Shot fired

Chris Sanders of TEP alerts us to the re-opening of a front in the culture war.  Sen. Stanley (R – Memphis) has reintroduced his bill outlawing adoption by cohabitating couples living outside of marriage.  Clearly, this is an anti-gay measure he’s trying to dress up in pro-family clothes – that don’t fit.

He starts his bill with the following declaration:

The public policy of this state is to favor marriage, as defined by the constitution and laws of this state, over unmarried sexual cohabitation. It is also the public policy of this state to place children into adoptive families that provide the most stable familial relationships for that child and will foster an appreciation for the policies of this state that favor marriage over unmarried cohabitation. The general assembly specifically finds that it is not in a child’s best interest to be adopted by a person who is cohabitating in a sexual relationship that is not a legally valid and binding marriage under the constitution and laws of this state.

So, let’s review.  The State wants children to be adopted into stable families.  Here are some possible arrangements:

1. straight, married couple
2. straight, unmarried couple
3. straight, unmarried single person
4. gay, unmarried couple
5. gay, unmarried single person

Under Sen. Stanley’s bill, 1, 3 and 5 could still adopt.  I’m not sure if he has noticed, but 3 and 5 aren’t families that involve married couples.  Apparently, Sen. Stanley believes it is better to be adopted by someone who is single than someone who is in a relationship.  And, it’s better for a child to be left in indefinite foster care, often punctuated by frequent moves, than to be placed in a home without a marriage license.

Also, as Aunt B ably points out, this sentence is more than a little creepy:

It is also the public policy of this state to place children into adoptive families that . . . will foster an appreciation for the policies of this state . . ..

Sen. Stanley wants families that are goverrnment approved and families that approve of government.

Note:  The opinions expressed herein are strictly my own and do not in anyway reflect the opinions of my employer.

 

Very sorry he was fired; glad he could be

Several quarters are up in arms over this story.  David Hill was fired from the Brentwood Holiday Inn because he is gay.   I’m very sorry he lost his job.  That sucks.  But, I’m glad the law allows this.  Basic property rights, contract rights* and the free flow of labor are far more important than protecting an individual from short term pain.

All non-discrimination laws, whether they be based upon sex, race, ethnicity, disability, religion or any other category, should be eliminated, except as they relate to governmental entities.

*I am ignoring the issue of the employee handbook which may have been violated due to a lack of information on the specifics.

 

English Only and Gays

The Tennessee Equality Project has taken a public position on the English Only Amendment currently being voted on in Nashville.  I agree with their position, but not with their taking it.  What follows is a reprint of the comment of I left on Grand-division.blogspot.com.

“Why is this an issue that TEP is involved in? It is not a gay issue – an issue relevant to the lives of homosexuals because they are homosexual. The quote attributed to you in Out & About cited three reasons this is relevant. None of them explained why this is a gay issue. First, you said it could disrupt services to non-English speaking gays. By that logic, any issue is a gay issue – taxes, the environment, energy, etc. Everything can affect everyone, but not because they are gay. Second, you cited the need to send a signal that Nashville is a welcoming city. It might signal that Nashville is welcoming to non-English speakers, but it says nothing to gays in general. Nashville has already spoken to gays through a 70% vote in support of the marriage amendment. Finally, and most disturbingly, you pointed to a need to make allies. Allies are a good thing. But, making allies at the cost of diluting your own mission is foolhardy. To make allies through weighing in on non-gay issues requires TEP to choose sides in fights not relevant to it. And that leads to additional enemies. TEP is in danger of becomi”ng just another pressure group. If TEP continues this kind of mission creep, it will receive no further support from me.

“For the record, the English Only amendment is ridiculous. I will vote against it. But, it has nothing to do with me being gay.”

Update:  Chris Sanders, of TEP, has responded to my comment.  In fairness, I reprint it below.  You can decide for yourself whether he responded to my objections.

Michael,
I’m glad you’re voting against it. It is a related issue, especially if you’re gay and English is not your first language. Furthermore, the tone of welcome that our city sets does affect us. If this measure passes or passes by a wide margin, our rights could be next in Nashville. As you pointed out, it has already happened statewide. Third, one of the lessons learned from Prop 8 is that white GLBTs didn’t reach out enough to minority communities. We’re building some bridges that will help us with allies in government and in the community that we’ll need for the nondiscrimination ordinance. It actually is functioning as a movement building experience rather than diluting us. If you look at the number of members of the community who were at the polls yesterday and the number who are involved in the Facebook groups on this issue, you’ll see it has touched a nerve because we know what it’s like to be at the wrong end of a ballot initiative.

 

Breaking: Man on man ass fucking will destroy us all

At least, that’s what this 81 year old man who hasn’t had sex with a woman in at least 57 years and who regularly appears in public wearing a dress says.

 

Yeah! Andy’s gay!

The one advantage brought on by the fact that Andrew Sullivan is gay is that he is unlikely to reproduce.  Otherwise, I’d ask the breeders to take him back.  Also, Stephen is right.  He doesn’t dress well enough to be a gay man.

 

Tennessee Equality Project – gays’ and lesbians’ best voice in Tennessee

In Tennessee the one organization working effectively to obtain and ensure equal treatment of gays and lesbians in the state is Tennessee Equality Project.  TEP works to organize the grass roots, keep the community informed and lobby state government.

I do not agree with all of the positions that TEP espouses.  For example, I do not support hate crimes legislation or non-discrimination acts, except as they apply to government.  But, we are faced with numerous other issues that need our united attention.  This legislative session we are likely to see renewed efforts to eliminate adoption by gay people and efforts to ensure that, in addition to marriage, even civil unions are not available to same-sex couples.  While  some state Democrats will join in these destructive and discriminatory measures, the charge is likely to be led by the Republicans.

