Mr. Kirkland -- do go ahead and describe it to us. We'd love to hear it. Really. It'd be somewhat refreshing in this world where brute injustices are often covered up with the constant claims that "gays are seeking special rights."

Think Progress has also picked up the story.

Dr. Kirkland may not be good at compassion, or good at interpreting the Constitution, but he does have the gift of prophecy. We've only been alerting our fellow Tennesseans to the story and asking them to contact him. But he has succeeded in getting the national attention he had predicted. Congratulations, Dr. Kirkland.

If any of you--whether you're part of the "liberal forces all over the country" or just a Tennessean who advocates equality--would like to contact the Kirkland campaign and register your opinion, you can do so at this link.

Update: Huffington Post , Memphian Evan Hurst at Truth Wins Out, and Bianca Phillips of the Memphis Flyer pick up the story.

Ron Kirkland tries to make himself the victim

You can't find a direct link to it, but Dr. Ron Kirkland has finally responded to the demand that he apologize for joking about violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender servicemembers in a letter to the editor of the Jackson Sun:


Candidate Kirkland stands by his conservative values

Since recent reports have been published about the Tea Party Forum in Paris on Thursday evening and my defense of the “Don't ask, don't tell” policy in the U.S. military, I have been attacked by liberal forces from all over the country. Allow me to be perfectly clear. I will not back down. When any of us is cowered into apologizing for speaking the truth, our constitutional freedoms are diminished, not increased.

Allow me to be perfectly clear about my position on this issue. I support the 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy currently in force in our military. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen have recently asked our liberal president to not tamper with the current policy until a military commission can further study the issue.

As an Army veteran who served our country in Vietnam, I know the unique demands of military service. I believe that 'Don't ask, don't tell' best protects the safety of all of our service men and women and helps remove unneeded distractions from a sometimes uncomfortable, unpleasant and stressful military environment.

I do not condone nor support violence against any of our fellow Americans, especially in our military. But the fact remains that mistreatment sometimes does occur, and “Don't ask, don't tell” helps prevent it.

I understand that not everyone agrees with my policy positions, and there may be further attacks on my strong pro-life, pro-traditional marriage and limited government positions. My response then will be the same as it is now. I will stand strong for our conservative Tennessee values.

RON KIRKLAND 8TH DISTRICT CANDIDATE FOR U.S. CONGRESS

Dr. Kirkland is trying to assume the mantle of the victim, but this is a diversion from the violence against GLBT servicemembers that he was joking about and for which he still fails to apologize. He predictably says that liberals all over the country are attacking him. No, not really. The story really hasn't gone national yet. Just a blip outside Tennessee. We've only asked the people of Tennessee to contact him here, as we did yesterday in this video:




Over 140 people from Tennessee appeared to have contacted the campaign.

He says that he doesn't condone violence against anyone. Perhaps, but his remarks were still outrageous and not fit for a doctor who is running for Congress.

He then goes on to make the argument that Don't Ask, Don't Tell actually makes GLBT servicemembers safer. The argument is ridiculous. Allowing servicemembers to serve openly and honestly without a policy that tells them to go into hiding is the best route to making everyone safe. How can anyone be safe when compelled to lie?

Late addition on the First Amendment: As I thought more about Dr. Kirkland's letter, I realized that he completely turned the First Amendment on its head. He's complaining that people are trying to get him to cower and that threatens his "constitutional freedoms." He presumably means First Amendment free speech. He is wrong about that, first, because the First Amendment protects citizens from government abridging speech, not candidates from being challenged by citizens. But he is also off base because he ignored the last part of the First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." It is the job of citizens to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. If he can't handle it as a candidate, how is he going to handle it as a Congressman?

The rhetoric of the Kirkland campaign is as bankrupt as the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

Voting for Equality in Shelby County on August 5 (Part 3)

In Part 1 of this series, I reviewed the known positions on LGBT equality and campaign outreach to equality voters of candidates for Shelby County government. Part 2 was devoted to Primaries for the Tennessee House of Representatives and Governor. We end with the primary elections for the three congressional districts that touch Shelby County.

U.S. CONGRESS

Shelby County includes the entire Ninth Congressional District and parts of the Seventh and Eighth District. There are no contested primaries in the 7th District on August 5. The Eighth district has a competitive Republican primary. The Democratic Primary in the Ninth District will determine who wins the seat in the General Election in November.

Seventh District

Incumbent Marsha Blackburn (R) of Brentwood probably enjoys the fact that she scored 0% on the HRC Score Card. Too bad she has no opponent in the primary. Republicans who vote their party in this district deserve better. choices in their primary.

Democratic challenger Greg Rabidoux of Clarkville has no legislative record on LGBT issues and his opinions are unknown. He has no challenger in the primary. However, he shouldn’t have to work too hard to get a better legislative score than his eventual Republican opponent after Nov. 2 should he win this election.

