In the wake of teen suicide, Tennessee considering “license to bully” bill

Nope. This is not a hoax, as I thought it must have been when I first read about it.

Phillip Parker, 14, hanged himself in his foster parents’ bathroom

See, Phillip Parker, aged 14 from Tennessee hanged himself in his foster parents’ bathroom in Gordonsville after one year of constant bullying, family members told NBC news.

And now this, According to ThinkProgress.org…

Tennessee Rep. Joe Ragan

Lawmakers in Tennessee are considering legislation that would protect bullies who harass other students for their sexual orientation. The so-called “license to bully” bill (HB 1153/SB 0760) would allow students to share any “religious, philosophical, or political views” that are “unpopular,” regardless of their consequences to the learning environment, and limits educators’ ability to curb such harassment.

Tennessee Rep. Joe Ragan (R) wrote that…

Gay “feelings” can be controlled by “mentally healthy adult human beings,” and concluded by stating, “Should society avoid disapproving of pedophilia, prostitution, murder, etc., because practitioners of those behaviors may commit suicide at higher rates?”

I don’t quite know what else to say, besides — this is America in 2012? We need to sign a petition to stop backwoods thugs like Joe Ragan from ruining and essentially ending the lives of children?