ARGH!! TN Senate Approves Bill To Warn Students That Hand-Holding Is A ‘Gateway Sexual Activity’

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/04/13/463317/tennessee-anti-hand-holding/

Tennessee Senate Approves Bill To Warn Students That Hand-Holding Is A ‘Gateway Sexual Activity’

By Scott Keyes on Apr 13, 2012 at 8:30 am


Like any state legislature dealing with 8 percent unemployment and thousands of its residents facing disenfranchisement, the Tennessee Senate is targeting the menace of underage hand-holding.

Last week, the Senate passed SB 3310, a bill to update the state’s abstinence-based sex education curriculum to define holding hands and kissing as “gateway sexual activities.” Just one senator voted against the legislation; 28 voted in favor.

Since the bill specifically bans teachers from “demonstrating gateway sexual activity”, educators would be prohibited from even demonstrating what hand-holding is. Breaking these laws could result in a lawsuit, as Hunter from Daily Kos notes:

If your teacher teaches you anything about sex that isn’t specifically on the approved curriculum, like demonstrating “holding hands” for the class instead of quietly tsking about the dangers it poses, they can be sued.

Still, this anti-hand-holding push may only be the second-worst bill passed in Tennessee this month. Nearly a century after the Volunteer State played host to the Scopes Monkey Trial, the legislature has now enacted a new law allowing educators to teach creationism alongside evolution.

[kestrel91316]

1. And parents who hold their children's hands are engaging in pedophilia.

That's the message children will take home from this. Oh, and that girls who are buddies can't hold hands because that's lesbianism.

No wonder so many LIBERALS have turned to homeschooling......

[TrogL]

2. Yeah, it could lead to dancing

[PDJane]

3. Oh, Christ on a pogo stick.

These people are trying to drag us all back to the days of bloomers and hoop skirts. What the hell is wrong with these people?

[smirkymonkey]

30. They are projecting their own sick urges onto everyone else...

I was reading an article in New York magazine this morning that was discussing smut literature and erotica. There was a map showing what percentage was read by region. The South was by far the highest, followed closely by the Midwest (funny that it was the red states!) and the West dropped significantly behind the Midwest with the Northeast in dead last at 17%.

I would have thought it would have been the other way around, but it makes me wonder if the most outwardly sexually repressed people are actually the most sexually perverse in practice.

[onehandle]

4. Uh-oh...

[Wait Wut]

12. LOL!

Awesome!

[zappaman]

17. Thank you for that! n/t

[intaglio]

32. It's definitely the look of love n/t

[Judi Lynn]

50. You're so right. Here's the natural conclusion of that gateway behavior:

[center][/center]

[DisgustipatedinCA]

5. Kind of like drawing a breath is a gateway to eventual death

Right. So Johnny and Suzie will be learning about Jesus and the dinosaur petting zoo he ran, but they'll also be warned, as a matter of public health, about the slutty practice of hand-holding.

They should just be ridiculed and shamed until they lose their seats, back down, repeal this sort of garbage, and not bring up new legislation based on twisted rightwing religious beliefs. I think Facebook is probably a wonderful vehicle for this ridicule, since many people have friend lists scattered all over the map--the citizens of Tennessee, even the Republicans, will be ashamed to call that state home if they keep being ridiculed for their legislaters' acute cases of troglodytia.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. Not to mention winking and sharing lollipops!

[mactime]

7. I always hoped it would be

a gateway to sex but it hardly ever was.

[Go Vols]

22. +1

[Ezlivin]

8. "You don't wanna hold my hand? Then hold this..."

I wonder if holding other body parts is also off limits?

[Rex]

9. How do these people find work!?!?!?

When did we take the WORST from society and allow them into the halls of power? I cannot understand how these people manage to hold a job! Not with that kind of crap legislation.

[KansDem]

10. Next will be legislation restricting hugging...

...only to the Christian "side-hug!!!"

"Front hugging" will result in fines and imprisonment!!!

[Johnny Noshoes]

13. Oh no...

This video and this concept is just so monumentally idiotic and embarassing. I mean really.

[Kalidurga]

11. Sooooooooooo, was Hands Across America...

an orgy?

[postulater]

14. Imagine if you were breast-fed!!!!

[Blue_Tires]

15. Well, in all fairness, I am *very* good with my hands

[Typical NYC Lib]

16. And registering as a Republican is...

a gateway to a lobotomy.

As for your final paragraph, sister, you might like http://www.democraticunderground.com/101721816

[IcyPeas]

18. "looking" at somebody is another gateway....

next they will be separating boys from girls in schools. or just ban girls from school altogehter. Do what the Taliban does, cover up those females who tempt males.

