Posts
The Tennessee Senate approved a
House amendment to SB 3310, sending the sex education guidelines bill to the
governor for consideration.
Under the measure, classroom
instructors who promote or condone “gateway sexual activity” are subject to a $500
fine. The bill says “gateway sexual activity means sexual contact encouraging
an individual to engage in a non-abstinent behavior.” Some lawmakers objected
to that language, calling it unclear. “Gateway sexual activity is so vaguely
defined it could be holding hands, hugging, anything that teenagers do like
that,” said Rep. Mike Steward (D-Nashville).
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jim Gotto
(R-Nashville), said the definition is based on state criminal code. Sexual
contact is the “intentional touching” of another person’s “intimate parts, or
the intentional touching of the clothing covering the immediate area of ... any
other person’s intimate parts, if that intentional touching can be reasonably
construed as being for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification,”
according to section code.
Rep. John DeBerry (D-Memphis) spoke
out in favor of the bill. “Everyone in this room knows what gateway sexual
activity is,” he said, noting that leaving teens without classroom guidance has
resulted in the state caring for thousands of neglected or abused children.
SB 3310 calls for the family life
curriculum taught in schools to have an “emphatic and exclusive” focus on
abstinence; current law calls only for an emphasis on abstinence. The measure
also allows parents to bring charges against an instructor for condoning
“gateway sexual activity.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
