Post by Ayla on Mar 8, 2016 12:38:53 GMT 8
The Tennessee Family Action Council's David Fowler is outraged that the state Education Department is trying to kill legislation that targets transgender children for bullying and abuse by barring public school students from using bathrooms or showers that correspond to their gender identities.
Instead, under the bill, they’d have to use the bathrooms assigned to people of the sex that’s shown on their birth certificates. It’s on tomorrow’s agenda of the House Education Administration and Planning Subcommittee. More than 75 Tennessee clergy have signed a statement against the bill.
It's widely seen as a mean-spirited attempt by conservative Christians to scapegoat transgender children and vent their frustrations over advancements in gay rights. More than two dozen of these bills have been introduced in legislatures around the country. South Dakota's governor vetoed one of the bills last week.
Fowler is upset because the Education Department is arguing to lawmakers, among other things, that the bill could jeopardize Tennessee's federal education funding. Fowler claims that's not true. On his website, he insists transgender students could prey on girls in bathrooms.
The Tennessee Department of Education needs to stop hiding behind all these specious arguments and develop an ethical spine regarding human sexuality and biology. It needs to say that there is something true about the nature of human biology or there is not, and then support policies accordingly.
Let’s hope the House’s subcommittee will respect the biological differences between the male and female bodies and the value of modesty and send the Department of Education to the school of common sense for some re-education on this subject.
Update: Rep. Susan Lynn defends her bill.
"I’m sorry, there’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like legislation but honestly it's not fair to young ladies and young men to violate their privacy. It's just not fair just because someone suddenly declares that they are something that biologically they’re not.”
Update II: Tennessee ACLU sends letter to governor opposing bill.
“This legislation calls for one group of students to be treated differently from others. Not only is that unlawful discrimination, it can have a devastating impact on young people who are already under tremendous stress and at greater risk of bullying. The governor has a real opportunity here to be a leader in ensuring that transgender students are treated with dignity and respect just like everyone else.”
www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2016/03/07/christian-right-angry-over-haslam-administrations-opposition-to-transgender-bathroom-bill
Instead, under the bill, they’d have to use the bathrooms assigned to people of the sex that’s shown on their birth certificates. It’s on tomorrow’s agenda of the House Education Administration and Planning Subcommittee. More than 75 Tennessee clergy have signed a statement against the bill.
It's widely seen as a mean-spirited attempt by conservative Christians to scapegoat transgender children and vent their frustrations over advancements in gay rights. More than two dozen of these bills have been introduced in legislatures around the country. South Dakota's governor vetoed one of the bills last week.
Fowler is upset because the Education Department is arguing to lawmakers, among other things, that the bill could jeopardize Tennessee's federal education funding. Fowler claims that's not true. On his website, he insists transgender students could prey on girls in bathrooms.
The Tennessee Department of Education needs to stop hiding behind all these specious arguments and develop an ethical spine regarding human sexuality and biology. It needs to say that there is something true about the nature of human biology or there is not, and then support policies accordingly.
Let’s hope the House’s subcommittee will respect the biological differences between the male and female bodies and the value of modesty and send the Department of Education to the school of common sense for some re-education on this subject.
Update: Rep. Susan Lynn defends her bill.
"I’m sorry, there’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like legislation but honestly it's not fair to young ladies and young men to violate their privacy. It's just not fair just because someone suddenly declares that they are something that biologically they’re not.”
Update II: Tennessee ACLU sends letter to governor opposing bill.
“This legislation calls for one group of students to be treated differently from others. Not only is that unlawful discrimination, it can have a devastating impact on young people who are already under tremendous stress and at greater risk of bullying. The governor has a real opportunity here to be a leader in ensuring that transgender students are treated with dignity and respect just like everyone else.”
www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2016/03/07/christian-right-angry-over-haslam-administrations-opposition-to-transgender-bathroom-bill