Eighth District

Republican Primary

The Republican Primary for this race is rather crowded. Each hopes to replace retiring Democrat John Tanner in this District.Three candidates have gone on record with their views on LGBTQ policy issues.

Dr. Ron Kirkland drew local, statewide, and then national attention after making the following comments about Don't Ask, Don't Tell and his military service in Vietnam at a Tea Party Forum in Paris, TN:

"I can tell you if there were any homosexuals in that group, they were taken care of in ways I can't describe to you."

Kirkland later refused to apologize for condoning violence against gay and lesbian servicemembers in a letter to the Jackson Sun. Read more about Kirkland and TEP's call for his apology and support of the repeal of DADT here.

At the same Tea Party Forum in Paris, TN, Randy Smith who served in the first Iraq War followed Dr. Kirkland's comments about DADT with:

"I definitely wouldn't want to share a shower with a homosexual. We took care of that kind of stuff, just like (Kirkland) said."

When called upon to do so by TEP and others, Smith apologized for his comments. He shared that he had a lesbian daughter whom he loves, but he does not approve of her "lifestyle." Read more here.

At the Tea Party Forum in Paris, Dr. George Flinn portrayed ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as the latest in an effort by Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to weaken the military. He also failed to confront the violence condoned by Kirkland and Smith at the forum. Flinn of Memphis also voted against an ordinance and a watered-down resolution that would protect LGBT county employees from discrimination while serving on the Shelby County Commission.

The other candidates in this race, Stephen Lee Fincher and Ben Watts, also failed to confront the violence condoned by Kirkland and Smith at the Tea Party Forum. Is silence complicity? Fincher won the endorsement of the anti-LGBT Family Research Council - a definite red flag - and was a TN Senate Co-Sponsor of SJR0031 that approved the Anti-Marriage Amendment for placement on the 2006 ballot for Tennessee voters.

Democratic Primary

Roy Herron (D) is on record opposing efforts to prohibit adoption of children by lesbian and gay parents. However, Herron was a TN Senate Co-Sponsor of SJR0031 that approved the Anti-Marriage Amendment for placement on the 2006 ballot for Tennessee voters. Only 3 out of 33 TN Senators voted against this amendment.

Kimberlee E. Smith's (D) views on lgbtq policy issues are not known.

Ninth District

Democratic Primary

Incumbent Steve Cohen (D) has received a the highest HRC Score (90%) of any sitting Congressman or Congresswoman from Tennessee. When he was still TN State Senator from District 30, he voted against the TN anti-marriage amendment. Cohen supported GLBT-inclusive hate crime legislation. He also support repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act. He also supports a GLBT-inclusive version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in Congress. While in Congress, Cohen wrote a letter of support to the Shelby County Commission for the County Employment Non-Discrimination Ordinance.

Former Memphis Mayor Willie W. Herenton (D) served in that role for almost 20 years. While he was Mayor, Herenton spoke beside Judy Shepard when visited Memphis in 2000 in a special event at Calvary Episcopal Church. Herenton also participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony at the opening of the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center. Mayor Herenton also supports a municipal non-discrimination ordinance for the City of Memphis. However, Herenton has distinguished himself as being against marriage equality as a candidate for this race.

Republican Primary

The positions of candidates Charlotte Bergmann, Jim Harrell, and Kevin Millen on LGBTQ policy issues are unknown. In this heavily Democratic district, asking them about LGBTQ issues may be a moot point.

As with previous posts, please share any known positions on LGBT issues for any of the above candidates. Early voting begins on July 16. After you vote early, join fellow equality voters on July 20 for happy hour at Tuesdays at Grace.

- Jonathan Cole

Anti-equality candidates make the news in Tennessee

As the flood water recede and we all continue with recovery efforts, the work for equality resumes and just in time. Anti-gay candidates are making the news in Tennessee.

Shelby County: A hat tip to Jonathan Cole for the link to this piece in the Commercial Appeal describing the increasingly partisan dynamic we can expect on the Shelby County Commission in August. Republican Terry Roland will be joining the Commission and here's what we know about him:

Roland, from Millington, is well known for his ability to raise the volume on issues, demonstrating it forcefully last year as a citizen during debate over an anti-discrimination ordinance opponents said provided unneeded protection based upon sexual orientation.

"I'm not looking for a fight, but I'm not backing down from one," Thomas said. "I'm not going to lay down and let people roll over us."

His colleague Chris Thomas is ready to fight, too:

But Thomas said, "If we are in the minority and there are things we are strongly opposed to, I am going to sound the alarm and try to put public pressure on them. Sometimes when you are in the minority, it's what you have to do."

The Commission has added social conservatives ready for battle at a time when the Family Action Council of Tennessee has hired a new director of community relations for Shelby County. Given the growth of TEP's own Shelby County Committee and the fact that we'll have two officers and a total of five board members from the Memphis area, the Mid-South will continue to be an important battleground for equality issues.