[slampoet]

19. Look for five year olds to get hit crossing the street on field trips.

Looks like the buddy system was murdered by the legislature.

[Cal33]

20. Right-wingers believe they have nothing more serious to do than legislating about hand-holding

[Quantess]

21. This is probably the dumbest thing I've read all week!

[Lucy Goosey]

23. Why don't they just mandate burkas for women and get it over with?

Christian burkas, naturally - not those evil mooslim ones. No Sharia law here! Maybe we should rename burkas. Jesus sheets? Purity pods?

[felix_numinous]

24. Bring on the Dark Ages!!

Witch burnings, torture, shame, thought crimes, serfdom, ignorance and hypocrisy--what could be better?!!!!

[Codeine]

25. "Don't forget, you're holding her hand and the hand of everyone with whom she's ever held hands."

Cooties, dude. Cooties.

[drm604]

26. This is from The Onion right? Please tell me this is from The Onion.

Wow. This is Poe's law on overdrive.

It's not just the idea that they're trying to warn children away from hand holding. that's terrible and sad by itself, but by using the term "gateway" they're essentially analogizing sex to drugs. "Marijuana is a gateway to harder drugs". "Hand holding is a gateway to sex".

Hell, looking at a pretty face can be a "gateway" (if we must use that term) to sex. Are we going to start requiring burqas?

[ZombieHorde]

27. How depressing. nt

[my2sense]

28. Oh My Damn

...that is all.......

[Initech]

29. Psst! Nobody tell them this is the sharia law they hate so much!

[sakabatou]

31. WTF?!

[truebrit71]

33. This is the height (or depth) of absolute, complete stupidity...

Who is dumber, the asshat that wrote the legislation, or the dumbfucks that voted them into office...

What a bunch of idiots...

[intaglio]

34. Tennessee ...

on it's way to becoming a corrupt 3rd World country or should that be 3rd Century country?

[benld74]

35. Damn, WHAT are they smokin down there! I DONOT want ANY of it!!!!

[DFW]

36. I can hear Abraham Lincoln's ghost now..........

"On second thought, go ahead. We'll manage without you, and Egypt makes better cotton and cheaper, too!"

[GeorgeGist]

37. Aw Jeez

?1240934151

[PoliticAverse]

38. What about dancing ? n/t

[Ms. Toad]

39. Here is the actual definition - no hand holding or kissing I can find..

“Gateway sexual activity” means sexual contact encouraging an individual to engage in a non-abstinent behavior

SB 3310, Section 2, Paragraph 7.

I've seen several articles saying the bill specifically defines hand holding and kissing as gateway sexual activities, but have been unable to find actual links (or specific references to the provision that does this). I did a word search on both the house and senate versions of the bill, and all three senate amendments and cannot find the word "hand" or "kiss" in any of them.

Anyone have an actual link?

(I am not saying the bill is a good thing - it stinks. But if we're ridiculing it because it bans demonstrating hand holding as a gateway sexual activity, we better be able to point to that provision of the bill.)

ETA: Sexual contact is only defined one place I can find in Tennessee statues - in the context of sexual abuse of a minor or of an inmate or parolee by an agent of the corrections system, "sexual contact" means "intentionally touches or kisses the minor's lips with the defendant's lips if such touching can be reasonably construed as being for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification." (TCA 39-13-501, 39-16-408, and 39-16-409)

[malaise]

40. Jebus fugging krist - what is the difference between these barbarians and

the Taliban?

[drm604]

41. You know, we all make jokes about this, myself included, but if you think about it it really is sad.

These people are terrified of simple human contact and affection. It's like they're ashamed of being human and having bodies.

They want to suck all the joy out of life.

[hifiguy]

42. Many of the Xtianists

are truly ashamed of their own humanity. No wonder they are so blighted and stunted in every way.

[Go Vols]

43. .

A teacher friend of mine says holding hands has been recently banned at the school she teaches in,but its not banned at a closer school in the same county.

[jsmirman]

44. You'll pardon me if I don't

shake hands with you...




lunatics

[indepat]

45. Look to the state infamous for the Scopes Monkey Trial to allow proselyting in public schools

in seeming contravention of the separation of church and state clause. Frickin' religious zealots, the whole lot of Republican legislators.

[Duppers]

46. The pulpits are trying to run/ruin the state.

I hope there's a huge backlash in a few years, especially since my hubby is dead set on moving back - he wants to enjoy and hike those beautiful mountains in his retirement.

[Art_from_Ark]

47. It's all the fault of those dad-blasted Beatles, durn it!

[jillan]

49. LOL!!!!!!!

[jillan]

48. Are you sure this isn't from Arizona?

WTF is going on here?? These people are insane!