Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) has signed a bill that would punish teachers if they discussed “gateway sexual activity” in the classroom.
The amendment describes gateway sexual activity as "sexual contact encouraging an individual to engage in a non-abstinent behavior,” and critics say the language is too broad.
While the bill is meant to stop teachers from talking about groping and oral sex, the bill’s broad language could ban discussions on hand-holding or kissing.
Teachers or groups like Planned Parenthood found in violation of the law can be fined up to $500.
One of groups in support of the bills the Family Action Council of Tennessee, says the new law is a triumph:
“The law in Tennessee is now clear that our schools are to teach students the value of abstinence…For the first time, parents will have meaningful avenues of recourse if teachers or outside organizations teach their child a have-sex-but-just-use-a-condom type of sex education.”
Abstinence-only sex education has not been proven to lower teen birth rates.
In 2011, researchers at the University of Georgia found, “the more strongly abstinence education is emphasized in state laws and policies, the higher the average teenage pregnancy and birth rates.”
Colbert lampooned the controversy on his show, the Colbert Report:
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| The Word - Gateway Hug | ||||
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The right is very, very afraid of sex. Unless it's with a prostitute or someone that isn't your wife.
Hey ed, why not talk about the past 3 years of over 8% unemployment, and the failure of the A.R.R.A..
Then talk about the over 40 million people on food stamps, the most in the history of the county.
And then talk about Obama-care getting shoot down in June.
Or talk about what Tennessee is doing and not what D.C. is doing...
Hey stupida
Why not drop the same crap you've been posting for over 2 weeks. What you just learned to cut and paste and practicing with the same right wing talking points.
Ed has been telling us how Scott Walker is going to get his butt killed in the recall. Turns out Scott is 7 points ahead in the polls.
Not talking points liberal, those are the facts!!!
No matter how far you stick your head in the sand, your rear end still shows.
Fact is that Obama can not run on the economy and his jobs record. Even he knows that much...
Good, maybe they will spend more time teaching math and science, instead of where to put the crisco.
so can someone explain to me why these rightwingers keep trying to take away everyone's civil rights or why they want to cram their beliefs down our throats? i mean really who is being the bullies here. i really don't want a answer to this post, i'm just stating something out loud
Because that is how psychotics get their jollies. They are miserable pieces of crap who try to compensate it by making everyone else as miserable as they are.
Billie, what did you do, take a photo of your grandmother and put it on your profile? You certainly do not talk like a mature individual. And when poor ole whomitmay agrees with you by calling everyone names (by the way, that is all whomitmay can do) then you know you are in trouble.
Hey whomitmay, where are you going to spend eternity when you die?
Hey Billie, I want you to name the civil rights you think "right wingers" are taking away from you. Don't answer me by calling me names. Please list at least 5 things you think are being taken away from you when it comes to civil rights.
Hey whomitmay, do you have any children of your own at home living with you now?
Hey Billie, we certainly cannot afford 4 more years of what we have been through since Jan of 2008. Don't you agree this has been a disaster?
OK Billie, name 5 civil rights that right wingers have taken from you. I am waiting for your answer.
The way I read the bill yesterday, not only can't the "mention" it, but if it happens the teacher can be disciplined. I always thought "behavioral, social and moral" issues were the parents job. Maybe if the schools would let the teacher teach we have much better students.
Thats right Larry. We need to let the teachers teach...........reading, writing, math, social studies, history, English, etc. Not the crap some of them are trying to weave into their teaching which makes this law necessary. I applaud the state of Tennessee for stepping up and doing something about it.
And I thought Florida was "backwards".....oops. In response to the comment from larry74 that behavioral, social, and moral issues were the parents' job....I agree!! EXCEPT....the parents are not doing their job! In the public schools, we have to deal with this lack of "home education" EVERY DAY!! Standards cannot be taught effectively in a classroom of unmotivated, unruly, and disrespectful students. For some reason, the same excuse is given every year during a conference..."he/she never had this problem before...I just don't understand it". And....the cycle continues.
I think you're right about the lack of parental involvement. I also don't think putting more taxpayer money into education will make for better students. We've tried and failed. I think most people aren't equipped to parent children and shouldn't.
I can accept that. When I was in school, a kid acted out they had 2 choices. The boiler room or go home. Once someone had a hack board busted on their a$$, they thought twice before they did it again. Now a teacher raises their voice and the teacher gets on trouble. And I hate to disagree, but nobody ever got "hurt" from a whack on the butt. We take away the schools best disipline and then expect them to take care of everything.
But we won't have to worry about it much longer. The GOP is defunding schools asap.
A whack on the butt is assault and battery.
Backwards Janice? If your 14 year old daughter came home pregnant or with some disease, I'll bet you would change your tune if she said she got ideas from teachers. You people had better wake up. You are right. It is the parent's job to teach and train their children....and to support their child's teachers. You work together. But a few bad apple teachers mess it up with their far left progressive crap.
So ‘we’ as a people (our tax dollars) loan big business money all the time; but ‘WE’ have no protections against them and all the injustices they evoke!
Say what no more of this??? Check Avatar!
As I recall, the simple existence of females can be enough to stir up an adolescent boy. As I further recall, this is considered normal human behavior. Most boys are taught where the line is drawn, and why that line is drawn. Now, if someone fears that the sight of a bare ankle will send young men into an uncontrolled frenzy...
Well if Tennessee votes the right way, will smacking a football player be sexual assault?
They need to get rid of everything that doesn't help the core teachings. Once the students can read and right, they can go to the library and read time magazine.
Related incidence-- at a local baseball game I saw two teenage girls removed from the ballpark for kissing. I checked into that and sure enough-- there is a city ordinance that makes it -"illegal for two minors- of the same sex- to show displays of affection in public"
That's kind of sad... can't touch an adult for that, so the anti-gays go after kids.
Gateway sexual activity probably includes guys showing off their pecs, abs, biceps, etc, so Tennessee will have to legislate that men always wear very loose-fitting, double-layered robes that cover them from neck to feet, and full-coverage hats to hide fancy 'dos that might attract gullible girls (or, horror of horrors, males of the gay persuasion!). Let's get serious about this!!
Rosenthal. It is obvious that the Tennessee Republicans want to create a welfare state. I mean they create a sex ed system that we know will increase unwanted pregnancies of single teen age mothers. Then they suppress the natural urges of those under 18 so that they will obviously turn to compensating activity like smoking drinking or same sex sex which doesn't get anybody with child. They also cut off any avenue for these young women to get an abortion or any family planning so they do it again and maybe even again. Yup, unwed underage mothers and drunken drugged up young men all exercising their second amendment rights for open carry and stand your ground, growing up with no skills or future and then to keep them off the streets and out of the Latino gangs which will threaten even the good people in the suburbs because their kids are in them too, Tennessee will of course create welfare type programs and extra child assistant systems in their enlightened self interest that the Democrats will rail against in 2020. That's what is known as a self fullfilling prophecy.
What century do these people live in??? I am constantly amazed how desperately the conservative right wingers want to revert to the 1900's.
Excuse me. Have you ever heard of the Roaring '20s?
They want to go back to the 1700s. And rewrite the Constitution.
Be interesting to see if Tennessee bans high school wrestling, now.
Sure can't have sweaty boys groping each other... why, that ain't natural... LOL
/sarcasm