Sen. Diane Black Cancels Appointments With Gay Equality Activists

23 Responses to “Sen. Diane Black Cancels Appointments With Gay Equality Activists”

1. Mary Mancini writes
   February 17th, 2009 4:25 pm

   I was there when Miller and other of Senator Black’s constituents decided to go to her office at the time of their meeting anyway and she did eventually let them in for a 5 minute discussion (after repeating again that she knew what they were there for and they weren’t going to change her mind). Will have audio up in a bit from some that were in the meeting…

2. Medusa64 writes
   February 17th, 2009 4:26 pm

   She probably thinks no gay people live in her district so she doesn’t need to represent them. Typical Republican.

3. FrankJ writes
   February 17th, 2009 4:59 pm

   Adding transgendered to hate crime lists and allowing transgendered creatures to change their gender on their birth certificates are very DIVISIVE issues and therefore I join with the Tennessean and the Nashville Scene in opposing anything DIVISIVE.

   On the other hand, the banning of homosexuals adopting is very family and children-friendly and certainly not divisive and should be passed probably around 99-1 in the House and 33-0 in the Senate. Prohibiting teachers from discussing the filth of homosexuality is redundant, since I read in the Tennessean and Nashville Scene and elsewhere, particularly during the Prop. 8 fight in California, that teachers don’t discuss homosexuality, much less support it (suppressing laughter), so it should be no big deal just to pass the law to keep the status quo?

   But on those DIVISIVE issues of transgender, we have a serious budget deficit and have MUCH MUCH more important issues to worry about.

4. Tom Paine writes
   February 17th, 2009 5:21 pm

   Does anybody on here have the slightest inkling what the hell FrankJ is talking about….?

   I get the sense gay rights is a hot button issue for FrankJ, but I wonder if he’d be better off focusing his energies on literacy in our school systems….?

5. spaz writes
   February 17th, 2009 5:33 pm

   Just let these idiots keep focusing on the wedge issues while the economy goes to shit.

   They’re about to get their asses kicked in the next election and they don’t even know it.

6. benintn writes
   February 17th, 2009 7:17 pm

   Which Diane Black will show up? The Lutheran Black or the Baptist Black? The mystery continues…

7. Eleanor A writes
   February 17th, 2009 11:25 pm

   Sad thing is, nobody in the gay contingent can count on support from any so-called Democrats, since it’s apparently the cause du jour to grandstand on the backs of these folks.

   Man. Writing was on the wall for all right-thinking people to leave the Dems back in 2006 when Bredesen and Harold Ford were both out parading their opposition to the gay marriage amendment. I get that our state is full of bible-thumping religious fanatics, but there’s such a thing as morality - and making a big deal out of legislating away people’s civil rights doesn’t follow it.

   Bah. A pox on all their houses.

8. Wintermute writes
   February 18th, 2009 1:27 am

   I don’t regard anyone as “transgender” who hasn’t had a sex-change operation.

9. The Avenger writes
   February 18th, 2009 5:45 am

   Here is a news flash! Sen. Black is representing her district. She has a right to believe the way she does and she has been elected by 66% of the folks in Robertson & Sumner counties who also happen to believe that that homosexual couples shouldn’t adopt kids and shouldn’t marry. That means alot of Robertson county Democrats support her.

   Get over it already–what do the GLBT folks expect–they scream and whine and stomp their feet at anyone who disagrees with them. Why would any legislator want to go through all that when they aren’t going change anyone’s mind?

   If anything this temper tantrum by the gays just shored up Black’s base.

10. MichaelnotMike writes
    February 18th, 2009 8:18 am

    Odd, FrankJ’s comment seems to have been edited. As I recall from yesterday, it concluded with the statement, “Child molesters and homosexuals should not be allowed to raise children.” While such a statement is an abhorrent attempt to equate sexual orientation with a disgusting crime, it should not be removed from the comments. FrankJ’s stupidity should remain on display for all to see. Also, FrankJ should not be allowed to raise children.

