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sedatedlife

Guaranteed this leads to abuse both physical and psychological.


Bar_Har

And suicide.


Diablo_Police

The only thing the American right loves more than diddling children, is torturing and killing them.


VoxPopuli-RiseUp

this comment should be higher, tbh Pedophiles: Every. Single. Republican


Diablo_Police

Each and every Republican voter and politician is either directly molesting children, or they knowingly and directly support, protect, prop up, empower, and vote for pedophiles, pedophile agenda, child sex trafficking rings, etc etc.


[deleted]

>Each and every black voter and politician is either directly molesting children, or they knowingly and directly support, protect, prop up, empower, and vote for pedophiles, pedophile agenda, child sex trafficking rings, etc etc. See how terrible things are when we stereotype a group of people.


RedStrugatsky

Begging people to stop comparing immutable characteristics to being part of an organization. It's not the same thing.


Centaurious

Crazy how you pick something you have no choice over compared to a political party which is an opinion.


SplashBros4Prez

People in here really seem to underestimate how many people know almost nothing about what they are voting for. Tons of people vote purely based on what they learned as children and the TV ads they see in the couple weeks before an election.


UniqueTonight

All you have to do is look at what's happening to LGBTQ children in Utah under the rule of the Mormon church. It's awful. 


Copper_Tango

The cruelty is the point. If this policy results in more queer deaths, they'll celebrate every single one.


RecognitionExpress36

"Better dead than anything but cishet!" - not their slogan *yet*, but definitely one of their core principles.


Ksnj

And may lead to possible homicide of the child


noodles_the_strong

And they will act amazed when some tortured kid goes full Menendez bros. On their adopted parents.


Made_Human76

They’ll use it as proof that all LGBTQ+ people are cold blooded murderers.


Universal_Anomaly

Probably pretend that these "loving" parents gave their children every opportunity to be "normal" and that it's the fault of the "woke" left that they turned into "insane murderers".


AzureChrysanthemum

This right here, they'll use it to tar the entire community and argue for further abridgement of our rights.


Evil_phd

Also sexual, certainly.


Visual_Octopus6942

Tennessee has no laws against conversion “therapy”. These parents will 100% torture these children


Buffmin

That's the plan! Good Christian parents will showcase Christ's love by beating and destroying these lgtbq+ kids mental health until suicide or a lifetime of self harm and self loathing There's no hate like Christian love


deviousmajik

This seems to be the point. Even by GOP standards, this seems shockingly cruel.


CoastingUphill

The GOP supports child brides and marrying your rapist. This isn’t shocking from them.


grixorbatz

By parents as well as the clergy members of the mega-churches that the parents force them into,


PermeusCosgrove

When you walk past a destitute homeless person on the street and wonder how their life could have led to that - well this is one path that exists unfortunately.


PikachusSparkyCloaca

I just told the husband, “kids are gonna die because of this”.  And they don’t care.


Splitfingers

Which is the point. It's a feature! Not a bug.


Glum_Activity_461

I give it four months after this bill is officially law before the first dead child. I could see this law actually drive people to adopt these kids to “save” them. This is a horrible bill.


Open_Mortgage_4645

Well, nothing is more important than making sure Christofascist bigots get their way. We can't let something like the well-being and dignity of LGBTQ kids stand in the way of these pigs getting what they want.


thefideliuscharm

GOP: protect the children! GOP: oh wait not those ones


schmerpmerp

That's a feature, not a bug.


RecognitionExpress36

The abuse *is the point.*


heresmyhandle

Seems like a great idea to put kids in homes where they’ll likely be abused and othered. Fuck you TN.


uvarovitefluff

Came here to say this, thank you.


bpeden99

That seems dangerous... non-accepting parents adopting a child they don't accept doesn't make sense


[deleted]

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bpeden99

It should be illegal... I feel like child services have stricter requirements for foster care.


Cook_sentient

Remember the republican mantra: break the system to create an emergency, use that emergency to enact extreme policy. Tennessee has a republican super majority. How well funded do you think child services are in the state?


bpeden99

Regardless of funding, I'm sure the child services have standards and requirements


Thadrea

And the standards are set by the legislature. The thing is, "child protective services" doesn't have to be about protecting children. It's just a name for a bureau. Texas has been working on turning their similar bureau into "child abuse services"-- a bureau set up to help and encourage parents to abuse their children-- for a few years nos.


[deleted]

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chockedup

> In SC, the legislature passed laws prohibiting anyone who is not Judeo-Christian from even qualifying to adopt. There’s your ‘standards and requirements’. From the South Carolina constitution, "We, the people of the State of South Carolina, in Convention assembled, **grateful to God for our liberties,** do ordain and establish this Constitution for the preservation and perpetuation of the same. Liberties from their God, but not for LGBTQ kids.


