Don't Say Gay sponsor has strange ideas about family values

Republican Tennessee State Senator Joey Hensley is in a heap of trouble (aside from a grownup in his sixties calling himself “Joey”). Hensley, you see, is also a physician in the small town of Hohenwald (pop. 3,703). Things in Mayberry are not always idyllic because the 61-yeaar-old Hensley had an affair with his younger 48-year-old married nurse, Lori, who is also a pain-pill popping patient and his second cousin.

Things got rather messy when Hensley's ex-wife tipped off the nurse's current husband (Don Barber) who is the vice mayor of Hohenwald. Meanwhile the Barbers (Don and Lori) are getting divorced. Hensley was supposed to testify last week at a divorce hearing and never showed up. He claimed medical and legislative privilege while asserting that his testimony wouldn't have made any difference.

Hensley was compelled to produce evidence of any gifts that he and Lori Barber exchanged. Eventually Hensley will be deposed and that transcript will become part of the court record.

As you have probably guessed, Hensley has been running for office as a “family values” Christian for years. But it gets better. Hensley sponsored Tennessee's infamous 2012 “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which would have banned public school teachers from even mentioning that homosexuality exists. Apparently if you pretend that there are no gay people there won't be any.

During one hearing about the bill Hensley said: “I don’t think Modern Family is appropriate for children to watch” — because it features a married gay couple raising children. This session, Hensley is sponsoring a bill from the Tennessee Family Action Council that would make children created using donor sperm illegitimate. That is an attempt to make it harder for gay and lesbian parents to establish paternity.

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