More than a dozen stat propose so-lled 'Don't Say Gay' bills : NPR

Contents:

• INDIANA'S ANTI-GAY PROM IS GETTG WORSE
• INDIANA'S 'DON’T SAY GAY' BILL EXPAND MTEE – CLUS RELIG PROTECTNS, NICKNAM
• INDIANA GOVERNOR SIGNS ANTI-GAY 'RELIG FREEDOM' BILL AT PRIVATE CEREMONY
• NOT JT FLORIDA. MORE THAN A DOZEN STAT PROPOSE SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILLS
• EVERYONE WHO IS BOYTTG INDIANA OVER S ANTI-GAY RELIG-EEDOM LAW
• FOX NEWS' CAMPAIGN TO DEFEND INDIANA'S ANTI-GAY “RELIG FREEDOM” LAW
• LGBT ADVOT CALL FOR INDIANA-STYLE BACKLASH AFTER TWO ANTI-GAY BILLS ADVANCE
• ANTI-GAY GRAFFI SPRAY-PATED ON CHTERTON MUNICIPAL COMPLEX SIGN
• HERE ARE 17 MAJOR COMPANI PROTTG STAT' NEW ANTI-GAY LAWS
• NCAA’S MARK EMMERT ON INDIANA ANTI-GAY LAW AND FAL FOUR: ‘THIS IS A VERY BIG AL’
• INDIANA BACKLASH: OPPOSN TO ANTI-GAY LAW GROWS
• ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE AMENDMENT ADVANC IN INDIANA
• DEVOUT CHRISTIANS PROTT INDIANA’S NEW ANTI-GAY LAW. WE NEED MORE OF THIS.
• TONY DUNGY RAISED MONEY FOR ANTI-GAY ORGANIZATN
• INDIANA GOP LEARS SHOCKED THEIR 'RELIG FREEDOM' LAW IS SEEN AS ANTI-GAY

INDIANA'S ANTI-GAY PROM IS GETTG WORSE

Introduced last Thursday and patterned after Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislatn, Hoe Bill 1608 would ban discsns of “genr fluidy; genr rol; genr stereotyp; genr inty; genr exprsn; or sexual orientatn” at the krgarten through third gra levels.

INDIANA'S 'DON’T SAY GAY' BILL EXPAND MTEE – CLUS RELIG PROTECTNS, NICKNAM

Or stay at home while a special-ed teacher parg gay stunts to the mentally disabled ntu to try and throw a parent-sponsored anti-gay prom. RELATED: Jerry Brown Signs Law Requirg Gay History Public SchoolsNews broke, and spread wh viral outrage, over the past few days that a group of parents at Sullivan High School and one special special-tn teacher at another school both want a "straights-only" prom.

It's worth notg that the school isn't actually favor of any this, and that the ntroversy centers on a group of rogue parents who are apparently unfortable wh the ia of gay stunts attendg the annual ftivi.

INDIANA GOVERNOR SIGNS ANTI-GAY 'RELIG FREEDOM' BILL AT PRIVATE CEREMONY

And this is a group of rogue parents who want to throw their own special anti-gay bash.

But as the lol NBC affiliate reports, there's not much the school n do legally — even when the special-ed teacher, one Diana Medley, is makg parisons like this:Homosexual stunts e to me wh their problems, and I don't agree wh them, but I re about them. It's the same thg wh my special needs kids, I thk God puts everyone our liv for a when asked if gays have a purpose life, Medley rpond: No I hontly don't.

NOT JT FLORIDA. MORE THAN A DOZEN STAT PROPOSE SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILLS

A gay person isn't gog to e up and make some change unls 's to realize that was a choice and they're choosg GodMedley don't even teach at Sullivan High. Conversely, a Facebook page Sullivan's gay stunts at prom now has over 17, 000 lik. RELATED: Is the Difference Between The Two Ads Homophobia?

I absolutely hate how my town is gettg lled Anti-Gay Bigots bee a few "Christians" are planng a separate prom! Yet bullyg and harassment of lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) young people  Indiana is a real problem – and Indiana hasn’t taken meangful steps to addrs . Even though her school had a gay-straight alliance, she didn’t jo bee she feared the repercsns of g out at school.

EVERYONE WHO IS BOYTTG INDIANA OVER S ANTI-GAY RELIG-EEDOM LAW

The new law go to effect July the new law:HB 1608 started as a 'don't say gay' bill.

FOX NEWS' CAMPAIGN TO DEFEND INDIANA'S ANTI-GAY “RELIG FREEDOM” LAW

Mike Pence (R) quietly signed legislatn Thursday that uld legalize discrimatn agast lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr dividuals. Sign up for her newsletter, Pipg Hot You Go10 Incredible Improvements For LGBT People Sce The First State Legalized Gay Marriage. Across the Uned Stat, at least a dozen stat are nsirg new legislatn that several ways will mirror Florida's new ntroversial law, referred to by some opponents as "Don't Say Gay.