    ACK: Did you edit FrankJ’s comment? If so, why?

    Wintermute: I don’t consider water to be wet, but it doesn’t seem to matter much.

    Avenger: While sometimes GLBT folks do stomp their feet and whine, yesterday was an attempt by constituents to express their views to their elected government representative. Ms. Black should not keep a closed mind and should consider a wide variety of view points before taking a position. It’s called being informed.

11. FrankJ writes
    February 18th, 2009 8:24 am

    I consider the “hot button” issues that Tom is referring to as the efforts by transgendered activist to be added to the “hate crimes” list and to be able to change their gender on their birth certificates. It’s clear those efforts are wedge issues, divisive issues, a waste of the legislature’s time when there are much more important issues such as the economy (and education) to discuss.
    On the other hand, preventing homosexuals (or child molesters) from adopting is a consensus issue that I am sure over 90% of the legislature would support and the issue of teaching homosexuality in schools is one that no one is reasonably against, if for no other reason than we are told by non-biased sources both in the local and national media, that homosexuality is not currently taught in the classroom.

12. Katie writes
    February 18th, 2009 8:26 am

    Ah hahahahahahaha, GLBT “scream and whine and stomp their feet” ??? Funny.

    You will NOT succeed in moving society backwards.

    Remember the “whites only” signs??? My grandmother said the N word until the day she died but I don’t.

    Individuals will not give up freedoms they have come to enjoy, your not about to give up your right to carry that gun are you? More and more individuals feel they have the freedom to love who they choose and believe they should be treated as equals among their peers, not be ashamed of who they are and be given the same legal rights and respect as everyone else.

    I do too. I’ll support them, I’ll scream, whine and stomp my feet with them and I fully believe that within my lifetime I will see them gain the legal rights and respect they deserve just as the civil rights marchers of the 60’s have seen their screaming, whining and stomping of feet gain them the rights and respect they so rightly deserved all along.

13. FrankJ writes
    February 18th, 2009 8:30 am

    I was just thinking this week being Lincoln’s anniversary that too much attention is giving to slavery in this country; whereas the plight of the LGBTQ community today is so much worse, or at the very least so easily comparable. It is a shame that this message is not communicated enough in the African-American community. Because the comparison is so easily made (particularly on college campuses and newsrooms).

14. Still Blue writes
    February 18th, 2009 9:13 am

    The Avenger (and Sen. Black) don’t get it. She was elected to represent ALL the people of her district. She also has a responsibility to at least hear all sides of an issue before making up her mind.

    She did not do either yesterday. What does The Avenger suggest she and other legislators do? Just close their doors to the people of their district of the opposite party? Is that what the founders wanted? I doubt it. Sen Black was wrong yesterday -not only on her support of a law that will hurt kids (that’s right folks, the research is pretty clear, kids are better off in any loving household than as wards of the state!) but also in her treatment of her constituents. Btw, I was told by two people she was also rude in her phone call to cancel. Not the first time I’ve heard that one.

15. Kleinheider writes
    February 18th, 2009 9:19 am

    ACK: Did you edit FrankJ’s comment? If so, why?

    No, I don’t edit comments.

16. Frodough writes
    February 18th, 2009 9:25 am

    Or, as the Great O told Republicans who wanted to object to portions of the Porkulus Plan, “I won (the election, so bug off).” Should work for Diane Black, too.

17. FrankJ writes
    February 18th, 2009 9:50 am

    Still Blue said “What does The Avenger suggest she and other legislators do? Just close their doors to the people of their district of the opposite party?”

    you have no evidence that Sen. Black has not met with Democrats, in or out of her district. That Sen. Black decided not to meet with a certain group of perverts, be they of her party or otherwise, her district or otherwise, is her perogative. I would not demand and use flowery “founder language” if a Democrat from Memphis or Nashville did not want to meet with a member of the Council of Conservative Citizens or any other group that demanded time.

