‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill will wait a year in Tennessee House; Senate vote this week

LGBTQ Nation

Tennessee State Rep. Bill Dunn said it’s too late in the year for the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill to be approved in the state House, and that he will not pursue passage this year.

Bill Dunn (left) and Stacey Campfield

The bill would prohibit teachers from discussing homosexuality in kindergarten through 8th grade classrooms. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville), says the bill is necessary because homosexuality is a “learned behavior.”

Dunn, also a Knoxville Republican, said he is supportive of the legislation, but it is too late in the legislative session to launch a push for passage of the measure while he is sponsoring several other controversial bills. In the House, the first step toward passage would have been an approval by the House Education Subcommittee, which has closed for the year.
“Stacey waited awfully late to get started,” said Dunn.

The bill could come up for a vote on the Senate floor as early as Thursday.

On Sunday, more than 100 people rallied in Nashville to protest the bill.

Tags: Bill Dunn, Don't Say Gay Bill, Education, Homophobia, Schools, Stacey Campfield, Tennessee

Filed under: Tennessee

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12 more reader comments:

Ashton Marie
wtf
Posted on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 5:33pm
Jeff E. Hudson
Total waste of time.
Posted on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 5:36pm
Pami Taylor
good … maybe by then – the bigoted morons will (hopefully) have a change of heart
Posted on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 5:36pm
Ashley Marie Shand
i don’t see anything wrong with discussing it unless they are using their position as teachers to bash the gay community.
Posted on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 5:43pm
Nisa Bedwell
Will wait a year? How about just throwing it out? That works!
Posted on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 5:45pm
Charles Jenkins
a year or not..they are still ignorant.
Posted on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 5:57pm
Bruce A
Eh, its just a matter of time before these two turn-up at a Gay bar, get caught cruising a bar, park or restroom or hiring a male prostitute
Posted on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 6:05pm
Laci Facer
They should be able to discuss it. Not discussing it only lessens ppls understanding and tolerance and acceptence. Its promoting hate and its promoting alienation. This is just…wow. lets just throw the bill out. I hope to live t see the day when the world isnt so backwards and hateful and afraid of something only because its different.
Posted on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 6:10pm
StanJames
What else would you expect of people who think Jesus second commandment was to hate thy neighbor.
BTW hitler did the same thing with the Jews, not by banning the word Jew, but by shutting up the jews in the ghetto.
the precursor to the holocaust.
And hitler was christian also whwo talked about christian values, his speeches preserved in a book in one of the worlds greatest libraries.
Who also had every soldier wearing a belt buckle that said
“gott mit uns” God is with us.
Sorry for these anything but christians who are taking aa page from the catholic church, which burned books and a banned list until 1966.
Keep them dumb : the goal of some religions, fearful that if people find out the truth, they church will preach only to the dust in the pews and the dust of their departed.
May it come to pass
Posted on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 7:10pm
Kate Benson
It’s past stupid….
Posted on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 7:15pm
Louie Cook
Not surprising. This is all a strategy for the 2012 elections. Many states are saving anti-gay legislation and amendments to bring out the anti-gay voting crowd. To ensure themselves larger Republican victories. :-(
Posted on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 7:27pm
Elyssa
I think he’s just upset that he has a girl’s name. He probably got called a sissy his entire childhood.
Posted on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 8:01pm