Don't Say Gay also the policy of some TN newspapers?

Have you ever wondered why you don't see stories and opinion about the struggle for equality of Tennessee's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community in some Tennessee newspapers?

Question 1: Is it because we only inhabit urban enclaves? Nope. We're all over the state, according to the Williams Institute's analysis of census data.

Question 2: Has it been a slow news year for discriminatory legislation? Um, no. The Don't Say Gay bill and the Special Access to Discrimination law (SB632/HB600) were frequently covered in the newspapers of the state's four largest cities.

Question 3: Is it because we weren't pitching stories (not that we should have to)? Strike 3. The Lebanon Democrat would not cover the Special Access to Discriminate law, even though it was sponsored by Sen. Mae Beavers from Wilson County and they were definitely given the opportunity.

Question 4: Is it because we weren't writing letters? We were and I have to point out a notable exception to the pattern. The Crossville Chronicle did publish a letter by R. G. Cravens, our TEP Upper Cumberland Committee Chair, on the Special Access to Discriminate law. But we've run into an instance of erasure by another Upper Cumberland paper, The Herald-Citizen out of Cookeville. Shayne Bilbrey tells us that he wrote a letter to the paper about the difficulties that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth face, but when he talked to a representative of the paper on the phone, he was told "that they were a family values newspaper, and they weren't comfortable with publishing it."

Take action: We suspect this sort of thing happens quite a bit. So we're going to publish Shayne's letter below. But if you'd like to send a letter to the Herald-Citizen, you can do so at editor@herald-citizen.com . Or you can post a comment on the wall of their Facebook page asking them whether they are trying to disappear their gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender readers. Do it for Shayne and the other readers who are looking for coverage of the whole spectrum of people living in the Upper Cumberland.

Shayne's Letter: And now here it is:

It’s okay to be Gay

High school graduation is just around the corner, and well over a thousand Putnam County students will be graduating this year. Most of them had the normal teenage years, goingto prom with the person they love, getting that first kiss, or getting their driver’s license at sixteen. Yet for some kids that dream was a long shot, because some of this year’s graduates are Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual. Most of these students couldn’t have that dream life, because they were usually the primary targets for bullying. The bullying would vary from daily taunting such as being called a “fag” or a “queer.” The students usually behind the bullying would often cite the bible, or what their preacher told them. This is very troubling for that, in a society that values individualism, we can’t honor these kids fundamental right to let them be whoever they want to be and to be with. I know that when I came out, during my senior year in high school, I was faced with some backlash, but even before that I was called many names, and felt at times that I was worthless, which is similar to how some of these students feel. It hurts to be bullied at school, but to be bullied in your own home is incomprehensible. Thankfully, I have a family who loves me for who I am, and for which I am blessed for. Yet, it saddens me when I hear of some of my friends, which have come out to their parents, have had to face ridicule from their own parents. Some parents go as far as to disowning their own child, calling them a failure, and sending them to a gay to straight camp. I don’t understand why a parent would do such a thing, but sadly it happens a lot. Well I‘m here to say that, things will and do get better, granted they’re still some that disagree, but it does get better. We should all be able to value ourselves, love others, and be able to accept all for whom they are. We are all God’s children, and he loves us all in the same way. So if you are Gay, Lesbian, Transsexual, and bisexual, it’s okay to be you, and be proud of who you are, and will become. Love, cherish, and embrace thy own self.

-Chris Sanders

Political homophobia

Americablog on a recurring problem and not just in DC:

Political homophobes aren't gay-hating in the traditional sense. In fact, publicly, most are strong supporters of LGBT equality. But, behind closed doors, many Democratic leaders, consultants, Hill staffers and the rest will vociferously argue that there is no political benefit to actually supporting LGBT rights. Political homophobia is rampant among some Democrats. In some ways, it's worse than blatant homophobia, since we think most Democrats are on our side. And outwardly, they are.

Political homophobia dictates policy in DC more than we'd like to think. I believe it's happening in the West Wing right now. I've been told by several people that while the president's chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel, isn't a homophobe in the traditional way (he always voted the right way when he was in the House), he is always the first person to suggest that his colleagues (and now boss) avoid gay issues. He'd rather not deal with them because he thinks they're bad politics.

