Brad Palmertree, the co-chair of the Middle Tennessee chapter of the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, was the featured speaker at the Institute for Civic Engagement’s Times Talk on Feb. 15 where he spoke about current LGBTQ-related legislation that is pending in the Tennessee Legislature.
According to GLSEN, it is the only organization in the state committed solely to creating safe spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer and questioning, or LGBTQ, youth. One of GLSEN’s biggest projects is providing free safe-space kits for middle and high schools.
Palmertree discussed many issues that the LGBTQ community faces, as well as how one can show support for LGBTQ students.
“You can show your support for LGBTQ students by simply being visible and showing support when they come out to you. You can also show support by responding to anti-LGBTQ legislation, and support the LGBTQ clubs at high schools and middle schools,” Palmertree said.
Palmertree explained that many refer to Senate Bill 49/House Bill 229 as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which would prohibit all teachers and social workers in grades K-8 from addressing any LGBTQ issues with students.
“To me, I see religious motivation. I don’t really see how they think they can get away with that,” said Sean Boers, a senior Political Science major.
“I can’t believe the representatives have allowed it to come to this point, and I think it would be a detriment to the schools and students everywhere if this were to pass,” said Michael Martin, a senior Fashion Merchandising major and president of UTM ALLIES.
Palmertree also said that Senate Bill 760/House Bill 1153 is nicknamed the “License to Bully” bill, which, upon passage, would only provide protection from bullying for students who had a threat of physical, and not mental or emotional, harm. The bill was recently pulled, and the Tennessee Equality Project, or TEP, is working on finding “more acceptable language” for the bill.
Many students at Times Talk showed concern for the LGBTQ-related bills currently in the legislature.
“It really scares me. It reminds me of the Civil Rights Movement, and I want to see our country progress forward instead of taking a step back,” said Misty Dunlap, an Interdisciplinary Education graduate student.
Palmertree encouraged members of the audience to contact their representatives on the issues, and several students agreed.
“The need for students to contact their representatives is probably the most important thing outside of voting. It lets them know that we are actually paying attention to what they are doing.
“As students, we should strive to write the best policies for our future because our representatives should represent our best interests in their capacities,” said Trenton Woodley, a senior Political Science major.
