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Gov. Bill Haslam’s office confirmed
Friday he has signed a bill that prohibits sex education instructors from
discussing “gateway sexual activities.” Teachers or outside speakers could face
fines of up to $500 for promoting or condoning the touching of “gateway body
parts,” including the genitals, buttocks, breasts, and inner thigh.
The bill passed the Senate 28-1 and
the House 68-23, but its critics - including the state teachers’ union and
Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee - say it is too vague. They
worry that discussion of sexual behaviors could be viewed as an endorsement.
“The very ambiguous language in this bill certainly puts teachers in a very
difficult situation,” said Tennessee Education Association spokesperson Jerry
Winters.
But supporters believe the new law
will help better define the state’s abstinence-only sex education policy. David
Fowler, president of the Family Action Council of Tennessee, which pushed the
measure, said action was needed because some teachers had been instructing
about alternative ways to achieve sexual satisfaction without risking pregnancy.
He cited an incident at a Nashville high school where a teacher was encouraging
girls to perform oral sex on boys in order to apply a condom.
Further, Fowler pointed to a website
for a Planned Parenthood-sponsored program at a Knoxville school “that actually
lists as possible methods of birth control things like oral sex and anal sex
play that I think most Tennesseans would find inappropriate.” The bill does not
ban discussions of kissing or holding hands, he said.
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.
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