"The stutnalizatn of the bills is an overt form of stctural transphobia and homophobia, and go agast all public health evince creatg a safe and supportive environment for transgenr, nonbary, queer, gay and lbian youths and teachers to thrive, " Arjee Rtar, assistant profsor of epimlogy at the Universy of Washgton, told NPR. Rtar, a social epimlogist and health equy advote, said the ntroversial bills will lim all youths to live to their fullt potential, addg "there should be no room for transphobia and homophobia — pecially the classroom.

LGBT ADVOT CALL FOR INDIANA-STYLE BACKLASH AFTER TWO ANTI-GAY BILLS ADVANCE

" Tennsee's HB 800 bans books and stctnal materials "that promote, normalize, support, or addrs lbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgenr issu or liftyle. Two years after Arizona lawmakers repealed a law barrg any stctn on HIV or AIDS that that "promot a homosexual liftyle, " they are close to enactg a broad remake of the state's sex tn laws wh a particular foc on LGBTQ issu.

"Florida may be the first this wave, but there have been other laws the past that were lled 'no promo homo' laws, which forbid sayg posive thgs about lbian, gay, bisexual, and queer people classrooms, " Simmons told NPR. New York Cy is lnchg a digal billboard mpaign, supportg LGBTQ visibily that will be displayed five major markets Florida for eight weeks, to lure Floridians unhappy wh their state's "Don't Say Gay" law to the Big Apple, Adams announced. Then, as you might have heard, the legislatn ma a lot of people very giv greater protectns to private bs that choose to discrimate agast homosexual due to the relig beliefs of owners or employe.

When the Arizona state legislature approved a siar bill allowg discrimatn agast homosexuals, wispread boytts of the state, along wh a threat by the NFL to move the followg year’s Super Bowl om Phoenix to Southern California, phed Republin Governor Jan Brewer to veto fact, the backlash to the Indiana bill is already startg to have an effect. Seattle: Mayor Ed Murray, who is gay, has slammed the bill as discrimatory and is banng all cy-fund travel to the state.

ANTI-GAY GRAFFI SPRAY-PATED ON CHTERTON MUNICIPAL COMPLEX SIGN

San Francis taxpayers will not subsidize legally sanctned discrimatn agast lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people by the State of Indiana.

”Not boyttg; jt really madApple: Tim Cook, the openly gay chief of the world’s most profable pany, slammed Indiana’s law and others like , as remiscent of the Jim Crow laws of the Amerin South.

@GovPenceIN Some my band are gay & we have 2 gigs your state next month.

HERE ARE 17 MAJOR COMPANI PROTTG STAT' NEW ANTI-GAY LAWS

@GovPenceIN or maybe I should fire my gay band members jt to be on the safe si.

For months, Fox has touted the stori of a handful of anti-gay photographers, bakers, and florists who refed to provi servic to same-sex upl and were then sued for vlatg non-discrimatn ordanc.

NCAA’S MARK EMMERT ON INDIANA ANTI-GAY LAW AND FAL FOUR: ‘THIS IS A VERY BIG AL’

The work has repeatedly sid wh the anti-gay bs owners, scribg their discrimatory actns as part of a “fight for fah” and cricizg non-discrimatn laws for requirg bs to treat gay ctomers equally:.

In early 2014, those horror stori were the primary argument ed to jtify Arizona's SB 1062, a siar "relig eedom" bill that would have allowed bs owners to turn away gay ctomers on relig grounds.

The sire to protect anti-gay weddg vendors has been the drivg force behd the ph for expand RFRAs stat like Indiana, Geia, and Arkansas. Fox News ntributor Erick Erickson, who has mpaigned aggrsively for Geia's RFRA, specifilly c anti-gay bs owners as needg legal protectn om gay ctomers. Anti-gay groups Indiana ced those same anti-gay bs when makg the se for the state's RFRA.

INDIANA BACKLASH: OPPOSN TO ANTI-GAY LAW GROWS

In fact, as Slate's Mark Joseph Stern pots out, givg bs owners the right to refe service to gay ctomers "was the pot" of Indiana's “relig eedom” law, which helps expla why Gov. Pence was surround by anti-gay activists when he signed the measure.

The emergence of a natnal ph for expand state RFRA laws hasn't occurred a vacuum -- 's happened the ntext of a steady dmbeat of fear mongerg by nservative media, led by Fox News, over the plight of anti-gay bs owners. Pence's disastro March 29 terview on ABC's This Week, durg which he repeatedly failed to answer whether RFRA uld be ed to ny service to gay ctomers, Fox's public relatns mpaign went to overdrive. On Fox's Special Report, NRO's Jonah Goldberg acced gay rights groups of “gog across the battlefield shootg the wound” by refg to allow bs to refe service to gay upl, and Sean Hanny ved Ann Coulter to once aga equate Indiana's RFRA wh other “relig eedom” laws.

