Anti-Homosexuality Bigotry’s Last Stand in Tennessee

Just days after a Gallup poll revealed that 53% of Americans no longer oppose same sex marriages, Tennessee’s State Senate passed a measure that would make it illegal for public school teachers in the state to discuss homosexuality with elementary and middle school students contending such discussion is not age appropriate.

Here’s the latest as reported by the New York Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/05/21/2011-05-21_dont_say_gay_bill_passes_in_tennessee_senate_would_ban_teachers_from_discussing_.html

The tide has changed. During the 2000 Presidential election, the public learned that one of Vice President Richard and Lynn Cheney’s daughters was a Lesbian. The public had become used to major figures in entertainment being homosexual from tennis stars Billy Jean King, one of the first to openly reveal her orientation and Martina Navratilova likewise being lesbian. Figures like Ellen DeGeneres, Melissa Manchester, and Elton John maintained their popularity despite their orientation. Rational people quickly began to discard obscene notions that homosexuality is learned, is contagious, or the result of a bad upbringing. Churches too began to change their stance including a branch of the Episcopal Church which would ordain openly homosexual clergy.

In 2011, society has gotten to the point where just about all arguments against homosexuality now seem conspicuously bigoted and church doctrine that would turn against homosexuality seems antiquated and arbitrary.

One of the so-called Biblical guns in found in Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

If this is the case against homosexuality, society appears far more tolerant toward some of the other “sinful” expressions noted. Other passages, some from the Old Testament are even more ambiguous.

Once the issue of sexual preference is reexamined by constitutional standards, discrimination against homosexuals cannot stand as it clearly by its very nature violates equal protection by law.

Prejudices die a long and painful death. Certainly a strong racist component and prejudice against certain nationalities became all too apparent in the Obama birth certificate issue. Can anyone imagine that if Barack Obama were white or his name was Jerry Rice or Bill Cosby, the shameful “birther” phenomenon would have emerged?

In 2012, it’s time to eliminate all legal barriers which allow discrimination on the basis of sexual preference. The Tennessee action seems like that of backwoods yokels and not rational thinkers in the 21st century.

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