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Amy Bell signed Censure Commissioner Hurst, make Sevier County policies inclusive 2019-10-28 19:18:49 -0500
Censure Commissioner Hurst, make Sevier County policies inclusive
The racist and homophobic comments of Sevier County Commissioner Warren Hurst have shocked people across the country. Please, add your name to protest his divisive words and call for policy change in Sevier County, Tennessee. We will deliver your signatures to the Sevier County Government in November at the next county commission meeting.
To the Honorable Larry Waters, Mayor of Sevier County, and to the honorable members of the Sevier County Commission:
Calls have gone out across the country for Commissioner Warren Hurst to resign over his racist and homophobic comments. While that decision is in his hands, we call on you to censure him by resolution of the Sevier County Commission and to update the employment non-discrimination policy of Sevier County Government to protect county employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. We urge you to make this policy change by executive order immediately, to be followed by a confirming ordinance or resolution of the County Commission.
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NO to Adoption Discrimination in Congress
A foster care and adoption license to discriminate measure was recently put into a health and human services funding bill in the House Appropriations Committee.
The “Aderholt Amendment” allows foster care and adoption service providers across the country to discriminate against children and prospective parents based on sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, and marital status.
We need your help to tell Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker: NO ADOPTION DISCRIMINATION in the 2019 Appropriations bill! We will deliver hard copies to their offices.
Dear Senators Alexander and Corker:
We urge you to act to oppose the Aderholt amendment allowing discrimination in foster care and adoption services in the FY19 House Labor-HHS appropriations bill and ensure that the measure is NOT included in any Senate or final appropriations bill.
It would allow taxpayer-funded foster care and adoption service providers to discriminate against children in care and against prospective parents, based on sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, and marital status.
The measure breaks the cardinal rule of child welfare services: to act in the best interest of the child. This amendment would actually HARM CHILDREN.
This amendment would greatly harm the 440,000 children in foster care, particularly the 117,000 who are waiting to be adopted into loving, forever homes. There is a crisis in foster care due to the huge shortage of available families for children. Each year, over half the children waiting to be adopted do not find a loving home, and most devastatingly, over 17,000 foster youth age out of care without a forever family. Those youth are at greater risk of involvement with the criminal justice system, homelessness, unemployment, and being trafficked.
Speak out against this poison pill amendment,; let your leadership know you will not support a funding bill with the measure included, and vote against any appropriations measure that includes such discriminatory provisions. Thank you for considering our views.
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Amy Bell signed Urge Senators Alexander and Corker to speak up for LGBTQ people when the next Supreme Court justice is appointed 2018-07-09 21:15:26 -0500
Urge Senators Alexander and Corker to speak up for LGBTQ people when the next Supreme Court justice is appointed
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is retiring so the President will name a successor who must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Sign to urge Senator Alexander and Senator Corker to speak up for the LGBTQ community during the confirmation process. TEP will deliver a hard copy of the signatures to their offices.
Senator Alexander and Senator Corker:
When the President announces his choice to replace Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, we urge you to speak up for the rights of LGBTQ people. It is vitally important that members of the Supreme Court support the principle of "equal protection" and that Justice Kennedy's successor uphold the existing rights of LGBTQ people and oppose discrimination against LGBTQ people. We respectfully ask you to raise these concerns publicly and not to vote for any nominee who supports discrimination.
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Amy Bell commented on Your Knox County Board of Education District 2017-07-05 13:28:32 -0500District 3
Your Knox County Board of Education District
Let us know your name, email address, and your Knox County Board of Education/Knox County School Board district. Every resident of Knox County is part of a Board of Education district with your own School Board member.
*If you don't know your Board of Education member, you might find your district number on your voter registration card. You can also use the map at this link to determine your district.
Remember: We need your name, email address, and Board of Education District in the form. We may contact you about advocacy for LGBTQ students. Thank you.
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Amy Bell signed No special legislative session for bathroom discrimination! 2016-05-18 06:39:29 -0500Amy Bell
No special legislative session for bathroom discrimination!
On the evening of May 17, The Tennessean and The Commercial Appeal reported that legislators are considering a special legislative session to take up a new effort to pass a statewide anti-transgender bathroom discrimination law. Sign YOUR name to the statement below and we'll deliver your signatures to legislative leaders:
Dear Speaker Ramsey and Speaker Harwell:
We oppose a special legislative session to consider an anti-transgender bathroom discrimination law. It is never justified to spend the state's time and money to advance discrimination. Thank you for considering our views.
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Tennessee Loves Target
Target's trans-inclusive policies are under attack in Tennessee. A Mt Juliet pastor's rant went viral and this week at a Hendersonville Target, protesters shouted religious wrath at employees and customers. But we know that Tennessee loves Target and it's time to show it!
