Tag Archives: Tennessee

Details. (Tipped by JMG reader Daniel)

Tennessee GOP state Sen. Brian Kelsey has introduced a bill that would legalize anti-gay discrimination on the basis of “sincere religious beliefs.” Similar bills have recently been filed in several other states. From the text of Kelsey’s bill: Religion and Religious Organizations – As introduced, permits persons and religious or denominational organizations, based on sincere religious belief, to refuse to …

Cuckoo bird anti-gay crackpot and former SNL cast member Victoria Jackson, who sees communists everywhere, has declared her candidacy for county commissioner in Tennessee. Jackson, who moved to Thompson’s Station last year, is petitioning as an independent to become a candidate for one of two District 2 commission seats, currently held by commissioners Betsy Hester and John Hancock. In recent …

Details. (Tipped by JMG reader David)

I guess they didn’t appreciate yesterday’s freeping because the Chattanooga Free Press has reposted their poll with slightly different wording. (Tipped by JMG reader Chuck)

From the Times Free Press: The Hamilton County Election Commission has verified enough signatures on a petition to repeal the city’s controversial domestic benefits ordinance. Mark West of the local PAC Citizens for Government Accountability and Transparency and president of the local tea party has already turned in 8,900 signatures and plans to turn in nearly 10,000 by the 4 …

And now we’re back up to twenty states where marriage lawsuits have been filed. Via press release from the National Center for Lesbian Rights: Today, four legally married same-sex couples who live in Tennessee filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Nashville, challenging Tennessee laws that prevent the state from recognizing their marriages and treating them the same as …

Saying that she does not need the permission of the city council to do so, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero has ordered the city to expand domestic partner benefits to LGBT employees of the city.   “Last year, we expanded our employee nondiscrimination ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity. This change in our benefits ensures that we are treating everyone …

The poll is on the lower right. (Tipped by JMG reader Joseph) RELATED: When we freeped the American Family Association last week, they reset their poll to zero several times before deleting it entirely. Great work!

Clip recap: “We have breaking news from New Mexico, where lawsuits and rulings are coming faster than ever. Plus Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett is unhappy to discover his lawyers insulting gay and lesbian couples. And Tennessee is launching an aggressive campaign to overturn the state’s marriage ban.”

Two weeks ago I reported that the small Tennessee town of Collegedale had become the first in the state to offer benefits to the partners of LGBT employees. Among the people that supported the measure was openly gay Collegedale police officer Kat Cooper and her wife. In retaliation, a local church has booted Cooper’s relatives out of the congregation. Leaders …

RELATED: You may recall that Rep. Scott DesJarlais’ (R-TN) campaign website bills him as working to outlaw abortion and as a defender of God-ordained man-woman marriage “and PROUD OF IT.” But in typical Teapocrisy style, his own divorce papers revealed him to be an adulterer many times over who pressured one of his mistresses to abort his child.

Via Out & About Nashville, more action in Tennessee: After announcing that they would begin encouraging same-sex couples to apply for Tennessee state marriage licenses at their monthly community meeting last week, the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) joined couples this morning seeking to not only apply for a marriage license but also clarify the standing of existing marriages. Davidson County …

Monday night the small Tennessee town of Collegedale became the first in the state to offer benefits to the partners of LGBT employees. For some walking out the doors of Collegedale City Hall on Monday night, that distinction is a badge of honor and a far-reaching victory. For other residents of the small town, it’s a heavy disappointment in what …

Chattanooga Free Press editor Drew Johnson has been fired after the above-titled editorial went viral across Teabagistan. According to the paper, the headline was “inappropriate” and “outside of normal editing procedures.” “It was not the original headline approved for publication, and Johnson violated the normal editing process when he changed the headline,” the Free Press wrote Thursday. “The newspaper’s decision …

The New York Times is wondering what Ken Mehlman’s legacy will be regarding LGBT rights. Mr. Mehlman, 46, remains the hyper-intense, guarded strategist he was in his Bush days, with the same habit of looking past people instead of meeting their eyes. He shuns most interviews and still deflects personal questions, as he did back when rumors about his sexuality …

The Tennessean reports: About half of Tennesseans support legal recognition of same-sex couples, an apparent shift in their views as states across the country have moved toward allowing gay marriage. A poll conducted this month for Vanderbilt University found that 49 percent of Tennesseans support gay marriage or civil unions while 46 percent are opposed to both, suggesting the state …

“I disappeared for awhile because my family just moved to TN!! I love it so much! Smack dab in the buckle of the Bible belt. I’m gonna fight the Murfreesboro Mosque and Agenda 21 because I love this land, God’s country. One of my neighbors keeps his horse in his front yard! I love that! I saw a cardinal, a …

The guy behind Tennessee’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill is at it again. A Tennessee state senator is being slammed for insensitivity to the Boston Marathon bombing victims after posting an illustration of a pressure cooker – like the ones used in last week’s deadly attack – to mock gun control advocates. Republican Stacey Campfield posted an illustrated image of an …

So this happened. Somehow. A former Tennessee politician was arrested and charged with indecent exposure after he allegedly masturbated out his car window while driving 90 mph on Interstate 26 earlier this year. Apparently this is not a new multi-tasking endeavor for the former Mount Carmel vice mayor — the charges mirror complaints made him against him several years ago …