Arizona Ends Thirty-Year-Old Anti-LGBTQ Law

After that hateful story this morning, here’s a little good news coming out of Arizona of all places.

Last week Arizona’s Governor Doug Ducey signed a repeal of the state’s “No Promo Homo” law that forbade teachers from giving students medically accurate, age-appropriate information about non-heterosexual people in their health education classes.

It was a Don’t Say Gay kinda law, you know.

The “No Promo Homo” law prohibited instruction in HIV/AIDS curriculum that “[p]romotes a homosexual life-style,” “[p]ortrays homosexuality as a positive alternative life-style,” or “[s]uggests that some methods of sex are safe methods of homosexual sex.”

You know, cuz just mentioning homosexuals turns some folks gay, and goddess forbid you ever suggest that homosexuals can live a positive life.

Of course, this wasn’t an entirely altruistic move on Ducey’s part; no, his decision to repeal the law only came after the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit challenging the law on behalf of Equality Arizona. And Ducey’s decision came after Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced that he would not defend the law in court, saying it was obviously unconstitutional.

Thirty years later. Arizona’s law had been on the books since 1991.

The march goes on ….

LGBTQ Nation

Obama To Cut Funding For ‘Abstinence-Only’ Sex Education

As we’ve seen in the last few months, with this being his last year in office, President Obama has no f**ks left to give and he is showing the GOP his middle finger at every turn …

He has just announced that his 2017 budget proposal eliminates a $10 million-a-year grant program for abstinence-only education.

Ten million for absitince-only programs? As someone who lives in South Carolina and has seen, and continues to see, more than my share of pregnant high school girls, we know that abstince only programs do not work.

Knowledge is power. But Obama’s budget not only eradicates abstinence-only-until-marriage sex education funding, it also increases funds for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, maintains funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, and calls for a five-year extension of the Personal Responsibility Education Program.

Knowledge is power. And so I say, “Good on Obama” for arming young girls with the knowledge that, sure, while abstinence is the only 100% effective way to avoid getting pregnant or avoid STDS and HIV and such, there are some girls who do have sex and who need to know their other options, such as birth control, for both themselves and their partners.

It’s smart; it’s sensible; it’s completely Obama.

But, best of all, and this is just me being all shallow and stuff, is that knowledge that somewhere in Wasilla, Alaska, in a house littered with booze and guns and animals pelts, Blister Palin, single mother to two children from two different Baby Daddy’s, is lying on a bed, her mother, the Mama Grizzly Bore™, applying cold compresses to her forehead, is moaning:

“How will I make a living now if I can’t talk about how abstinence only is the best policy?”

Patheos

ISBL Asshat of the Week: Bill Cassidy

Not many people know the name of Bill Cassidy, a Republican state Senator from Louisiana, but here’s a little background on the man.

Cassidy, like Mama Grizzly Bore™ before him,  is one of those “abstinence-only” crusaders who, just last year, co-sponsored the Abstinence-Only Reallocation Act that awards grants and special funding to public and private schools that teach only abstinence in their sex education programs. The bill was authored by, oh lucky me, South Carolina’s resident Republican loon, er, Senator Lindsey Graham and has been tabled in Congress though teenagers in Louisiana aren’t in the clear.

Despite efforts by some legislators and educators to discuss sexual behavior, birth control, condoms, and the like in schools, Louisiana is one of the leading abstinence-only promoters in the country. In about 305 of schools in the state, students are taught exclusively abstinence. No safe sex. No birth control. Nothing but “Don’t do it.”

And, since most teenagers don’t listen to their parents, or some of their teachers, it should come as no surprise that Louisiana currently has the 6th highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation; in fact, while most of the country has seen major declines in teen births, Louisiana’s has hardly changed.

So, why does this make Bill Cassidy an asshat? His own daughter, in her teens, is pregnant and, well, of course, Bill wants y’all to know that he’s just fine with it:

“Earlier this year, Laura and I learned we will become grandparents this summer. Our children have been the greatest blessing of our lives and we welcome our grandchild as a joyous addition to our family. Our daughter now faces a more challenging future than her peers. She has our unconditional love and support.”

