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Fear is starting to get to me.
Not my fear.
Other people’s fear.
Fear about us.
The ‘mos.
They’re afraid of us serving the country. They’re afraid of us getting married and raising families.
And here in Tennessee, they are afraid of us even being spoken of.
At least State Senator Stacey Campfield is.
The news is a few weeks old now, but the senator recently sponsored his “Don’t Say Gay” bill in the Tennessee state legislature. It will make it illegal for teachers to discuss homosexuals or homosexuality in grades lower than the 9th.
He feels that parents should decide within the home at what point such discussions should take place.
Now, I would probably agree that the nuts and bolts of sex, gay or straight, doesn’t need to be taught to the very young (although I think these days middle schoolers should be armed with some knowledge of mechanics). But, his bill isn’t about sex ed.
Because he thinks it’s okay to discuss heterosexual relationships. In fact, the bill expressly states that only heterosexuality can legally be discussed.
This means a teacher could not discuss kids who have same sex parents or even really acknowledges that we gay folks even exist.
What is Stacey Campfield so afraid of?
Is he afraid that if people know that there are gay folks out there, they might start wondering about about a senator in his forties who’s never been married and has a traditionally female name?
I’m not suggesting anything about Stacey’s private life1 but he has been bizarrely obsessed with keeping homosexuality, itself, hush-hush.
He pushed the same bill unsuccessfully for four years while he was in the house2. But now he seems to be gaining some steam because it recently passed in the Senate. Hopefully it won’t get past the House.
But, in Tennessee, you never know.
Back in the 1920′s, the state made headlines when a teacher stood trial for teaching evolution.3
Eventually it was legalized.4
But I’m not sure what Tennessee has learned from teaching evolution.
Because, judging by Stacey Campfield, I fear we haven’t evolved all that much.
{ fin }
- And really don’t care about it. [↩]
- along with an attempt to ban children’s books about gay families [↩]
- The basis for “Inherit The Wind.” [↩]
- or decriminalized. [↩]
You gotta wonder about those that protest too much.
Tony,
Firstly, I love your writing style. Just simply, eloquently lays it out there. A pleasure to read.
Twenty-five years ago, when Ronald Reagan wouldn’t mention the word AIDS, and I was a criminal in my own country for having sex, I saw that the US held no future for me and immigrated to Canada. I am so thankful I had the foresight and decisiveness to do so.
30+ years later. The same tired arguments. The same long fought battles. I’m afraid Americans only know how to fight.
Not that its perfect here. But when then President Bill Clinton asked Prime Minister Jean Chretien how Canadians got the ‘gays in the military’ thing done, Chretien replied, “It was simply the right thing to do.”
The same with gay marriage. That’s Canada.
Do I miss home? No, I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with the States—I knew when they said “Love it or leave it” they meant it. So, I left.
And there’s lots of natural beauty up here Tony.
Meanwhile, thanks for speaking your truth, and remaining a beacon in a weary land. I hold you dear.
T-
I agree w/ Kirby, I love how you write and express yourself. Its a combination of prose and poetry.
As for Stacey Campfield, who can say where her deep seated fear of the homosexual emanates from. The law has made TN quite the pun of a number of jokes for certain.
I am sorry for those gay couples or children struggling w/ their identity who live in TN. It must be a rather strange time for them and they must feel like outcasts in their own community. What a shame. Shame on TN and on Stacey Campfield is what I really mean.
BosGuy
As you know, my interest in TN is entirely your doing.
You can not be the only rational individual down there.
Scary… but time has way of marching on.
The Scopes trial is still going on?
Maybe time marches slower in TN.
Didn’t Tennessee also recently repeal the rights of local municipalities to enact (or maintain) pro-equality/anti-homophobic requirements for conducting business?
A very scary shadow is creeping across your beautiful State.
Hi Tony,
I have always been a big believer in the fact that those that do bash and promote bigtory are hiding their own secrets. It has been proven over and over again. If that is the case with Campfield then I feel sorry for him and his family.
Here in Canada, we have had legalized gay marriage for several years and our army has been allowed to serve openly for many more.
We have not crumbled or fallen into a nation of turmoil – in fact, Canada is thriving and playing its fair share on the international stage.
Don’t get me wrong, we have our fair share of bigots and haters here in Canada, but for the most part, we as a country have embraced the fact that everyone should be treated equal. We still have our extreme right and left, but Canadians have demonstrated over and over again that the majority are in the center. That is live and let live.
I hope your County and State will get there some day. It happens in baby steps – one step at a time, but most importantly it is people like you and other that kepe the ocnversation alive that is the most important.
Cheers,
-C-
Ah yes, the Scopes Monkey Trial. That was a shameful bit of history. And we’re still fighting that battle today.
But as far as the Senator, yeah could be a repressed homosexual himself. Wouldn’t that be interesting.
State Senator Stacey Campfield should have his head checked, including all others that fear the Homosexual Agenda.
Homosexuality is not a choice, we’re born with it mostly from heterosexual parents.
The great nation of the U.S. of A. is still living in Puritan times. The world aint flat, and there’s more under the sun then being straight.
We bring colour to it all!
Two steps foward, one step back. One day he’ll be old news again and his campaign will be that much more antiquated.
But you said it best, ‘bizarrely obsessed.’
I found your blog and twitter through a “you might also like” kinda thing.. I really like your writing style – thoughtful and poetic.
Anyway, I’ve been following the news down in TN as I have several friends down there (and unfortunately family that support Sen. Douchenozzle…ugh!).
It astounds me how some people can have such irrational fear… and still be elected to power. Really?!!?
Campfield may get his law, but he has already lost the culture war … perhaps that is why he is so desperately grasping at straw.
No “gay” in schools? No way.
In and out of class, kids are gonna say what kids are gonna say. You can count on the fact that “gay” will be a constant topic … just like X-box, boogers, bikes, basketball, and boobs.
A 6 yo draws a picture of his/her unique family? show’n'tell? reports on current events? bullying using gay slurs? the use of gay slurs in general? “bring your parent to school” days? parent/teacher conferences? field trips with parental chaperones? “what do your parents do?” No school can stop the “gay” from creeping in.
And even if Tennessee can enforce this unenforceable law, what happens next?
What happens next is what is truly terrifying to the Campfields of the world …
Those kids leave school listening to Katie Perry or Lady Gaga, reading pro-gay tweets from Miley Cyrus or the kids from Disney … and then those same kids go home to find the TV tuned to Family Guy, Glee, Modern Family, or one of several hundred other current and syndicated TV shows depicting all kinds of great gay characters.
Campfield’s law can’t keep kids from seeing national and international sports stars, rock stars, movie stars, Google ads, and the President of the US saying that “gay” is OK.
We’ve already won the war, but we can’t be surprised that the Campfields of the world are going to put up a few more battles before waving the white flag.
State Senator Stacey Campfield is a BIG QUEER. It’s sooooo obvious.