North Carolina Lawmakers Just Can’t Say “Gay”

By Chad Nance
On Thursday House lawmakers approved an amendment to a charter school modification bill that bars discrimination against students. The amendment was introduced by Rep. Nathan Ramsey(NC-115) and was passed two days after another non-discrimination amendment was tabled after Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam stated on the House floor that pedophilia, necrophilia, and poop fetishes were “sexual orientations“ like being born LGBT. The language of the amendment that was passed was changed to remove references to gay citizens in an apparent concession to North Carolina’s bigot vote.

In Rep. Ramsey’s amendment he was able to leave an opening for law suits by those who could be discriminated against by state-funded charter schools. Ramsey also left in an opening for bigots and charter schools that wish to discriminate to claim that in North Carolina these protections do not exists. He also avoided having any Republicans vote for an amendment that included a direct reference to gay human beings. This is only slightly more mature than Stam’s disgusting, scientifically bogus, and vicious allusions, which were probably the lowest moment of public discourse in the history of the North Carolina General Assembly.

Students who will be receiving vouchers, however, continue to have no legal protections from discrimination from religious schools that will now be funded by tax-payer dollars… money paid in taxes by tens of thousands of North Carolina’s gay tax payers.

Childish semantics aside, perhaps the North Carolina legislature should take a cue from Tennessee where state lawmakers tried to pass a law banning the use of the term “Gay” in schools. At the time Star Trek actor and human rights icon George Takei began a small campaign called “It’s Ok to be Takei” for LGBT kids who were the targets of bullying by kids and school at the state government of Tennessee. Perhaps North Carolina lawmakers who just can’t bring themselves to say “Gay” should just say “Takei” so that they don’t have to vote to protect their fellow citizens who might be… shhhhh… gay.

Perhaps the amendment could have read:

A charter school shall not discriminate against ANY student Asian, black, brown, white, or Takei.