How lovely that Bill Cassidy and his wife will support their daughter, um, because they have to support her; she’s a pregnant minor so, yeah, it’s their responsibility just like teaching her that abstinence is the only way to go.

And doesn’t it just smack of the Mama Grizzly Bore™ and her abstinence-only stance, even while her seventeen-year-old daughter Bristol was banging Levi?

I mean, here we have the post politicians for abstinence who can’t bother to instill that lesson into their own children, but they want to legislate it into law that you have to do it for your children.

Pot.Kettle.STFU.

Bill Cassidy, ISBL's Asshat of the Week.

Sidenote: Yes, abstinence is the only 100$ surefire way to avoid teen pregnancy, and STDs and HIV and all sorts of things, but it’s clear that many teens, and adults, aren’t adhering to that ideal, so wouldn’t it be best to arm them with knowledge about sexual behavior? Or is that too much common sense for the GOP and Bill Cassidy and Mama Grizzly Bore™?

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Tennessee: Back To The 1950s

Oh, Tennessee legislators, you will never learn.

It seems that up in the state of crazy, Governor Bill Haslam has signed legislation that adds the concept of “gateway sexual activity” to the state’s abstinence-first sex education curriculum.  The measure says that sex education teachers cannot encourage “gateway” activities that stop short of sexual intercourse.

You know, hand-holding leads to intercourse; a peck on the cheeks winds up with the girl pregnant.

And wingnut Haslam signed the bill over the calls to veto the measure from the American Civil Liberties Union and others, who argued that the bill contains murky definitions that make it difficult for teachers to discuss subjects frankly.

Proponents said the measure was needed to clarify the meaning of abstinence. Um, the meaning of abstinence is “no sex”, right?

I think that’s fairly clear, but apparently legislators in Tennessee don’t get it, don’t think parents understand, and think teenagers are too stupid to think for themselves.

Even worse, Tennessee’s “Gateway Sexual Activity” law will allow parents to actually sue outside sex education instructors, like Planned Parenthood, if they run afoul of the state curriculum.  School district instructors are exempt from legal penalties.

Oh, now it becomes clear; this is just another attack on Planned Parenthood by the GOP.

Haslam and the Legislature don’t realize that knowledge is power; they don’t understand that, while abstinence is the only foolproof method of birth control, and of preventing STDs and HIV infections, arming high school students with knowledge is far more powerful.

You cannot just tell students, or even adults, that they cannot do something; you have to arm them with the consequences of what they do, and talk about how they can protect themselves.

This legislation is so 1950s in its thinking, its, for lack of a better word, logic: they will not educate students as to what can happen when they have sex, they will simply ask that the girls keep their legs closed and the boys keep their pants zipped.

Oh, and no kissing. She could get pregnant.

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'Don't Say Gay Bill' Might Be Dead, But 'Gateway Sexual Activity' Is The Newest Fight For Tennessee Legislators

I won't be sending flowers, though i am pleased to learn that Tennessee's 'Don't Say Gay' bill has died a well-deserved death. It will not be put to a final vote needed for passage, the measure's House sponsor, Repugnant Republican Representative, Joey Hensley, has announced.

Doesn't mean it's over, or that Tennessee legislators have removed their engorged heads from their tightened sphincters. No, though there will be no vote, and no passage of 'Don't Say Gay,' Hensley has also announced that officials of the Department of Education and the state Board of Education have pledged to send a letter to all Tennessee schools "telling them they cannot teach this subject in grades kindergarten through eight."

Joey Hensley

"With that assurance and the opposition of some people who didn't want to vote on it, I've decided simply not to bring it up," said Hensley.

He also said, because he's a bigot and a homophobe who feels there are no more pressing issues in Tennessee than saying 'gay' in schools, that the bill could be re-filed next year if there is any indication of "alternate lifestyles" being prompted in Tennessee schools despite the pending letter.

"Alternative".

Like, Tennessee exists in an "alternative" universe.

