Saturday Late Night Open Thread: Gateway Sexual Activity
Posted: April 14, 2012 Filed under: birth control, children, fetus fetishists, open thread, Planned Parenthood, PLUB Pro-Life-Until-Birth, Reproductive Health, Surreality, U.S. Politics | Tags: Arizona, contraception, gateway sexual activity, holding hand, kissing, right wing nuts, Tennessee state legislature 19 Comments
Are the Arizona and Tennessee state legislatures competing to see which state can pass the most bizarre, backward, and ignorant laws? Yesterday Dakinikat wrote about the latest anti-abortion bill signed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer that defines gestational age as beginning on the first day of a pregnant woman’s last period. Peggy Sue has written about Tennessee’s new anti-evolution law, which could lead to a modern-day reprise of the Scopes Monkey Trial.
For the moment, I think Tennessee is winning the competition for most stupid, insane legislation with State Bill 3310, which defines holding hands and kissing as “gateway sexual behaviors.” From the Nashville Tennessean:
The Tennessee Senate voted 28-1 to amend the state’s sex ed curriculum by adding warnings against “gateway sexual activity.” Senate Bill 3310 does not explicitly define what those activities are, but it comes in response to controversies in Nashville and Knox County schools over instruction given to high school students that mentioned alternatives to sexual intercourse.
“ ‘Abstinence’ means from all of these activities, and we want to promote that,” said state Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, the bill’s sponsor. “What we do want to communicate to the kids is that the best choice is abstinence.”
The Tennessee House is working on a companion bill that is also expected to pass. Just one state senator, Beverly Marrero (D-Memphis) voted against the bill, but not because she thinks abstinence education is a bad idea. She just thinks that focusing on telling kids “don’t do it” won’t reach the kids who are most “at risk.”
According to Nashville Public Radio,
The bill, SB 3310 Johnson/HB 3621 Gotto, replaces three paragraphs in the current state law with nine pages of new definitions and rules. The new proposal even defines the word “puberty.”
The bill was rewritten in the Senate to broaden some definitions of sexual activity. The new amendment reads much like the old bill, except it deletes the words “penis” and “vagina” from the definition of “sexual intercourse.”
The Senate also added a further amendment defining “risk avoidance.”
specifically designating the “risk avoidance” means “an approach that encourages the prevention of participation in risk behaviors as opposed to merely reducing the consequences of those risk behaviors.”The reference is apparently aimed at the post-activity procedure called “morning-after pills.”
Basically, the bill defines any pre-coital activity among unmarried people as “gateway sexual activity.” That means holding hands and kissing would be verboten for high school and middle school kids. The bill also allows parents to sue teachers who don’t follow the curriculum rules exactly or if they “demonstrate” any gateway sexual activities. In effect, while the legislature claims teachers can talk about contraception, they can’t spell out for kids what it is or how to use it.
And yet, in Tennessee:
According to a 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Study, 61 percent of Memphis City high school students and 27 percent of middle school students have had sex. That’s higher than the national average.
Planned Parenthood said these numbers are why a new sex education bill promoting abstinence is not realistic.
Sigh….
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Here’s Charlie Pierce’s take on this and other insane legislation.
Sounds like potluck crackpot laws from ALEC … Jindal’s got the hole grabbag on the agenda down here besides letting guns on school grounds
That guns in the schools things is really bizarre. What do they want, more school shootings?
It is unbelievable and stupid…what the hell is wrong with these people?
Tennesse sounds like a hell realm.
I can’t wait to get Peggy Sue’s point of view on this one.
Peggy will have one because she’s in the upper northeast corner near the smokies. That area is a real treat.
I try to stay below I 12 anything north is kkk territory in LA,MS or GA.
LOL….It’s a couple of realms above AL, MS, SC and right below GA. We’re kind of in the fair-to-middlin section of hell. They tried to do the “Can’t say Gay” bill, but that’s been a bit delayed, so they’re enacting the real threat to virginity and purity, hand holding.
We’re back to teaching the creation story in schools too, I can see the scientific minds from all over the world racing to move here.
Mouse I didn’t know you were in TN too…I live in the tri-state area of Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina…the hells may vary from state to state but one thing is true, they make the porch swing banjo playing stereotype people have of the south harder to disprove.
“Mouse I didn’t know you were in TN too…I live in the tri-state area of Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina”
I’m closer to the AL line, but not to far from the GA line either (as the crow flies). Let’s face it, by 21st standards, we’re still living in dueling banjo country.
Ooops….I meant by 21st Century standards.
More tornadoes tonight in the plains states.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57414236/storm-damages-iowa-hospital-no-injuries-reported/
At least they’ve been in the rural areas. They said creston got hit …know that place well …used to ski there.
Are the adults in Tenn. alien beings? Obviously they were never young and they NEVER had had sex — ever. Let’s put the Mormon underwear on the kids — but make it out of some new nano technology.
When does this stupid stuff end? The asshats in Tenn. and elsewhere are merely recycling religious ding dong crap from the 50s & 60s.
These laws are being written by the same gang who hate gays. Let me give you all a bit of religious right wing DOUBLE messages — based on my two years at a religious fundamentalist college.
Rules we had to sign before we could attend the regressive/repressive college — NO holding hands, NO kissing someone of opposite sex. We also had to remain 12 inches away from the opposite sex. I guess the administration was really into the gate way to sex thing.
However the students who followed the rules were called “queers” and other hateful names. The college had a mass dismissal of any student that they assumed/guessed might be gay.
Which is it numb nuts in Tenn.?? Do you want kids to know how to deal with normal sex drives which includes holding hands and this DOS NOT mean that kids will be heading for the nearest trees to act like sex monkeys. Or the kids or obey the rules and don’t act like horny kids — will these kids be called gay?
The rules about no contact with the opposite sex did NOT work on the college level back in the dark ages and they certainly will not work on the kids in Tenn.
We aren’t finished with this theater of the idiots — I’m thinking it will get worse.
Remember these jackasses were elected — and they must be doing what the people want????
Why isn’t drinking included as a gateway to sexual behavior? Or watching porn? Or watching pretty much anything on TV? Or motorcycle riding? Or talking? Or dancing at the club? Or GOING to the club? Or celebrating a victory with your sig other?
Asshats.
Hillary 2012
I’m still trying figure out how they define sexual intercourse without the words penis or vagina!
In my experience, the easiest places to get sex are church youth groups and their outings. Maybe they should outlaw those.
Exactly!