A heated debate over bathroom access similar to what we’ve seen in other states already is playing out in Tennessee. Near the end of last week’s post, I stressed the importance of supporting state legislation that would protect the privacy rights of students in public schools: “In Tennessee, Representative Susan Lynn and Senator Mike Bell are two very courageous lawmakers. They are sponsoring legislation [SB2387 and HB2414] that would require students in Tennessee’s public schools to use the restrooms and locker rooms corresponding with their birth sex.” Let’s be clear: Such a policy does not signal hatred for or insensitivity toward individuals in the LGBT community. Still, we will be told that it does.
From a News 2 report dated April 7, we learn that Nashville Mayor Megan Barry has said, “This legislation doesn’t reflect Nashville’s values and doesn’t do anything to improve the quality of life for citizens of our city or state.” The report goes on to say that Barry “warns that if lawmakers don’t see the value in recognizing people’s ‘dignity and privacy,’ she hopes they can at least see the negative economic impact it will have on Nashville and the state as a whole.”
With all due respect, the mayor is using the same playbook we’ve seen used in other places where civic leaders have sought to protect religious liberty or sought to maintain sanity with regard to bathroom laws.
The threats can be quite intimidating. Just this week, PayPal announced that in response to the North Carolina law overruling the Charlotte bathroom ordinance, it will nix its plans to expand its business with a new operations facility in Charlotte. Never mind that “Paypal has no problem maintaining operations in areas like Singapore, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia—all known for their stringent anti-LGBT policies (and they don’t stop at just prohibiting mixed bathrooms).” It’s hard to think of anything more hypocritical.
North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest responded to the news with this statement:
If our action in keeping men out of women’s bathrooms and showers protected the life of just one child or one woman from being molested or assaulted, then it was worth it. North Carolina will never put a price tag on the value of our children. They are precious and priceless. If a corporation wanting to do business in North Carolina does not see the worth of our children in the same light, then I wish them well as they do business somewhere else.
Lieutenant Governor Forest knows that while a state’s economy is important, the safety and welfare of its citizens are critically important. Watch Lieutenant Governor Forest explain the reason North Carolina needed a state law in the first place.
Despite threats from Big Business, when the safety of citizens comes first, economic prosperity follows. In announcing the findings of a recent “survey showing 63 percent of Mississippi voters oppose government discrimination of individuals and organizations because of their belief in marriage as the union of a man and a woman,” (a religious liberty bill recently became law in Mississippi) Family Research Council president Tony Perkins noted, “Long-term, political leaders who refuse to sacrifice fundamental freedoms under the threats of big business and big entertainment are rewarded with support of voters as their states find such policies lead to stronger economies, stronger communities and stronger families.”
Long-term, political leaders who refuse to sacrifice fundamental freedoms under the threats of big business and big entertainment are rewarded with support of voters as their states find such policies lead to stronger economies, stronger communities and stronger families.
Thankfully, like NC Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest and other courageous North Carolina leaders, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant and the lawmakers of the Magnolia State have not caved in to political pressure. Reflecting on their actions and thinking once more about Lieutenant Governor Forest’s statement about PayPal, we are encouraged to see this kind of leadership. Yet it’s the same kind of leadership and courage we have seen in Tennessee as State Representative Susan Lynn has worked relentlessly to protect the privacy rights of students by working to pass HB2414. Representative Lynn understands the urgency of the situation. In her weekly update to her constituents dated April 3, she wrote,
If we don’t act, our school districts who are already making decisions regarding student use of the restroom based on sex will be sued by the ACLU one by one or by parents whose child’s privacy was violated in the restroom due to a student of the opposite sex entering at will. We know from experience that school districts generally do not defend suits from the ACLU—they sign consent decrees.
This is why Tennesseans must contact lawmakers (members of the House and Senate) and Governor Haslam and encourage them to act in the best interest of the state’s young people by passing and signing SB2387 / HB2414 into law.
In this effort, pastors are especially important.
If you’re a pastor, please download this letter. Fill in the missing information and make any other adjustments you’d like to make. Then highlight the text, and copy and paste it into an email. In the subject line type “Pastor Response.” Email it to: info@factn.org. This is the general email account for the Family Action Council of Tennessee (FACT), a pro-family 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to influence public policy in Tennessee for the better.
Former Tennessee state senator and FACT President David Fowler said in part of an email dated April 7, 2016,
If you are a pastor or know a pastor, please let them know that we [need to let Tennessee officials know of our support for the bill, and we] must have FAR more pastors sign letters [or send emails] supporting the bill than the number of businesses the Human Rights Campaign [an LGBT advocacy group] can drum up to oppose it. There IS an orchestrated campaign to get business to sign letters opposing the bill. I will collect the [pastors’] letters. They will NOT be made public. I will show the stack…to the Governor or his designee and tell him how many pastors are for the bill and how many people they “represent.” The letters will be destroyed after the Governor has been advised.
I’ve attached a draft letter you can take to your pastor and ask him if he can sign (on personal stationary or church stationary [or email, or church email], either way) and send to me pronto. There’s not much time to lose.
If you choose to send your letter by USPS, do so promptly. Please send it to:
Pastor Response
Family Action Council of Tennessee
1113 Murfreesboro Road, Suite 106-167
Franklin, TN 37064
We can show the world that what Dan Forest said about North Carolina is true of Tennessee as well: We “will never put a price tag on the value of our children. They are precious and priceless.”
Together, even against really tough odds, we can protect children in our great state. We can show the world that what Dan Forest said about North Carolina is true of Tennessee as well: We “will never put a price tag on the value of our children. They are precious and priceless.”
Let your voice be heard!
Sincerely,
B. Nathaniel Sullivan
www.wordfoundations.com
Copyright © 2016 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All Rights Reserved.
A shorter version of this post is available here.