Bonehead bigot commissioners tossed out in Tennessee

In the rural county of Rhea in Tennessee, voters decided that a change was needed on its board of commissioners and dumped five commissioners who wanted to, among other things, ban homosexuality in a misguided, bone headed vote in 2004. Basically they asked state legislature to introduce a bill to not only criminalize "gay sex" but to allow the filing of charges for any homo who resides, visits or enters the county.

Now that's a winner bit of business.

The knob-ends thought they were simply asking for a same-sex marriage ban.

Voters turned out incumbents Harold Fisher, Tom Davis and R. Paul Tallent. Incumbents Dennis Tumlin Brad Varner didn't seek re-election. Four incumbents were returned by voters. Fisher had been a commissioner for 20 years and was chairman of the body.

In March 2004, commission members voted unanimously voted to ask state lawmakers to introduce legislation amending Tennessee's criminal code so the county could charge homosexuals with crimes against nature. Two days later, they rescinded the vote, saying they didn't understand they were voting to ban homosexuality in the county.

It's noted in several articles on this story that this is the same county, and that the commission meets in the the same courtroom, where the Scopes Monkey Trial was held. The commissioner who made the motion, J.C. Fugate, was clear when he said "we need to keep them out of here," so I'm not sure what the confusion was for these now-tossed-out commissioners in that vote.

Here's a snippet of what happened when, after it was clear the county looked like fools in the media, the vote was rescinded:

June Griffin, a Christian activist, said the commissioners had bowed to "pressure from the liberal press."

She said, "We need to raise a better generation that won't chicken out." She said the majority of Rhea County residents supported the resolution. Mrs. Griffin said she did not believe there are any gays living in Rhea County. She said, "Anyone I ever suspect, I go up and ask them directly." She said anyone she had asked had denied it.

But Daniel Shipley said he lives in Graysville near the Hamilton County line and is "gay and proud of it." He walked up to June Griffin and said, "Honey, I'm gay and I want you to know I'm dressed as good as you." Mr. Shipley said there are "a lot of gays in Rhea County."

One man at the brief meeting said the commission "kicked a hornet nest. They've made a laughingstock of Rhea County."

A man from Dunlap, who had a truck with anti-gay writing on it, was passing out tracts. The truck said, "Sodomites Don't Produce, They Recruit."

H/t, Raw Story.