    “Btw, I was told by two people she was also rude in her phone call to cancel” Oh my goodness, she was RUDE! I am going to call a selected legislator and demand that they meet with me to discuss a particular sexual perversion, they better not be “rude” to me and they better meet with me!

    Our economy is in the tank and sinking, Sen. Black and every legislators time would be better spent on the economy and education instead of perverse, divisive, wedge issues! Don’t we hear that everytime a perceived “anti”-LGBTQ issue arises that is extremely popular? Why does that not apply in the reverse?

18. The Avenger writes
    February 18th, 2009 10:51 am

    Still Blue: You and I and everybody else in Middle Tennessee already know Black’s stand on this issue. Her district is against the homosexual agenda.

    She and other legislators have endured rudeness, harrassment, hate mail and some even death threats from the gay and lesbian community because they stand up for their constituents and won’t bow down to the gay community.

    She is under no obligation to represent people who do not represent the values of her district.

    Whine, stomp, cry.

19. idgaf writes
    February 18th, 2009 1:10 pm

    Good for Diane

20. Anne Miller writes
    February 18th, 2009 2:44 pm

    Other constituents from Sumner County Democtrats and I ( we all scheduled the meeting together)did show up anyway and we did have a chance to speak to the Senator, which we appreciated. I had high hopes since Senator Black is a nurse that these facts(below) might leave her open to reconsider an issue she has problems. There are individuals that are highly trained to make these important decisions regarding children that have no homes.

    The Child Welfare League of America isn’t the only organization which supports adoption by gay couples. They are joined by:

    The National Association of Social Workers
    The American Psychiatric Association
    The American Academy of Pediatrics

    In Tennessee, there are 30,980 adopted children, with 384 of those children having been adopted by same-sex couples, making it 28th out of 51 in the number of children in gay adoptions. The study reveals that Same-sex couples are more likely to adopt children with physical differences, and are more likely to adopt minority children.

    Nationwide, more than two million gay and lesbian couples are interested in adopting. At present, an estimated 65,500 adopted children are living with a lesbian or gay parent.

21. FrankJ writes
    February 18th, 2009 3:05 pm

    Glad you had an opportunity to lobby Sen. Black, who knows? Perhaps you will be as successful in lobbying her for her to make a legislative decision as homosexual groups were in lobbying the organizations you listed in making a “scientific” decision.

22. V writes
    February 18th, 2009 9:05 pm

    Politics is very similar to a business. A meeting was scheduled and as good courtesy, Sen. Black should have went through the meeting as scheduled. All that she represents are not white male gun carrying hetrosexual Republicans. What Sen. Black did was be rude. I don’t think anyone was expecting her mind to be changed or any issues solved in that meeting. Honestly, how long does it take to listen to someone give a scheduled amount of speaking time, take some papers and move on? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? 1 hour? Could she have solved single handed our money crisisin that time? No. However, if Sen. Black had just had the meeting, the activists would have been satisfied, Sen. Black could have continued on her merry way (deciding the way she would have anyway) and there would have been no write up.
    Shame on you Sen. Black for being rude.
    If the article instead read about a bunch of white men got their meeting canceled and the issue was guns…would have the reaction been the same? *ponders*
    Oh, and I am a white female gun carrier whose sexuality is none of your business.

23. FrankJ writes
    February 19th, 2009 8:36 am

    I’m sure Sen. Black doesn’t represent only “white male gun carrying” Republicans. She probably represents “Hispanic women gun carrying” Independents; “Black male non-gun carrying” Democrats; “Asian gun carrying” Republicans and all variations thereof. But guess what probably about 90+% of them regardless of gun ownership, race or gender agree on? That homosexuality is a perversion and homosexuals should not be allowed to marry or adopt and that “transgendered” creatures are disgusting.