Well, this was a nice surprise for those of us who hail from Tennessee:
The so-called “Don’t Say Gay bill,” which perhaps brought more national attention for the Tennessee Legislature than any other piece of legislation, will not be put to a final vote needed for passage, the measure’s House sponsor said Sunday.
The decision by Rep. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, means that SB49 will die with the adjournment of the 107th General Assembly.
[…]
Hensley said the officials of the Department of Education and the state Board of Education have pledged to send a letter to all Tennessee schools “telling them they cannot teach this subject in grades kindergarten through eight.”
“With that assurance and the opposition of some people who didn’t want to vote on it, I’ve decided simply not to bring it up,” said Hensley.
That’s, of course, non-binding, but it’s important to remember that this was a bill intended to address the fever dreams of wingnuts, rather than any sort of discernible reality. The most important thing, at least to me, is that it is still kosher under Tennessee law for a student who’s being bullied because of his or her sexuality to go to a trusted teacher or faculty member, and for that faculty member to be able to provide all the support they can, as they are not restrained from discussing what’s going on.
It could be brought up next year, though, so who knows…
