A Tennessee family is taking a stand against anti-LGBT legislation and the elected officials supporting it in their state by launching a petition against a local nonprofit that named notoriously anti-gay Tennessee legislator John Ragan “Reformer of the Year.”
John Ragan was the co-sponsor of last year’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, a bill that would have forbid teachers to acknowledge any type of sexuality that isn’t “related to natural human history.” After the “Don’t Say Gay” bill died, Ragan introduced the “Classroom Protection Act” in February of this year, which would force teachers and administrators to out LGBT children to their parents and assist in seeking psychological counseling after.
What’s more, Ragan snagged the public eye again this year in the wake of a gay teen suicide, comparing the gay community with pedophilia, prostitution, and murder.
Earlier last month, controversial nonprofit StudentsFirst, run by former chancellor of the DC public school system Michelle Rhee, awarded John Ragan with the title “Reformer of the Year.” Cue the outrage.
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Ragan’s makeshift award has inspired openly gay 11-year-old Marcel Neergaard and his family to launch a petition on MoveOn.org, demanding StudentsFirst retract Ragan’s title. Neergaard shared his thoughts on the matter in a video for Huffington Post this morning.
Yiannis
An intelligent, eloquent and brave young man with great parents. I shared their petition on my? FB? wall.
Alan down in Florida
It’s kids like Marcel that will change the world. May his life be full of love, joy and happiness.
ait10101
Brave young man indeed. I guess I would have known I was gay by the time I was 11 if it was talked about and the word ‘gay’ was in common use ‘way back then. As it was, it took me a while. The Tennessee bills would take us back to those dark ages.