On March 30, she appeared on The O'Reilly Factor to state that the Indiana's RFRA is "not that ntroversial" and acce LGBT activists of “explog” the law to “prove their bona fis on gay and lbian rights issu. ” Later, durg The Kelly File, she hosted anti-gay hate group lear Tony Perks while nyg that RFRA was passed orr to create a legal fense for discrimatn.

ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE AMENDMENT ADVANC IN INDIANA

Co-host Steve Doocy announced that the law, which was explicly crafted to protect anti-gay bs owners, wasn't actually anti-gay. On Outnumbered, -host Andrea Tantaros falsely suggted that no bs would refe service to a gay uple, clarg that she don't “see Christian bs refg to serve eggs to anyone.

” Fox senr polil analyst Br Hume clared that Indiana's law uldn't be discrimatory bee "never mentns gay people, " ignorg that proponents of the measure explicly tend RFRA to be ed as an exce to refe to serve same-sex upl. ” O'Reilly siarly cried Pence's announcement as evince that “the gay rights lobby Ameri has now overwhelmed, overwhelmed the Juo-Christian tradn lobby. Tucker Carlson lled LGBT activists "jihadis, " while Gee Will acced Apple CEO Tim Cook, who publicly nmned Indiana's RFRA, of beg a hypocre for dog bs wh anti-gay untri like Sdi Arabia.

For the most part, Fox's verage of the Indiana ntroversy foced on attackg the measure's crics and nyg that the law would allow, or was tend to allow, for anti-gay discrimatn. For over a year, Fox has been helpg anti-gay groups turn bs owners who refe to serve gay ctomers to right-wg hero, cryg basic non-discrimatn laws as attacks on relig eedom.

DEVOUT CHRISTIANS PROTT INDIANA’S NEW ANTI-GAY LAW. WE NEED MORE OF THIS.

Durg the bate over Arizona's “relig eedom” law, for example, Fox News was forced to back away om the legislative quagmire that helped create, regnizg how poorly the public was reactg to the ia of allowg bs to refe service to gay ctomers. It's a narrative that ni the mountg evince that laws like Indiana's RFRA are explicly tend to give anti-gay bs owners a legal fense for refg to serve gay ctomers. Fox News' fense of Indiana's RFRA tentnally whewash the anti-gay anim that has for months motivated right-wg efforts to protect “relig eedom” -- anim that Fox self has been rponsible for brgg to a natnal dience.

Gay rights advot began soundg the alarm Wednday after two anti-LGBT bills cleared Hoe mte and another received a favorable hearg. Miller ma the statement on a day when separate Hoe panels advanced bills that would bar unty clerks om issug same-sex marriage licens and allow state-fund adoptn agenci to turn away gay upl based on relig beliefs.

— Someone spray-pated an anti-gay slur on a town’s municipal plex sign earlier this week Northwt Indiana, acrdg to a police report.

TONY DUNGY RAISED MONEY FOR ANTI-GAY ORGANIZATN

AppleOn Friday, Apple CEO Tim Cook, who me out as gay last October, jumped to the bate, cricizg the Indiana law and llg on Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchson to veto s is open for everyone.

RelatedBsapplewalmartgayMike Pence.

INDIANA GOP LEARS SHOCKED THEIR 'RELIG FREEDOM' LAW IS SEEN AS ANTI-GAY

Jt days before the Fal Four Indianapolis, NCAA Print Mark Emmert spoke more forcefully about Indiana’s new Relig Freedom Rtoratn Act, which allows bs to refe to serve gay ctomers the name of relig an terview wh ESPN’s Andy Katz, Emmert said that the NCAA wants to hold s champnship an “clive” environment and “right now we’re not sure that we have that” Indianapolis, which is also home to the NCAA’s headquarters. As long as anti-gay legislatn exists any state, I strongly believe big events such as the Fal Four and Super Bowl should not be held those stat’ ci. Add Angie's List to the roster of pani and bs terts takg a stand agast Indiana's new anti-gay law.

" Indiana's Relig Freedom Rtoratn Act giv bs owners who oppose homosexualy for relig reasons the right to turn away gay, lbian and transgenr people.

They note that Indiana don't currently have any laws prohibg discrimatn agast gay people. Related: Tim Cook 'disappoted' by Indiana anti-gay law NCAA: "We are pecially ncerned about how this legislatn uld affect our stunt-athlet and employe. But gay rights activists are fur.