Ignorance is Far From Bliss

Today, the Tennessee State Senate passed a bill banning the teaching of homosexuality to students in grades K-8 on the reasoning that "homosexuals don't naturally reproduce" (Sen. Campfield - R Knoxville).  Here is a letter I compiled to my senator after reading the decision.

Esteemed Senator,

I was appalled when I read that my state senate passed legislation banning the education of homosexuality.  This is pure hatred and discrimination.  If we are to ban the teaching of homosexuality on the basis of "natural reproduction" as your colleague Sen. Campfield states is a minuscule loophole.  If we are to keep sexuality of the classroom, both homosexuality and heterosexuality should be banned from elementary and middle school classrooms.  Let us continue to blindfold the children that we are relying to be our future leaders and taking away their education.  Unlike many people in our state and region, I understand that homosexuality is not a choice or a disease; it is a matter of biological chemistry inside one's individual body.  Singling out a single demo-graph with this legislation allows our society to continue to spread it's hatred.  When I look around today, I see religious intolerance against Muslims, societal intolerance against homosexuals from a scared conservative population and ignorance against non-English speaking individuals that reside in our borders (legal or not).  We may no longer recognize Jim Crow but his descendants are coming of age raining hate and intolerance to anything and anybody that is not a white Christian.  The Tea Party movement is truly poisoning progression of our state, country and society.  This legislation, I feel, was a complete waste of state funds.  Sexual reproduction is only mentioned once in the Tennessee State Science Standards in grades K-8 and that is in the 7th grade under hereditary.  In the Health Education Standards, Sexual Transmitted Diseases are mentioned in the standards for 3-5 and 6-8.  If we are to properly educate our future, both sexual preferences, because as we know in State Health Education Standard 7.3 for grades 6-8 abstinence is not always the answer, even though it is the preferred choice of the state.  These children have questions and limiting teachers to not being able to discuss what can and cannot be discussed in the classroom in a controlled environment is a discourteous act to the students as a whole.

Thank you for your time

Michael Dunton

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The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life. - Albert Einstein