8th Congressional District: The story of 8th District congressional candidate Ron Kirkland's remarks about violence against gay servicemembers and Don't Ask, Don't Tell has now entered its third week. Kirkland's comments are beginning to become part of the way he is defined as a candidate even as other controversial statements are added to the mix, as the Jackson Sun's Nicholas Beadle points out:

While his comment about gays being "taken care of" in the military has drawn far more attention, another remark 8th Congressional District candidate Ron Kirkland made about illegal immigration at an April Tea Party forum in Paris has also raised some eyebrows.

Equality advocates will keep up the pressure. There were letters to the editor of the Jackson Sun and the Tennessean last week about Kirkland's joke about violence. As of Sunday morning 190 people have clicked through this trackable link to contact the Kirkland campaign to call for him to apologize and to support the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. We're not holding our breath, but we will continue to draw attention to the issue. The summer is looking pretty busy.

TEP calls on Dr. Ron Kirkland to apologize for his joke and to support repeal of DADT

For background on the story you can go to this story in the Jackson Sun. To contact the Kirkland campaign, go to the form on his campaign website.

Note: We had to shoot the video quickly because of the tornado watch and floods, so sorry about being a bit rushed.

Top 10 political stories affecting TN's GLBT community

The Memphis Flyer and Out & About Newspaper have published helpful lists of top stories affecting Tennessee's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community in 2010. So I wanted to take a look at the top 10 political stories affecting us. Here are my views in no particular order:

*The first two are national in scope, but they're important for those of us in Tennessee.

1. Equality in Hospital Visitation. In April President Obama signed a memorandum directing Health & Human Services to prohibit discrimination in hospital visitation based on sexual orientation or gender identity in facilities that participate in Medicare or Medicaid.
2. Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (almost). The House and Senate passed a stand-alone bill repealing the military's outdated Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy this month. It will take effect once a few sign-offs take place.
   
3. Violence. Hate crimes in Tennessee based on sexual orientation were down in 2009 according to a May 2010 Tennessee Bureau of Investigation report. The document still fails to include hate crimes based on gender identity. Despite the 2009 statistics, 2010 brought some ugly incidents such as hate-motivated arson of a lesbian couple's house in Vonore and the Jackson Police Department's treatment of transgender woman Akasha Adonis after she was brutalized at Kohl's.
4. Failure of the Don't Say Gay bill. This discriminatory, needless piece of state legislation met its Waterloo yet again this year after a few sneak attacks.
5. Failure of the Memphis Employment Non-Discrimination Ordinance TWICE! Sadly a majority of the members of the Memphis City Council couldn't agree that city employees should be able to work in an environment free of discrimination.
6. Elections. It would be tempting to leave it at that. But I want to hit some of the low moments. The ugly comments by 8th congressional district candidate Ron Kirkland about gay people in the military, the short-lived almost New York Senate candidacy of Harold Ford Jr. that got derailed in part over his evolving views of marriage equality, a Tennessee House candidate writing children's books against marriage equality, 5th congressional district candidate David Hall's anti-equality push polling, and so on.
7. Oak Ridge goes G, L, and B, but not T. One surprise (to me) is that Oak Ridge voters decided to amend their charter in November to prohibit discrimination against city employees based on sexual orientation. It is a lost opportunity that gender identity was not also included in the measure.
   
8. Metro Nashville Human Relations Commission empowered to document gender identity discrimination. Earlier this year, TEP requested that Council Members seek a legal opinion clarifying whether the Metro Human Relations Commission has the authority to document discrimination in the private sector based on gender identity. A 2003 legal opinion had already established similar authority with respect to sexual orientation. We are pleased that the answer is YES. We hope the Commission embraces its authority and that victims report discrimination.
   
9. Nancy VanReece announces Metro Nashville Council bid. Nancy VanReece announced this year that she will be seeking the 4th district Metro Council seat. Go, Nancy!
10. Belmont. The termination of Belmont University's soccer coach Lisa Howe has turned national media attention on Nashville and not in a way we would have liked. This event, along with other cases of discrimination against faculty and students that have come to light, has triggered many proposed political remedies. To clarify Metro Nashville Government's position, Mayor Karl Dean called on city boards, commissions, and authorities to update their non-discrimination policies; Council Members Jamie Hollin and Mike Jameson filed a bill to revoke Belmont's Rose Park lease with Metro unless and until they updated their non-discrimination policy (a bill which has been deferred indefinitely); and a bill has been proposed that would require vendors contracting with Metro to include sexual orientation and gender identity in their non-discrimination policies. It remains to be seen whether Belmont will ever get beyond its public assurances and adopt such a written policy.

There they are. What are your top 10 political stories of 2010?

-Chris Sanders