Republican Senator Stacey Campfield, the now-infamous Republican Tennessee state senator who made headlines last week by claiming it is “virtually impossible” to contract HIV/AIDS from heterosexual sex and who claims that gays live a significantly shorter life than straights, it turns out, has strong ties to newly-converted Roman Catholic Newt Gingrich.
Yes, the man who has basked in the media anti-gay spotlight, the man who has seemingly enjoyed spreading dangerous lies about both gay people and the dangers — or, apparently, according to him — lack thereof, of unprotected sex, Stacey Campfield, is the man behind Tennessee’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill that seeks to ensure homosexuality is not even mentioned in public schools, much less taught that it exists. Senator Campfield draws a comparison to bestiality and homosexuality, saying, in defense of his indefensible “Don’t’ Say Gay” bill,
[Homosexuals] do not naturally reproduce. It has not been proven that it is nature. It happens in nature, but so does beastiality That does not make it right or something we should be teaching in school.
Despite recent anti-gay bullying teen suicides in Tennessee, Senator Campfield says, “That bullying thing is the biggest lark out there.”
In the same interview in which he said it is “virtually impossible” to contract HIV/AIDS from heterosexual sex, Campfield said that “most people realize that AIDS came from the homosexual community — it was one guy screwing a monkey, if I recall correctly, and then having sex with men. It was an airline pilot, if I recall….”
And with that, we give you…
Top 10 Most-Offensive Things About Anti-Gay Tennessee Senator Campfield (That You Didn’t Already Know)
1. Campfield is actually Newt Gingrich’s Tennessee deputy state director and campaign co-chairman.
2. Last year, Campfield — possibly illegally — demanded $1000 plus expenses to “debate” LGBT activist and well-known writer Del Shores on Homosexuality and the Bible.
3. Campfield in 2008 wrote, “illegals, they are similar to an invading military and are not, and in my opinion should not, be given the same rights and privileges as citizens or visitors.”
4. Campfield, who is a real estate investor/owner/landlord, made news in 2009 for having one of his rental properties condemned, yet it was inhabited at the time. The tenants, according to a local news source, “allege the Republican lawmaker has dragged his heels making repairs, threatened to sue them if they break their lease and pumped raw sewage out of the basement that went into a storm drain.”
5. In 2007, Campfield, according to the New York Times, “introduced legislation that would require death certificates for aborted fetuses, which would be likely to create public records identifying women who have abortions.” The Times added that the “chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, called Mr. Campfield’s proposal “the most preposterous bill I’ve seen†in an eight-year legislative career.”
6. In 2008 Campfield created a fund that funneled money people overpaid on their taxes into an abortion prevention fund.
7. Campfield has also proposed a bill to drug test people in Tennessee who get public assistance.
8. Campfield has proposed a bill that would reduce payments to parents on state assistance (TANF) if they have children who fail to maintain “satisfactory” progress in school.
9. Campfield has proposed a bill that would force voters to register for a party that most closely represents their views.
10. In 2005, Campfield tried to join Tennessee’s legislative Black Caucus, and when they refused him (Campfield is not Black) he said, “My understanding is that the KKK doesn’t even ban members by race.” MSNBC reported Campfield said that the KKK “has less racist bylaws†than the black lawmakers’ group. Campfield then penned, “I too dream…,” in which he reprinted Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech.
Bonus:
11. On both of his own personal Facebook pages, (one, two, a violation of Facebook rules?) Campfield posted this strange quotation, under Favorite Quotations.
12. In 2006, Campfield reportedly called supporters of his opponent, asked them why they had lawn signs in their yards for his opponent, and asked them if they were going to vote for her.
13. Campfield was the subject of much scorn in 2006 after news broke that he may have been living with a sex offender who had raped a 13-year old girl. Campfield claims he only rented property to him.
There is a recall Senator Stacey Campfield petition on Facebook.