Tennesee Baptists: Trollin up state law

Nashville, Tenn. was the most recent U.S. city to add gender identity anti-discrimination laws to their local ordinances. Tennesee, itself, then saw the praise of national organisations to Nashville, and realised it was time to get serious as well. The bill passed, and now all Tennesee buisnesses and other places of employment must add sexual orientation and gender identity to their policies.

The Southern Baptists (what else is new?) instantly introduced a bill to reverse it. And it passed the Tennesee House. *Sigh*

Opponents were using outdated arguments to try and prove themselves. I believe their true goal here is to annoy the Senate until they give up and pass it.

Let me explain what the anti-discrimination bill would do. It's mandating that policies and local government follow the federal anti-discrimination. It should make perfect sense to the patriotic citizens (and, by precedent, we know this group strives for.)

Give it up, Baptists. You'll never be able to make this sound like it makes sense.

But can I say puff...?

The first amendment says we can say whatever the fuck we want (in theory). So can SOMEONE please tell me why Tennessee passed a bill today to make it illegal to say the word or discuss "gay" or "homosexual" in public schools? *groan*

This bill is a disgrace. It says that teachers aren't allowed to bring up any GLBT topic in grades before 9th. This means anywhere, not just IN class. It makes it illegal for a guidance counselor to help a struggling gay teen, and it makes it illegal for a gay teen to express any pain he or she or ze is feeling. I'm waiting to see the suicide rate in this state.

This is ridiculous and a mockery to all that America is for! *hidesBritishaccenttemporarily*

Check it: http://unicornbooty.com/2011/04/tn-senate-passes-dont-say-gay-bill/ Btw, this is my new favourite site :]

"Damn you, Mary(land). I loved you."

Well, last week, my article was almost on this bill going up at all, and this week, I now have to sadly inform that the bill (Gender Identity Discrimination for Maryland) has died and won't be coming back soon http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/04/11/Md_Gender_Identity_Dies_in_Senate/

Sucks to be Maryland. :/

Got any skeletons in your closet?

This guy does. http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/04/07/5000-year-old-skeleton-gay-caveman-archaeologists-say/?test=faces

At first I was slightly annoyed because they were trying to claim he was "gay" in the article when that made no sense whatsoever. Luckily, the article recovered and went on to say trans instead. :]

Isn't this a children's game or something?

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/cross-dressing-at-work-anyone/story-e6frg71x-1226019329224


This is just incredible. Australia has implemented a new system to promote gender equity. Apparently, now employers must report the number of women working for them and if the number isn't high enough, the government won't back them for help.

It's the ultimate torture for industries with shortages of women, like engineering and computer repair.

The article jokingly suggests people transition genders to make the numbers. I approve.

So question Australia: If a government firm doesn't match the numbers, will you stop backing yourselves?

Bible? Gender-inclusive? Huh?

Well, the 2011 NIV has unveiled its revisions... and brothers are now people, apparently.

The Committee on Biblical Translation is the organisation that publishes the "bible for the common-man". (Or I suppose bible for the common-PERSON now... commoner? Hm.) They unveiled earlier this year that their 2011 revision of the translation has been reworked to include more gender neutral wording.

God, no question, is still He. Also, the committee has stated that certain passages (the article used "Man shall not live on bread alone" as an example) that have common use are left as original. Though it should be noted that this translation previously worded that line as "People do not live on only bread" in the past, and yet in this new "gender-inclusive" rework, they brought back the original line.

I find the criticism involved in the release a little confusing. There are conservatives who are complaining there's an agenda being pushed. What else is new.

Although, those same people (presumably) know that these words ARE the originals. As author Joel Hoffman points out, the original word in the greek text is "anthropos". You don't need to be an English major to see that that word is the gender neutral "people".

So go figure. 1400 years later, and the true "undying" Word has yet to be ingrained in the heads of its readers. Maybe the original text also uses the pronoun for "green scaly alien" for God.

Now I know what you're thinking,

A day late? Scandalous! I have very good reason however. I wanted to see how my fight for workplace equality went.

I work at Wendy's, which has a strong anti-discrimination policy. However, I have an issue with the managers it would seem. They almost all call me by my birth name. This is troublesome because I present female at work. It literally is psychologically tolling and physical endangerment. The wrong person hears I'm trans and I could be beat up on the way home.

The ACLU caught wind of my complaining. They expressed wishes to use me as a reasonability request for making workplace policy in NJ to have mandatory social recognition rights for trans workers. As a medically diagnosed GID patient, I shouldn't be subjected to mental attacks such as being referred to as my temporarily legal name. All of my co-workers respect me. Hell, we have a drag queen there as well. However, I don't want my superiors to ass-ume ignorantly that the fact that he still identifies male means I must too. I have attempted to explain this to some of the managers. One had the gall to respond "Well, that's not the name on the sheet, so I'm not calling you that". Know how some people have that mental thought they wish they could yell but don't? I don't have that. I yelled back at her, "Yeah? Check my name tag, listen up to everyone around you, you're the only one a prick enough to disrespect a medical condition. Marianne (the general manager) would LOVE to hear this, no?"

She never went to Marianne about it, though I did set the restaurant on fire later that day to make a point. (I only set the fryer on fire, and that's a lie. it was my stupidity that did it xD).

My problem is... I don't WANT a lawyer getting involved. Do you know how awesome it would be to be able to make it legally obligated to be recognized as your actual gender in the workplace? But I don't want to have a lawyer involved to do that. I talked to Marianne, and hopefully it stops.

Is it weird that I can't trust in the law? This class is all about public policy and law,  yet, I don't trust in getting law involved. Am I scared? Is the world scared? It's not that I'm afraid of outing myself to the state. I've done that already. Why are people so afraid to believe that fighting for what's right will get you anywhere? I realize now that this is why so many things are silenced. People fear they are alone in their thoughts and don't do anything about it. (That, and people could lose their jobs over suing the workplace, and I need the money.)

So that's my two cents. I'm interested to see how things will go the next time I go to work. Fuck the man.