I encourage you to visit the TEP website and take a look around.  Sign up for their emails.  Visit their blog.  This group of hardworking volunteers is making a difference in our lives.

 

Ah, Knoxville

This past weekend saw me and a friend making the drive to Knoxville for their annual Red & Green Party.  (I think it benefits Knoxville Cares, or a similar HIV/AIDS type organization.)  Friday evening we met friends of his at Old College Inn.  This place is apparently pretty popular, for unknown reasons.  After a day of work, a two and a half hour drive and a couple of drinks at OCI (that’s what they referred to it as), I was ready to hit the hay.  My friend has arranged for us to stay at the house of a buddy of his on the east side of town.  The buddy had the cutest, friendliest dachshund named Sophie.  She loved to crawl up under the blanket and nest between your knees.

Saturday was lunch at Litton’s and shopping.  I did not realize that this was a formal event.  And my failure necessiated a trip to the mall.  Fortunately, something suitable was found.

The party was held at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.  An open bar, plenty of h’orderves and the fact that my friend knew most of the people there made for a fun evening.  Afterward, we went to The New Rainbow Room, basically a trashy gay bar on the other side of the city from where we were staying.  He got trashed.  I was responsible.

Sunday, after sleeping off the prior nights revelry, we packed and headed to Maryville to lunch at Tomato Head with his mom and some friends.  Both the pizza and the company was great.  By time we finally made it back to Nashville, all I wanted was a nap.

Since I had gone to Kansas City the weekend before for Thanksgiving, this weekend I’m looking forward to a quiet time in town.  We’ll see how that works out.

 

Still missing Patrick

Poor little Patrick, one of the three members of Team Rainbow (teh gays) was kicked off Top Chef last week.  Yes, he came in almost last in the quick fire challenge and served up a pretty uninspired chinese food dish, but he is a cute little guy.  At 21 he has plenty of time to finish culinary school and go on to make something of himself.  If he’s looking for a place to practice his cooking skills, my place is open!

Patrick from Top Chef Season 5

Gotta love those Converse tennis shoes he’s wearing.

 

Ah, the tolerant left

Last Friday night my Friend and I went to TPAC to see Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles.  Since I’m vastly older than he is, I had a bit more of a connection to the music.  We had a great time hanging out.  Afterwards, we stopped by Tribe for a drink, then went next door to Play to see what was going on.  A mutual friend, “T”, joined us.  After a bit of mingling and the requisite collection of a drink from the bar, we headed to the smoking porch out back.  The three of us were chatting when a guy in a red waffle henley and a ball cap came up and started talking to my Friend.  T and I took to our own conversation.  Red shirt was standing just off my right shoulder.   At some point in talking with T, I mentioned Proposition 8.  Immediately, red shirt turned and started talking to me.  I quickly learned that he had moved to Tennessee from California just four months ago.  Since he was still registered in L.A., he went back there to vote against Prop 8.  I mentioned to him the protests scheduled across the country for the next day and the one set to be held in Nashville at the courthouse.  At that point, and without prompting, he said, “I am a Stonewall Democrat.”  I smiled and said, “I am a Log Cabin Republican.”  His response?  “I don’t talk to Republicans.”  Then he turned away.

Wow.

I’m pretty out as a conservative.  I used to write a column  titled “Conservative Tendencies” for the now-defunct Church Street Freedom Press, a local gay paper.  It’s pretty common for people to engage me in political discussions when I’m out, whether at the bar or an event.  Rather than avoiding me because of my views, the more common reaction is to engage me.  That, I can respect.  Simply refusing to hear or acknowledge other viewpoints is pretty mindless.  I had heard, through GayPatriotWest, of this sort of reaction out on the coast.  This guy is going to need to grow up if he wants to live here.

 

Protect Marriage, Protect Children, Prohibit Divorce

A video put out by a group of Californians in reaction to the passing of Proposition 8 has the following script:

Divorce destroys the sanctity of marriage and its powerful influence on the betterment of society.  This proposition would keep the very meaning of marriage from being transformed into nothing more than a contractual relationship between two adults.  Prohibiting divorce between heterosexual married couples will keep the interests of children and families intact.  We will continue to celebrate marriage as the union of husband and wife, not as a relationship between %u2018Party A%u2019 and %u2018Party B.%u2019  The marriage of a man and a woman has been at the heart of society since the beginning of time and it promotes the ideal opportunity for children to be raised by a mother and a father in a family held together by the legal, communal, and spiritual bonds of marriage.  As a society we should put the best interests of children first, and those interests lie in traditional marriage.  Permitting divorce destroys marriage as we know it and causes a profound harm to society.  We should be restoring marriage, not undermining it.

And for those of you who voted yes on Prop 8 but disagree with this petition…Why?  This petition is copied and pasted from literature from your website, ProtectMarriage.com, but applied to Divorce instead of Gay Marriage.  So how can you argue with your own words?

What could possible destroy marriage more than destroying a marriage?  When I was forced to come out to my brother and his wife, my sister-in-law’s reaction was to say, “Well you know where I stand on the issue.  I’m on the committee to pass the marriage amendment.”  Knowing that she had divorced her first husband several years ago, I responded, “And I am on the committee to ban divorce.”  I rose and walked straight to the door.  Behind me I heard them say, “We love you anyway.”  And, “You are always welcome in our home.”  I have not been back.  Do not condescend to tell me that you “love me anyway.”  Such graciousness in the face of my obvious flaws which make me so undeserving is unwanted.

The video can be found here.