The New York Times discusses another angle on the problem:

The conflicting signals from the White House about its commitment to gay issues reflect a broader paradox: even as cultural acceptance of homosexuality increases across the country, the politics of gay rights remains full of crosscurrents.

What sexual orientation means in the federal hate crimes law

A hat tip to Mr. Kleinheider for bringing everyone's attention to the TN GOP bureaucracy's response to the federal hate crimes bill recently passed by the House.

We'll leave aside the spurious issue of so-called "thought crime" that the press release raises. This blog has addressed that issue in the past. What I want to respond to is the argument that sexual orientation as used in hate crimes laws includes pedophilia. I say "argument." In fact, it is meant more as a dramatic image used to scare people from supporting the bill. Some Republicans, though not all, tried to amend the bill to say that it would not be construed to include pedophilia. There is no need to do that since the law was never intended to protect pedophilia.

It's sad that some are still trying to equate homosexuality and pedophilia.

H.R. 1913 assumes and explicitly references the law under which the FBI currently collects hate crimes statistics based on sexual orientation. Here's the definition in the FBI's authority to gather statistics on hate crimes based on sexual orientation:

As used in this section, the term `sexual
orientation' means consensual homosexuality or heterosexuality.

Hopefully we can move past these ridiculous scare tactics soon.

Red States, Get Your Guns

The reports are that there is a rush on gun buying around the country because of fears that somehow an Obama administration working with Congress will move to restrict gun rights. Take Montana, for example:

In Helena, the owner of Montana Outdoor Sports said he thinks a ban on all gun sales is unlikely but expects some form of taxes or restrictions, which is boosting business now.

"We're selling a lot. Especially on the internet. That's where a lot of it is going. We just shipped out about four more hand guns through the postal service," Rex Seeley said.

I was in Knoxville this weekend leading a seminar on citizen advocacy. I know, not as exciting as guns. But guns came up. Some of the participants, many of whom were Obama supporters from all over East Tennessee, said that they had regularly gotten into arguments with their neighbors about gun issues. So it's not surprising that Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey has mentioned 2nd Amendment issues coming up in the next legislative session. Several candidates campaigned on the issue, but then again some of them campaigned on "gay marriage," which they can't do much more about than they've already done. I'm not sure at this point what kind of legislation is planned, but it won't be long until we find out.

Ruppe succeeds in making "gay marriage" an issue

Becky Ruppe, Democratic candidate for the State Senate in District 12, has succeeded in making "gay marriage" an issue in the race. Her radio spot, which mentions the issue out of no where, has now been matched by her Republican opponent, Ken Yager. If you aren't eating, you can listen to it here.

Of course, it's not an issue between the two candidates since they have the same position. Oh, and it's not an issue for Tennessee, since we have a statute and a constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage.

But it is now an issue for GLBT people in District 12. Teens struggling with issues of sexuality and gender get to hear themselves opposed on the radio on the way to and from school every day. Adults who are probably pretty circumspect about their lives and their partners, if they had any doubt before, will know to stay in their place.

Democrats aren't saying a word. Eager to take control of the Senate, they seem to have a Reaganesque rule about not speaking ill of other Democrats. Ruppe's ad titled "Courage" is still posted without negative comment at the State party's blog. This is the same party that says it is "...the party that continues to provide messages of change and hope against the politics of fear and bullying."

Thankfully most Democrats, though silent about her ad, aren't following her lead. The saddest part to me, though, is that Ruppe's life has been one of courage. 90% of her ad rings true. But she has injected additional fear into a part of Tennessee that didn't need any more.

No place, eh?

The Tennessean's opinion section focuses on hate crimes today with their view , the view of TBI director Mark Gwyn, and Tennessee Disabilities Coalition executive director Carol Westlake.

While we're grateful over at TEP for the Tennessean's position on this issue, I find this sentence striking: "Such crimes have no place in Tennessee or anywhere else around this nation." And specific hate crimes apparently have no place in your news section. You have been contacted about the attack on Neal Anthony's house in Warren County and you have decided not to cover it so far. Channel 5, Fox 17, and Channel 2 in Nashville thought it was newsworthy, but not your editorial staff.

But I guess that puts you in the company of The Southern Standard, the Warren County paper whose web site has been updated yet again without even mentioning the incident.