Another crap state to avoid! Tennessee Passes Anti-LGBT Counseling Bill

[RKP5637]

Just adding them to my list of really creepy states. Sorry DUers that live there. These are racist bigoted bills allowing the haters to rejoice.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tennessee-lgbt-counseling_us_570c4c4de4b0836057a23d63?

Tennessee legislators on Monday passed a bill that could jeopardize access to mental health treatment for LGBT individuals, part of a string of recent anti-LGBT legislation in the South. Therese are racist and bigoted bills to allow the haters to rejoice.

The GOP-sponsored bill, which now goes to Gov. Bill Haslam (R), allows therapists and counselors to reject patients they feel would violate “sincerely held principles.” Haslam hasn’t indicated whether he will sign the bill into law.

Gay rights and mental health advocacy groups have protested the bill and urge Haslam to veto it because it could permit mental health professionals to discriminate against LGBT patients without legal liability.

The bill passed by the legislature is a more discriminatory version of legislation approved earlier this year. That measure stated that therapists and counselors could turn away patients based on “sincerely held beliefs.” The state House last week passed a version that expanded grounds for shunning patients to “principles,” which the Senate approved on Monday.

Some opponents of the bill said they worried the wording could allow discrimination against other groups, including people of color.

[jberryhill]

1. Given the apparent ineffectiveness of that profession in TN

...one is led to wonder whether this is any great loss.

[RKP5637]

2. Excellent Point !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[spanone]

3. my state is fucked. republican house. republican senate. republican governor.

god forbid the nation ever has this situation cause they will rule the same way on a national scale

[RKP5637]

4. Republicans are such damn horrid creatures. TN is a beautiful state and these creatures are out to

destroy it. They are just the total embodiment of hatred, bigotry, racism and stupidity, ever marching forward to turn the US into total Idiocracy.

[PasadenaTrudy]

8. A friend of mine is moving to Nashville soon

from liberal SoCal. I wish her luck, lol!

[spanone]

10. nashville is an oasis of liberalism in the state....i know, i live there!!!

good luck to her!

[PasadenaTrudy]

11. That's good to hear! nt

[RobinA]

5. Does Anyone

really want a therapist who would like to turn them away but isn't allowed? As a female, a therapist, and a therapee, I say, If you don't like women, refuse to do business with me. Please. Save us both the trouble.

[RKP5637]

6. Yep! I really can't imagine any LGBT trying to force a therapist to help them that hates them. n/t

[RedCappedBandit]

14. Such a person should not have a license to begin with.

[HuckleB]

7. This is simply ludicrous.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

9. When I was in College studying Social Work

We had a discussion about all of the different types of populations we might have to work with as Social Workers. I came out of the discussion with the impression that if you couldn't handle working professionally with certain groups of people, you pretty much have no place being in the helping profession. Hopefully, anybody whom would actually take advantage of this law to not have to work with LGBTQs, simply removes themselves from the field. Actually, I'm honestly not sure how the Code of Ethics, at least within the Social Work field, would allow a licensed Social Worker to skirt their professional responsibilities like this (even if it becomes *legal*)

[RKP5637]

12. K&R !!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[KamaAina]

13. Ack! Memphis is in Tennessee!