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Tennessee Senate OKs Don’t Say Gay Bill

5/20/11 -  by Jennifer Morgan

If it’s true that knowledge is power, than in turn, it stands to reason that a person or group that successfully seeks to inhibit the teaching or sharing of knowledge also holds power.

In a vote of 20-11 on Friday, the Tennessee Senate approved a bill that would prohibit the teaching of of homosexuality in public schools.

The bill was designed to ensure that children in elementary and middle schools are taught age appropriate “natural human reproduction science.” According to the bill “Human sexuality is a complex subject with societal, scientific, psychological and historical implications; those implications are best understood by children with sufficient maturity to grasp their complexity.”

Opponents of this legislation are saying that a bill such as this is unfair to students who have same sex parents, and I must agree. A problem with the legislation that has not gone unnoticed. Time reported in April of this year that gay rights activists see the bill as a “form of discrimination, especially as it bars teachers from talking about gay issues or sexuality even with students who identify as gay or have gay parents.” The bill fails to give teachers credit for the ability to break down the dynamics of the homosexual family by appropriateness of the age group. It also fails to give the homosexual community credit for being reasonable about what is appropriate to teach children, and at what age. A study conducted by NPR in 2004 reported that most parents in the U.S. believe that the topic of homosexuality should be a part of curriculum in schools so long as it is done in a neutral way. One wonders when our legislators will catch up to the opinions and feelings of the people on this issue.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Tennessee would become the first state to enact such legislation if the proposal passes.

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• Tennessee Seeks To Make Homosexuality “The Sexuality That Shall Not Be Named” (lezgetreal.com)