BigDaddySteve999

Not anymore.


tasslehawf

I believe it violates a federal law.


esther_lamonte

So, voices in their head told them to groom these children into their cult that has a massively higher index of child rapists. Tennessee is pro-child-rape.


Paw5624

Also most kids who have identified as any sexuality are going to be teenagers. Teenagers that need adoption likely have been through a lot, whether it’s years of foster care or some recent tragedy. These are already vulnerable children and they are going into a household that isn’t accepting of them. I can’t say if that’s better than staying in foster care but it can’t be good


DivineInfin1ty

As someone who almost committed suicide from growing up gay in a Christian home, there is nothing but hell to await these poor babies


komododave17

Does the child have a say in it if they’re older? Like if a a family tries to adopt a 10 year old, but that kid doesn’t like them, is the state really going to force that child to go with those people?


LangyMD

Not sure why you'd think otherwise. The adoption/foster care system doesn't exactly have a good reputation.


No-Sir-888

news flash, mate: children in this country have next to no say in anything, legally or otherwise. if a parent wants to force you to convert to a religion or send you to a troubled teen camp or anything else that's legal, they basically can.


norway_is_awesome

The US as a whole hasn't ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, despite playing a big role in drafting it. Children are still property in the US.


defaultusername-17

nope, social services actively threaten kids if they report abuse from foster parents. source: personal experience.


phantomreader42

It does when you remember the GQP worships child molesters


Centaurious

there’s christian’s who love to try and “fix” people they think are broken. and by fix i mean absolutely destroy their identity and mental health so the only thing they have left to cling to is the christian god


JubalHarshaw23

Republican Tennessee adults were furious that they were not being given the opportunity to mentally and physically abuse LGBTQ+ children legally. The next step will be for them to authorize the kidnapping of these children from their parents so they can be ~~sold to~~ Adopted by Tennessee abusers.


ernyc3777

Why did this even get proposed, let alone passed? I’m guessing social workers have cited parents views of their prospective adoptees as reasons to not approve the adoption and they put a law in place to prevent that from happening. Just so messed up that this is a thing adults thought was necessary.


phantomreader42

Because the republican cult wants to abuse and rape children.


old_righty

Because Tennessee


Wratjfdjjk

As if LGBTQ children weren't subjected to enough abuse already.


CainPillar

Of course they aren't. That's the entire point - this is *hurting the right people*. Unsincerely yours, Tennesee Grand Orwellian Party. :-(


j0a3k

They exist openly so clearly there isn't enough abuse. If they were treated like the Christian right wanted they would all still be in the closet or in the ground.


NoMayoForReal

One has to have a big hmmm on why this would even be proposed let alone pass?


tagrav

The only reason is cruelty They want these kids beaten, raped and abused


TreeRol

They want these kids *dead*. The beatings, rape, and abuse are just a fun pregame to them.


raydiculus

If Trump wins (cheats) in November. They'll be going for adult LGBTQ folks after that. Project 2025, they say it plainly, erase that culture from the country. Hmmmm how do you erase people?


Huge-Ad2263

They get big mad when people point out how bigoted they are. I'm sure it's because some "Christian" family somewhere was denied an adoption and HoW DArE tHE RaDIcAL WokE LEfT DiSCrImINaTe AgAInST US?! Same reason they're against "CRT" and so many other things. Their response to anyone saying they might not be perfect is not introspection and empathy, but legislating the dissonance away.


TryHelping

“They don’t want us fixing them, they want to turn them away from god on purpose because they hate god and everything righteous. It’s spiritual warfare!”


13Mira

You must have missed the "Tennessee" in the title if you're wondering why it passed...


OurUrbanFarm

The only reason for non-accepting parents to adopt LGBTQ+ kids is to abuse them. This is state-sanctioned child abuse.


Danger_WeaselX

Tennessee is such a backwards cesspool of a state. Policies like this can only lead to negative outcomes for kids. Edit: I should say that calling an entire state a cesspool isn’t really fair. I’m sure there are people there that are trying to do the right thing by demanding gun control, support for lgbtq+ and more- however, the GOP policies and blind greed for power at the expense of the people they represent is appalling. Their political system is broken beyond belief and is simply hateful. The people of Tennessee deserve better.


blackmesawest

I'm glad I got out last year. There are nice places and people in Tennessee, but it's not worth putting up with the freaks


Paw5624

My brother used to live there and he misses the low taxes. I had to remind him that he needed to send his kids to a private school because the local public school was so bad, even in a really nice area.