And if you don't believe that, well, then, there is this:

We've all heard of alleged "gateway" drugs; you know, smoking pot will lead to shooting up heroin. But, in Tennessee, the legislature is now focused on “gateway sexual activity.”

Holding hands leads to fornication.

Kissing leads to, well, I was gonna get real graphic, but I decided against it. Let's just say that the Tennessee Legislature is still obsessed with sex, because that's the biggest problem in Tennessee.

Sex. Oh, and gay folks. And, probably, gay folks having sex. But, anyway, back to "gateway sexual activity."

The Tennessee Legislature has a bill to Governor Bill Haslam that would require sex-education classes “exclusively and emphatically” promote abstinence only. it would also ban teachers and outside groups from promoting “gateway sexual activity,” which the bill defines as: “sexual conduct encouraging an individual to engage in a non-abstinent behavior.” 

Jim Gotto

Repugnant Republican Representative Jim Gotto, the bill’s sponsor, does say the bill would not address things as innocuous as holding hands, but even Gotto doesn't say what "gateway sexual activity" means. Perhaps because he doesn't know, because he's too busy trying to legislate morality rather than law.

But, if Gotto's ridiculous bill becomes law then groups like Planned Parenthood, and others, who provide sex education information in schools could face a $500 fine. 

For educating people, er, young people, about sex.

Oh, Tennessee, when are you people gonna stop allowing these moronic legislators to speak for you?

When?

sources:

'Don't Say Gay Bill' To Die With Adjournment of 107th

Tennessee Passes Bill To Tamp Down ‘Gateway Sexual Activity’

Don't Say Gay Is Back.....Again

Tennessee legislators are at it again.

Don't Say Gay.

It's back, and Tennessee’s elementary and middle school teachers might soon be told they cannot talk about homosexuality with their students next year. The hateful bill cleared the Tennessee House education committee on Tuesday.

Now, to be fair, there are some legislators, even some from the GOP, who question the need for Don't Say Gay, because, well, in typical backwoods Tennessee politics, it is already illegal to teach sex education in elementary and middle school.

Homophobe Hensley

While Chairmen of the House Education Committee, Republican Richard Montgomery, voted against the bill, it passed out of committee by an 8-7 vote. The bill's sponsor, alleged homophobe, and Republican, Joey Hensley, says the bill is needed because "outside groups"--the evil, and always unnamed "outside groups"--and some teachers will slip the word homosexual into conversation. He says, with an alleged straight face, that the bill serves as an accountability reminder: 

“I have two children--in the third- and fourth-grade--and don’t want them to be exposed to things I don’t agree with....Even though the state board disallows this now, I’m afraid it does happen, and sex education is talked about in a way that it is unacceptable.”

So, wait. Let me get this queer. Hensley doesn't really care about other children, he's doing this so his own children won't hear the word gay? Try this, Joey, home school your kids. And then you can indoctrinate your children with all the fear and loathing and hate you want.

Asshat.

Add to Crazy Joey Hensley, one more Republican, Joe Carr, who voted for Don't Say Gay, because he's said there is actual documentation that outside groups are entering classrooms at the invitation of principals and teachers and not staying within the curriculum guidelines.

But, um, Joe, where is that documentation, or did you study at the feet of Allen "The Democrats are Communists" West, and think that if you just say it, it makes it so?

If this bill becomes law, any school caught in violation may have state money withheld, and any teacher caught saying anything about homosexuality faces a $50 fine and up to 30 days in jail.

For saying 'gay'.

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What's this Tennessee?

