Tennessee Legislature: Homophobic And Stupid

Nashville State Representative, and Democrat, John Ray Clemmons has withdrawn a resolution that would have honored the Bingham Cup, an international gay rugby tournament planned for Nashville. It is a biennial event, taking place this year in May, and is expected to bring some 1500 players and guests into the city. 

The tournament is named after Mark Bingham, a college rugby player who was among the passengers on United Airlines Flight 93, the plane that crashed in a Pennsylvania field en route to Washington on 9/11.

So, why withdraw the resolution? Well, because of Republicans, who called the resolution political "shenanigans" and even suggested the resolution was designed to trick them into voting for an LGBT event … which they would never do because … gay. No matter that the event was created to honor a 9/11 hero who just happened to be a gay man.

Clemmons said he withdrew the legislation because he didn’t want to mar the event with a political fight:

"I didn't want this to be a political issue. It was well-intended. It was simply to honor an event taking place and adding to my local economy and putting my city on the international stage once again."

But, you know, the event is named for a gay man, and it honors a gay man, and Tennessee, and Nashville Republicans, don’t play that way, I guess.

Seriously.

Nashville Public Radio