Tennessee state Senator Stacey
Campfield doesn't believe LGBT teen suicide is a problem.
“That bullying thing is the biggest
lark out there … There are sexually confused children who could be
pushed into a lifestyle that I don't think is appropriate with them
and it's not for the norm for society, and they don't know how they
can get back from that. I think a lot of times these young teens and
young children, they find it very hard on themselves and
unfortunately some of them commit suicide,” said Campfield.
Campfield made the comments earlier
this year during an appearance on Sirius XM's The Michelangelo
Signorile Show but they gained traction this week on the
Internet.
Campfield, a Republican, is the chief
sponsor of a bill dubbed “Don't Say Gay,” which would outlaw the
discussion of sexual minorities in Tennessee's public schools before
the ninth grade. The bill cleared the Senate last year but died in
the House with its adjournment this year.
On The
David Pakman Show, Pakman wondered: “Is it just a matter of
time before Stacey Campfield is caught tapping his toes in an airport
men's room? A wide stance debacle as they may now be known.”
(Related: “Don't
Say Gay” sponsor Stacey Campfield: Heterosexuals don't contract
AIDS.)