Tennessee House Representative Stacey Campfield makes us say “Hmmmm…”
The single 40-year old proposed legislation earlier this month that would prohibit “gay speak” in the state’s elementary and middle school. Said Campfield:
We’re not going to teach about topics that I think should be taught at home in the first place. We’re not going to teach about homosexuality, the homosexual lifestyle, the lesbian lifestyle, the transgendered lifestyle. We’re going to leave that up to families to decide when it’s age appropriate, when it isn’t appropriate, and what they want to tell their children.
Campfield’s exclusion certainly doesn’t break new ground – countless politicians and activists have called for similar bans in the past. Campfield’s timing, however, couldn’t be worse.
As regular readers know, a 15-year old California teen named Lawrence King officially died this weekend after being shot by a classmate. Speculative students say the shooter – Brandon McIrney – took issue with King’s effeminate ways and love of lady’s clothing. Unfortunate, then, that Campfield defended his legislation by warning of a California-like gay infiltration: “They’ve banned using ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ in books. This is not what our schools should be focused on.”
Incidents such as King’s death would be much more prevalent in Campfield’s world. What if a parent doesn’t want to teach their kid anything? Or – in an extreme example – they teach their child that gays should be shot in the face?
How about we take this to the next level?
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Should school officials just sit by and let the Culture Wars claim more youthful casualties? We think not, obviously, but we’re pretty grossed out that a public official such as Republican Campfield would be blind to the dangerous environment he’s tacitly endorsing. It’s absolutely mind-boggling, as is his assertion that the proposal isn’t “anti-gay”. It’s “middle of the road,” apparently. Where that road goes, we don’t know, but definitely somewhere ugly.
DavidDust
TOTAL gayface.
Judas
The road goes to an ugly place – like his face
mozzer13
It isn’t like they’re advocating just leaving it to parents either. This asshole is teaching by example. If the legislature passes this law, they’re telling gay kids that the state thinks they’re worthless.
Kid A
The problem is that a grand majority of parents don’t talk to their kids about sex, let alone homosexuality, and if they do, it is likely to be incredibly inaccurate or religiously motivated.
dvlaries
40, never been married, and Ken doll-handsome? There’s gotta be stories, queerty. Find them.
ninebone
This is a representative from Knoxville, who last year proposed an abortion bill requiring a ‘death certificate’ be issued for each abortion performed and a ‘mandatory’ 10 day waiting period before the abortion was performed.
dcguys
I’d combine Mozzer13’s comments w/Kid A’s. First ‘mom & pop’ give bad info, then the state tells me I’m worhless…or maybe breaking the law? I don’t have kids, but wouldn’t want them to grow up in that world!
Smartypants
Given the Reciprocal Law of Republican Sexuality (that is, the louder they squeal about sexual “decency” the bigger the impending sex scandal), I’d estimate the studly Mr. Stacy Campfield (could his name get much gayer?) will be busted for trying to pick up a teenager at a church camp revival meeting while cross-dressing in a black cocktail dress with mismatched shoes and handbag.
Smartypants
Ok, my bad. I should have googled before my last post. Then I would have seen that Stacey has his own blog called Camp4u (!) where calls himself “Just an average guy” and claims his favorite book as “the bible”. His occupation is listed as “house redeveloper”, which to me sounds suspiciously like “home decorator”. This guying is just begging to be outed. See it all at http://www.lastcar.blogspot.com/
devilgirl
This from a man named Stacy. *sigh*
leomoore
He also tried to join the Tennessee legislature’s black caucus then used the caucus’s refusal as a sign of racism. So does that mean if a Tennessee Democratic legislator (yes there are some) wanted to join the GOP caucus while remaining a Democrat would that be a sign of political bigotry?
Another of his proposals was to issue death certificates for aborted fetuses and embryos. As was rather reasonably pointed out, a death certificate would seem to require a certificate of live birth.
In a conservative, Ken-doll, protestant-preacher sort of way, he’s kind of good looking. I’ve always had a bit of a thing for ginger-haired men. I could visualise him with his legs in the air in a cheap hotel.
A man who is single at 40 and has no mental or physical health problems precluding sex is highly unlikely to be a virgin whatever his orientation. If he is, it could explain his underlying problem, and he just needs to get laid. A lifetime of chastity is not a healthy thing in my opinion. I never saw anything good coming from it.
Vito in PSP
Good call Smartypants! Everything about this guy screams ‘self-loathing closet case’. Especially given what happened in Oxnard this past week, he should be ashamed of introducing this piece of homophobic sh*t, oops ‘legislation’. Girls, it’s time to dig up the dirt on this scoundrel and out, Out, OUT the b*st*rd! It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
hells kitchen guy
I could definitely hate-fuck him, but then I’ve always had a thing for bland redheads.
Uptown James
Don’t my representative got a purty mouth?
Pete
He’s considered a bit of a wingnut even in Tennessee. He’s also proposed arming University employees in response to the NIU shooting. If you’d like to learn more about lobbying against this bill in the TN General Assembly, go to http://www.tnep.org. Join the Tennessee Equality Project for Advancing Equality Day on the Hill in Nashville on Tuesday February 19th.
Shane
I always thought that tired cliche of the closeted gay man as our worst enemy was just that, a tired cliche but you know, I think there might be some credence to those pesky rumors.
alan brickman
another gayface hating the gays…big surprise…
leomoore
When a politician in Tennessee or my state of residence, Georgia, is considered a wingnut within his or her state, we are talking about some seriously distorted thinking.
J Glenn
They aren’t “blind” to it; they know & they DON”T care.
It’s all about the hatred folks.
They just disguise the hate with fear-inducing fallacies to lead others more easily to “their” conclusions.
Markj
I call for a ban then on teaching hetero education, lets just let all our kids live in ignorance…
What if we proposed a bill banning everybook where a woman and man falls in love, WE would have the same ground as them.
Homophobes is what they are
Jim Boyd
Most all the barbs thrown here at Representative Campfield are by gays and gay supporters. Read through the attacks. What is the most-used epithet that they throw?
“He’s gay.”
What does that REALLY say about those who are trying to insult Campfield? What are Campfield’s opponents really saying about themselves?
Interesting that those who wallow in their perversions figure that the best way to cut down an opponent is to attempt to drag him/her down into the same slime in which they themselves wallow.
How queer. How very, very queer.
chadnnocal
I just listened to him on Michelangelo Signorile. This man is a Dumb Ass and divisive leader!
He is not gay. He is Bigot that demonstrates a shallow or complete lack of knowledge and emotion around LGBT issues. He came across as manipulative and conning in all of his responses.
He is clearly a narcissist that is looking to extend his political career by riding the coat tails of other Red State hate mongers like Sally Kern and Chris Buttars.