Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Phillips Chris Sanders and the Tennessee Equality Project Are State Treasures
Posted by Betsy Phillips on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 5:07 AM
The facts are pretty simple. Rolling Hills Hospital wouldn't let Val Burke visit her partner because she's not her partner's legal spouse or family member. She's not her spouse's legal partner because Tennessee won't let gay people get married. I hear there's sound theological reasoning for this, but I've read the Bible a time or two and I must point out that there's absolutely no prohibitions on lesbian sex. In fact, if one were to judge by which things have the least guidelines attached to it, one would have to conclude that lesbian sex is the only kind of sex God has absolutely no issues with. So, if we were just following God's lead, you'd think Tennessee would make it super easy for lesbians to get married and everyone else would have increasingly difficult hoops to jump through.
But, alas, our prejudices against gay people are only justified by the Bible, not taken literally from it, so God's Lesbian Loophole remains ignored.
Anyway, it turns out that Rolling Hills Hospital takes Medicare and Medicaid, which means they have to follow the rules that "protect hospital patients’ right to choose their own visitors during a hospital stay, including a visitor who is a same-sex domestic partner." Those rules apply to all patients at the hospital, not just the ones under Medicare and Medicaid.
So, Chris Sanders and the Tennessee Equality Project call the hospital, and Burke reports, "Thanks to Chris Sanders this issue was resolved quickly. Today I received a call from an administrator at the hospital who asked me if I wanted to come and visit."
This is great news. And it is awesome that we have Sanders and the rest of the folks at TEP to do this important advocacy work. It'd be nice if we kept them a little less busy, though.
Comments (7)
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The Bible doesn't just protect lesbians, it protects gay men too - at least the New Testament does.
The basic premise of the New Testament is that only the commandments based on Leviticus 19:18 are the Law. (See Matthew 19:16-19, Romans 13:8-9, Galatians 5:14, etc.) So what does this have to do with the LGBT community? Allow me to explain.
Most Christians are aware that the prohibition on eating shellfish doesn't apply to them, but they don't know WHY. The reason is that Leviticus 19:18 says, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Since eating shellfish doesn't violate Leviticus 19:18, that's WHY the prohibition on shellfish doesn't apply to the Christian. (Again, see the verses cited above.)
The prohibition of working on the Sabbath isn't based on Leviticus 19:18, so it's out too. And so is the prohibition on homosexuality. It isn't based on Leviticus 19:18 so it's also out.
Most Christians aren't aware of the fundamental basis of the New Testament. But once they are shown it, many become allies of the LGBT community. For more information on how to assist the Christian community to support LGBT equality, see www.PaulOnHomosexuality.com
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Why should non-Christians be compelled to conform to the religious opinions of Christianity? And which version of Christianity? UFMCC, UMC, RCC, ROC, SBC, CofC, AofG, UCC, PCUSA etc etc.
Osvaldo Jerez makes a good comment if you are trying to make no sense at all. I missed where only those laws based on Leviticus 19:18 are the law. Talk about reading what you want out of something.
The fact is that God created marriage, not the state. He defines it. Don't like it then complain to Him. Think I am wrong? Hope you are right otherwise eternity will not be plesant for you!!!!
I don't think Jesus would let lesbians visit in the hospital. I think he'd support an amendment to the constitution banning gay marriage, like any good Republican Christian would. (With a straight face.)
Obviously whoever turned the lady away at Rolling Hills does not read this
publication nor any of the Nashville press media, otherwise, they would
have known this is a "Protected and favored" class for these type visits
and other privileges!
