Topic: TEP

Tennessee Equality Project educates citizens, provides lobbying strategies

By James Butler | January 30, 2008 |

Get a good night’s sleep, dress properly, be courteous, be on time, and be prepared. This sounds like advice for a job interview, but according the the folks at Tennessee Equality Project, it’s also good advice for preparing to meet one of your state legislators, which was why they were in town last Thursday.

TEP is gearing up for its annual “Advancing Equality Day on The Hill” event. The event will start on February 18 at 3:30 PM with a candidate training at the Red Restaurant at the Tribe Bar on Church Street. The candidate training is free and open to the public, and is meant for those who may be interested in or who are already running for state office. After the candidate training there will be a reception in the small room at Tribe starting at 6PM. The event continues the next morning with a breakfast meeting at the Rymer Art Gallery on 6^th Avenue, where the Honorable Sherry Jones will deliver the keynote address. TEP will then relocate outside the office of Mr. Speaker Naifeh’s office while participants head out to meet with their legislators for the day. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Opinion, Politics | No Comments

TEP schedules organizational meeting

By Todd Hughes | November 11, 2007 |

Organizers for the Tennessee Equality Project will be in Clarksville on November 12 at the Borders Bookstore Cafe at 2801 Wilma Rudolph Blvd. at 7:00 PM.

This will be our first organizational meeting for TEP Montgomery County. We’ll discuss formation strategy, things that we can do to help bring about equality in Montgomery County and some future activities!

To find out more about the Tennessee Equality Project, visit us at www.tnep.org. If you have any questions, contact Todd Hughes at todd@tnequalityproject.com.

Sections: Events, Issues | No Comments

Gay Adoption: Prepare for legislative battle

By Todd Hughes | October 25, 2007 |

The polemic surrounding legal rights for GLBT [Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgendered) people to adopt children is clearly well established. Every few years, the question is revisited, either as part of a moral debate or as a legal battle. During the next few months, we can anticipate introduction of this question, once again, in the Legislature. We should begin by considering some important facts.

First, according to the Human Rights Commission (HRC), the following are the particulars regarding adoption by same sex couples in our state:

• Single GLBT people may adopt children
• There is no explicit prohibition against adoption for same-sex couples;
• It is unclear as to whether or not a person can adopt the child of a same-sex partner.

Second, there are currently no bills in the Legislature that would restrict the rights of GLBT individuals or couples to adopt.

So, where’s the “problem” and why are we talking about a “battle?” «Read the rest of this article»

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