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02/05/2008

TN: Jackson gets anti-gay training

by Jeremy Hooper

200802051336What if we were to tell you that In Jackson, TN, the city council has just voted to give $16,000 to move a historic railcar from Ohio to their city? And what if we went on to tell you that a portion of that very railcar will be used as a studio for American Family Radio, the broadcast outlet of the HORRIBLY anti-gay American Family Association? Would it upset you that local taxpayers were helping to foot that bill for something that will be so brazenly used against gay people? Yea, us too.

Unfortunately, our questions are not hypothetical:

Jackson city council approves proposal to give money for transportation of historic railcar [Jackson Sun]

Yes, that's right -- Jackson, TN, has essentially helped finance a plan that will ultimately increase the capabilities of one of the gay community's biggest adversaries, the American Family Association, to disseminate their demonizing rhetoric. What next, Jackson -- gonna help bring the Anita Bryant Museum to light? Gotta Focus on the Family monument to help finance? The local "Smear The Queer" team need a new stadium?

::sigh:: Perhaps we shouldn't give ideas.

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Your thoughts

Interestingly, Jackson, TN was the site of some of the worst destruction from last night's tornadoes. Wonder if God is pissed at them?

Posted by: CPT_Doom | Feb 6, 2008 10:25:37 AM

Know of anyone in the gay lesbian community in Jackson that is a Democrat and hates Obama? Just wondering, because someone is representing himself as that in the Jackson Sun's discussion board. If he is misrepresenting himself, which I believe he is, he is giving the gay lesbian community a black eye in that forum.

Posted by: David | Jun 14, 2008 6:34:51 PM

I live in a small town outside of Jackson TN, called Bolivar (which is in Hardeman county one of the 3 predominantly democratic counties in TN), & I am a gay man. The discrimination in Jackson is horrible, I would just not recommend that anyone ever visit there, & I would actually go as far as to say people should not pay their county taxes. It is ridiculous the amount of social injustice that America allows, especially in the south. I hate this place & don’t plan on living here for much longer. But in my town (Bolivar) I’d be willing to say that 70-80% of the people are at least closeted bisexuals or maybe even gays. & I personally haven’t faced any discrimination by the people I have alot of friends & am well known. I’ve only had one teacher (back when I was still in high school) who gave me some trouble but I quit going to public school during that year, so after that I’ve been okay. Bolivar is not a nice town & it’s very small & impoverished. But the level of lgbt discrimination is almost none as far as I know. Jackson Tennessee is just a horrible place & I wish there was something we all could do to change the way the social politics work there. I know alot of LGBT people & nearly all of them are just afraid of what would happen to them if they all came out. If everyone would just be honest & say “this is who I am” I think things would get better for us. Harvey Milk said (back in the 70’s keep in mind) that if 1 person comes out that (I’m not sure but I believe it was…) either 2 out of 3 or 3 out of 4 people will change their minds about how they feel about gay rights just by knowing someone who is a member of the lgbt community. We need to stand up for who we all really are & we shouldn’t be forced to hide our true identities for fear of, well anything. “I’d rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not.” Kurt Cobain stated. The bottom line is discrimination of any kind at all is wrong period. We need to be active & come out & show our faces & defend ourselves. This is no longer political, this is personal. I don’t enjoy living in a country that allows so many social injustices against people who have done them no wrong & pay their god damn bills & taxes. Even most liberals (which is who I identify with mostly) aren’t liberal or progressive enough to get anything done. When you do something like activism or politics you need to be passionately involved & not just make it “your job” I am very politically active although I as of now have no desire to become a politician. But it’s the people who make the real change happen & not the government. We can’t just change the government & hope things will be fixed overnight, you have to influence the population & show them what is wrong with what they are doing & how it could be improved if they would have the strength of heart to help out. But down here in the south east I honestly think that the majority of the population consists of bible thumping, biggoted, uneducated, selfish, complete drooling morons who would be willing to go out of their way to kill or hurt anything that is different from them in any way at all. People are so closed minded. I’ve been told that I was going to hell by a pentecostal woman from Mississippi, not for ANYTHING ELSE that was wrong, but simply because I had worn shorts… If that gives you an idea of how stupid these people are. But not everyone down here are bad people.. There are very nice, hospitable people & there are open minded people. I have quite a few lgbt or atheist friends such as myself who are actively involved with change & being social & getting things done. & disrupting conservative events =) If there are any actual lgbt people that read this from the Memphis greater area or Jackson greater area you can contact me at myspace.com/andyf09 you can always use more friends. & it’s important that we stick together & be amongst peers. So we can fight back in greater numbers.

Posted by: Andrew | Nov 3, 2009 5:28:29 AM

I LIVE in Jackson. I was BORN and RAISED in Jackson. I HATE JACKSON! I am a bisexual with a preferance and have known I liked women since the age of 7. I've been with my girlfriend for nearly 4 years now and I'm 18. It will be 4 years the day after my 19th birthday. Jackson is so anti-gay it hurts my soul. Luckily, I have found people who love me for me. I'm Pagan on top of being bi. I found a group of people who welcomed me into their home with open arms. I slowly hinted and finally let it slip that I was gay. They loved me anyway. I slowly hinted and finally let it slip that I was Pagan. They loved me anyway and, come to find out, they were too, so not only was I part of the family, but I was part of the coven. I've never met anyone else like that in Jackson. Someone needs to do something about Jackson. I wish we could get some kind of something to come to town and show people that there are gay people here and they can't just keep pushing us aside and ignoring us. We need to speak up, or Jackson will never be right for the future generations of our kind.

- E. Jackson -

Posted by: E_M_Jackson | Nov 22, 2009 6:57:34 PM

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