In Brief

Staff Reports

Tennessee Lawmaker Delays “Don’t Say Gay” Bill Says He Needs Three Weeks To Work Out Bill’s Language

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE -- Republican Representative Joey Hensley, a leading sponsor of legislation to ban the teaching of LGBTQ issues to elementary and middle school students in the state's schools, told the Associated Press Tuesday he’s not backing off the legislation despite concerns from GOP leaders and outrage from LGBTQ activists and their allies. The bill was scheduled to be heard by the House Education Committee today, but Hensley said he plans to delay the measure for up to three weeks to work out its language.

The legislation, known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, would limit all sexually related instruction to “natural human reproduction science” in kindergarten through eighth grade. House Speaker Beth Harwell has called for further review of the bill and Governor Bill Haslam would prefer for it to be dropped. Hensley, however, said he’s moving forward with the proposal this session. The legislation, originally authored by Republican state senator Stacey Campfield, limits all sexually related instruction to "natural human reproduction science" in kindergarten through eighth grade, when students are 13 to 14 years old. The original version of the bill would have prohibited public elementary and middle schools from providing "any instruction or material that discusses sexual orientation other than heterosexuality.” An amended version would limit instruction to "natural human reproduction science,” but has left those terms undefined. Opponents are concerned about the implications across the United States as well as in Tennessee, where two teenagers, Jacob Rogers and Phillip Parker, have recently killed themselves after being bullied over their sexuality. ~ The Associated Press via The Tennessean 

The measure has also run into opposition from local employers who fear that passage of the bill will chill efforts to increase recruitment by firms doing business in the state. FedEx and Dell are among the largest employers in Tennessee and both have strict non-discrimination policies.

Chris Sanders, chairperson of the local Nashville chapter of the Tennessee Equality Project has argued that the bill would leave Tennessee schools to possible legal actions if staff members and faculty discuss LGBTQ issues with students whose parents may not know or approve of their children's sexual orientation.

"On top of that, this legislation sends a very clear message from the top that there is something wrong with being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender," said Sanders. 

He also noted that the bill was an openly transparent attack on LGBTQ people, and there were not any current issues dealing with sexuality in the state's school systems. "I can assure you that there are no elementary or middle school children in Tennessee that are getting a 'how-to' in gay sex," he said.

LGBTQ Friendly Moderate GOP Senator Announces Retirement

Maine Senator Olympia Snowe,(R) 

WASHINGTON -- Maine Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, whom most political insiders agreed is one of the few remaining Republican moderates, announced Tuesday that she will retire at the end of her current term.

"Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term," she said in a statement [Full text Below] explaining her decision to retire.

Snowe said her ability to win re-election was not at issue—she was heavily favored to win re-election. Her exit gives Democrats a new opportunity to be pick up a GOP-held seat in a year where they are fighting to hold on to control of the Senate. Democrats currently control the chamber with a 53-47 split, with 2 independent senators caucusing with Democrats.

Maine's other Republican senator, Susan Collins, reacted saying she was "absolutely devastated" by Snowe's decision to leave the Senate. Snowe has held her Senate seat since 1994. Senator Collins was first elected in 1996.

The Human Rights Campaign has given the Maine Senator a 78% rating on LGBT issues, citing her support of The Matthew Shepard-James C. Bryd Hate Crimes Act, her vote to repeal "Don't Ask-Don't Tell," and her voting against the Federal Marriage Amendment. In 2009 she was the Senate cosponsor of the fully-inclusive ENDA.

Full text Of Senator Snowe's Announcement:

After an extraordinary amount of reflection and consideration, I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate.

After 33 years in the Congress this was not an easy decision. My husband and I are in good health. We have laid an exceptionally strong foundation for the campaign, and I have no doubt I would have won re-election. It has been an indescribable honor and immeasurable privilege to serve the people of Maine, first in both houses of Maine's legislature and later in both houses of Congress. To this day, I remain deeply passionate about public service, and I cherish the opportunity I have been given for nearly four decades to help improve the lives of my fellow Mainers.

As I have long said, what motivates me is producing results for those who have entrusted me to be their voice and their champion, and I am filled with that same sense of responsibility today as I was on my first day in the Maine House of Representatives. I do find it frustrating, however, that an atmosphere of polarization and 'my way or the highway' ideologies has become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions.

With my Spartan ancestry I am a fighter at heart; and I am well prepared for the electoral battle, so that is not the issue. However, what I have had to consider is how productive an additional term would be. Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term. So at this stage of my tenure in public service, I have concluded that I am not prepared to commit myself to an additional six years in the Senate, which is what a fourth term would entail.

As I enter a new chapter, I see a vital need for the political center in order for our democracy to flourish and to find solutions that unite rather than divide us. It is time for change in the way we govern, and I believe there are unique opportunities to build support for that change from outside the United States Senate. I intend to help give voice to my fellow citizens who believe, as I do, that we must return to an era of civility in government driven by a common purpose to fulfill the promise that is unique to America.

In the meantime, as I complete my third term, I look forward to continuing to fight for the people of Maine and the future of our nation. And I will be forever and unyieldingly grateful for the trust that the people of Maine have placed in me, and for the phenomenal friendship and assistance I have received over the years from my colleagues, my supporters, and my staff, both in Maine and in Washington.