Up there in  Tennessee, state lawmakers have backed away from the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, effectively, hopefully, for now at least, ending a two-year battle over how much schoolchildren should be told.
The sponsors of 'Don’t Say Gay' 'agreed 'to put off debating the measure until the end of the legislative session--a move that generally means they will not pursue it. Now, rather than 'Don't Say Gay' they will be pushing forward an abstinence education measure that is favored by social conservatives.
'Don't Say Gay' bill sponsors had been under pressure to amend the original bill, which would have banned any teaching about homosexuality, or even mentioning homosexuality, before the eighth grade. The bill's sponsors said it was intended to keep schools and teachers from initiating discussions about gays and lesbians, but even even they conceded that it might have brought unintended consequences.
Representative Bill Dunn, the bill’s original sponsor, now says, “We found out there really is not sex education curriculum in K-8 right now.”
So, they wasted time trying to pass a bill about what can and cannot be said in Sex Education classes before the eighth grade when they really aren't any Sex Ed classes in Tennessee before the eighth grade?
Way to do your homework gentlemen.
Their attention will now shift to another measure, House Bill 3621, which the Family Action Council of Tennessee [FACT]--a pretty sounding name, no?--has promoted in recent days. It is intended as an update to Tennessee's abstinence-based sex education curriculum.
FACT’s president, David Fowler, “HB 229 deals with very limited issues in a limited number of grades. To my way of thinking, it is better to address the whole subject of sex education and say what you’re for than to address a narrow part of sex education and what you’re against.”
The bill makes no mention of sexual orientation. Gay people, apparently, and young gay people specifically, shouldn't learn about abstinence?
Still, I will give Tennessee some credit for finally realizing that 'Don't Say Gay' was an idiotic, backwoods, neanderthal approach. Just because you don't say something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. In fact, it pushes that subject back in the closet, and shames it and denigrates it.
So, half a thumbs up for Tennessee. For now.


Note to Joy [who took me to task over a couple of anti-Tennessee posts in previous weeks]: I am not saying the people of Tennessee are asshats and morons, I am saying the elected officials, at least the ones making the most noise, are asshats and morons. I just wish there were more people like Joy in Tennessee and that they would all begin to speak up.


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Abstinence Only, Utah?!? Really!!?!

Every so often it seems like Utah has booked a ride on the progressive train, but then you realize they bought a round-trip ticket. Case in point:
A bill to require sex education classes teach an abstinence-only curriculum inched closer to becoming a law in Utah last week. The bill--now headed to the Senate--would lift the current requirement that all public schools teach sex ed in grades 8 through 12, but if this bill passes, districts would have to choose between offering abstinence-only sex-ed classes, or no sex-ed classes at all.
Republican state wingnut, and Republican, of course, Bill Wright sponsored the proposal: "We've been culturally watered down to think we have to teach about sex, about having sex and how to get away with it, which is intellectually dishonest. Why don't we just be honest with them upfront that sex outside marriage is devastating?"
Well, Billy, teach your abstinence-only classes, and find out how many kids will then be having unprotected sex. or, teach no sex-ed at all, and discover how many pregnant teens you have in the state and how many teens have an STD or HIV.
Abstinence-only does not work. It needs to be coupled with education on protection from unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. 
The version of the bill that passed last Wednesday would also prohibit any instruction in contraception, though teachers would be allowed to answer student questions about safe sex. In addition, the bill would require that sex-ed courses emphasize abstinence before marriage and fidelity after.
You know, 'cuz no one has ever had sex before marriage and no was has ever cheated after; not in the entire history of the world.
But Wright doesn't stop there; his sex-ed classes, while teaching abstinence only, would also talk about friendship, dating and love, kittens and bunnies. And, he says he wants this bill to pass because he believes that abstinence would lead to lower poverty rates. You know, it's only the poor folk having babies outside of marriage.
Damn them po' people.
Cooler heads, and smarter folks, like Democratic state Representative Carol Spackman say abstinence can't be taught without discussions of contraceptive failures and protecting yourself from sexually transmitted diseases. And even one Republican, Representaive Francis Gibson says that in the school district he represents, the abstinence-only curriculum is not proving effective, as more teens are becoming parents of unplanned children.
Here's the deal: in a perfect world abstinence is the only 100% effective protection from unwanted pregnancy, or sexually transmitted diseases. But, news flash, we do not live in a perfect world. Education, and all manner of choices are needed for teens, and adults, to make responsible sexual choices for themselves.
Utah really needs to get off the train and stay in Progressive Town.


via The HuffPo