I remain convinced that, despite their having sent Rand Paul to the U.S. Senate, the majority of Tennesseans are good, stable, rational persons. However, I can no longer convince myself to think the same about the Tennessee legislators. Evidence? Just an excerpt. Follow the link and read the whole story at ThinkProgress:

Tennessee Senate Approves Bill To Warn Students That Hand-Holding Is A ‘Gateway Sexual Activity’

By Scott Keyes on Apr 13, 2012 at 8:30 am

Like any state legislature dealing with 8 percent unemployment and thousands of its residents facing disenfranchisement, the Tennessee Senate is targeting the menace of underage hand-holding.

Last week, the Senate passed SB 3310, a bill to update the state’s abstinence-based sex education curriculum to define holding hands and kissing as “gateway sexual activities.” Just one senator voted against the legislation; 28 voted in favor.

Since the bill specifically bans teachers from “demonstrating gateway sexual activity”, educators would be prohibited from even demonstrating what hand-holding is. Breaking these laws could result in a lawsuit, as Hunter from Daily Kos notes:

If your teacher teaches you anything about sex that isn’t specifically on the approved curriculum, like demonstrating “holding hands” for the class instead of quietly tsking about the dangers it poses, they can be sued.

These loonies have been watching too many movies. They seem to think that, like Charlton Heston, they can wave a big hiking staff (disguised as a Tennessee state stature), deny human nature, defy the laws of the universe, and roll back the tides. Ludicrous!

I was a Southern Baptist for a few years, decades past. That’s when I first heard this joke:

Question: “Why are Baptists opposed to having sex while standing up?”

Answer: “They’re afraid it might lead to dancing.”