As former TEP Board member Ellyahnna Hall (pictured) notes:
"I support Target for trying to provide a safe space for all people. I'm a trans woman and I've faced the dangers of not having access to restrooms that corespond to my gender identity. If opponents are really concerned with safety then let's focus on tougher rape laws and enforcing those, not creating a fake danger that doesn't exist."
Sign the petition statement and show Target some love. We'll deliver hard copies of the petition to select Target locations in Tennessee.
Tennessee loves Target. I support the company's transgender-inclusive policies and I will continue to shop at their stores.
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Amy Bell signed Governor Haslam, Keep listening and oppose HB2414 2016-04-14 12:44:09 -0500AMY J BELL
Governor Haslam, Keep listening and oppose HB2414
Sign this NEW petition urging Governor Bill Haslam to keep listening to the voices opposed to the anti-transgender student bathroom bill!
Governor Haslam, please continue to oppose HB2414 and listen to the voices of transgender students and the business community speaking out against the bill. Thank you for considering our views.
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VETO Hate Bill 1840, the Counseling Discrimination bill
Please, add your voice and urge Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam to veto this discriminatory bill.
Dear Governor Haslam,
We urge you to veto HB1840, which allows counselors to turn away clients based on the counselor's biases and values. This bill puts the focus on the desires of counselors rather than on the needs of clients, damaging the counseling profession and putting clients at risk.
An anti-bullying amendment was stripped from the bill in the House Health Committee leaving youth vulnerable in areas where mental health services are not widely available.
Thank you for considering our views.
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The People's Resolution Opposing Tennessee House Joint Resolution 529 on Marriage Equality
Sign on as a co-sponsor of the People's Resolution Opposing Tennessee House Joint Resolution 529 on Marriage Equality.
WHEREAS, Rep. Susan Lynn has introduced a resolution urging the members of the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee to express their disagreement with the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges; and
WHEREAS, the Tennessee Constitution affirms "That the citizens have a right, in a peaceable manner, to assemble together, for their common good, to instruct their representatives, and to apply to those invested with the powers of government for redress of grievances or other proper purposes, by address or remonstrance;" and
WHEREAS, the State of Tennessee ought to be focused on the legal equality of all its people rather than attacking the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community; and
WHEREAS, "the equal protection of the laws" is a cherished principle in American jurisprudence; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, that we oppose House Joint Resolution 529 and urge the members of the 109th General Assembly of the State of Tennessee to uphold the entire Constitution of the United States, including the Fourteenth Amendment, and cease their legislative attacks on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.
Endorse
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Marriage PLUS Pledge
MARRIAGE PLUS PLEDGE
I pledge to continue to work for full
Endorse
legal and lived equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
people in Tennessee after we achieve marriage equality.
I recognize that we have more work to do on job discrimination, public
accommodations discrimination, housing discrimination, safe
schools/anti-bullying, bisexual erasure and visibility, health disparities,
domestic violence, senior care, HIV/AIDS, hate crimes, documents for
transgender people, and other issues.
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Urge Yoke Ministries to Stop Discriminating
Cassie Hopkins, a young bisexual woman, had volunteered at Yoke Youth Ministries in Jefferson County. The program is interdenominational and draws on the work of young adults to mentor middle-school students. She had gone through the screening process and there were no complaints about her work as a volunteer. After disclosing her sexual orientation on Facebook, her supervisor told her that she would no longer be allowed to volunteer, even though there is nothing in Yoke's written policies about sexual orientation. Her supervisor compared bisexuality to alcoholism and drug addiction.
Let's show support for Cassie and remind our fellow Tennesseans and especially Yoke that people can serve and contribute to enriching the lives of youth in our state regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This is a message Yoke and many others need to hear. Please, add your voice.
We are glad to partner with the LGBT Alumni of Carson-Newman on this project. They first brought the case to our attention.
Note: We are not arguing about whether anyone has the legal ability to discriminate in Tennessee. What we are contesting is whether it is right to exclude talented people from helping youth simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
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Urge Southern Baptist Leadership to rethink the impact of their teachings on LGBT people
Learn more about the issue and consider signing the petition to add your voice to this call to action.
This week the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is holding a conference in Nashville on marriage, sexuality, and gender. Add your voice to urge them to consider the impact of their teachings on violence against LGBT people and LGBT youth homelessness. According to national estimates, up to 40% of the youth homeless population is LGBT. Many of those youth were turned out of their homes because of certain kinds of religious bias. We believe that rather than holding conferences on how to preserve marriage discrimination, the Southern Baptist Convention's leadership should begin to address the ways in which their teachings contribute to harms to LGBT people.
TEP joined OutCentral and Vanderbilt Divinity School in organizing a protest of the event outside the Opryland Hotel. TTPC and PFLAG also participated. Your voice can help highlight needed changes in the Southern Baptist Convention's approach.