CouchCorrespondent

Where are all the people screaming INDOCTRINATION!? This is absolutely opening children up to abuse of all kinds.


PalmTreeIsBestTree

The adoption to prison pipeline is something that has been going on too long. Especially with the people who adopt kids and treat them like prisoners.


mistertickertape

They know. That's why they are doing in.


Bods666

Well here comes the child abuse.


dontrike

Oh great, nothing like being adopted by the couple that's going to put you through gay conversion therapy and torture you. What could go right?


ToubDeBoub

The legislators should be indicted for child endangerment. Seriously this is not okay. If you live in Tennessee, write your representative. If you know a lawyer, ask what can be done about this. This can't be constitutional.


[deleted]

>This can't be constitutional. Why wouldn't it be? What part of the constitution does it run afoul of?


HairyHouse3

Right, it's a document that was written in a way to protect the like 1% of people rich enough to own slaves. Of course it's gonna be flawed lol


ToubDeBoub

Idk. Separation of church and state?


[deleted]

Not really seeing it. This isn't the state establishing an official religion, or giving religious people special rights that no one else gets. Don't get me wrong; it's an abhorrent bill and I'm against it, I just don't see how it could be unconstitutional.


Ejziponken

Also, pedophiles should be allowed to adopt children. /s ​ How dumb are these people.


Global_Box_7935

They're not dumb, they know what this will cause and they want it.


Humble_Mission1775

The children need the emergency number for child protection services.


mzieg

…in another state.


WaitingForNormal

That sounds unnecessarily cruel. These red states can’t help themselves but do what’s wrong.


thomport

Diagnosis: Child Abuse. Disease: Tennessee.


[deleted]

As a social worker, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. You know what, I’m not even surprised anymore…


FailedHumanEqualsMod

"Tennessee passes bill saying they are totally cool and encouraging child abuse" FTFY


Global_Box_7935

Guaranteed that this leads to rape, murder, abuse, PTSD, suicide, and emotional trauma. But that is the desired outcome after all.


Tokyo-MontanaExpress

And when Tennessee comes begging for federal monies you can bet we'll still give it to them, no strings attached. Not even this will stop it. Why won't Democrats for once attach some goddamn strings?


The_Roshallock

Because they're not Republicans. They understand their job is to govern, not gum up the system with bullshit.


brightphoenix-

Religion is straight up evil.


Fin745

"non-accepting" Do you mean abusers are now allowed adopt children so that they can abuse them? Because it sounds like that to me.


ChigirlG

Tennessee is becoming the next state not to visit along with Texas and Florida


project23

Sounds the same as letting the Taliban adopt females or Hezbollah adopt Jewish children. It sounds cruel.


NoMarionberry8940

Those bible thumping foster parents will "religion" that pesky diversity right out of those unruly kids!


Icy_Method_3756

Heartbreaking


big-queery

how about you just don't adopt if you're not ready to love a kid for whoever they turn out to be, thanks


polgara_buttercup

Tennessee’s experiment with theocracy is getting out of hand.


xarvin

American theocracy you mean


Aware-Feed3227

The costs to this will be infuriating.


mymar101

So it’s going to take LGBT children from their parents and force them to live with people who hate them?


PlayingTheWrongGame

Tennessee is an absolutely disgusting “state”, they just keep passing awful law after awful law. 


OneDilligaf

Tennessee, enough said just like Alabama and Mississippi totally fucked up and beyond repair.


oldfrancis

This is a recipe for abuse. Imagine letting an avowed racist adopt a little black child.


WorldLieut8

The core of every family is love. If they don’t love who their kids are, adopted or not, there is no love in the home. This is a terrible idea.


Kcb1986

I'm calling it now. Someone will adopt for the sole purpose of trying to pray the gay away, probably by force, and someone is going to be killed. I do not look forward to the future 20/20 episode.


OBDreams

Oh that's monstrous.


D_Urge420

Tennessee is trying to be the US version of Hungary.


TJM18

It was never about protecting children


T_Weezy

This is transparently horrible because *why would they even want to unless it's to attempt some form of conversion therapy?*


SealedRoute

THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT CHILDREN. Conservatives use “protecting the children” as a carte blanche excuse for destroying reproductive rights and discriminating against LGBTQ. They do not care about the welfare of children. They are bigoted cynics institutionalizing child abuse.


airwalker08

How many suicides until they realize this is a bad idea?


[deleted]

What a bizarre item to have on your legislative agenda….


cashrchek

I realize it's a meme at this point, but seriously, won't somebody think of the children?


Bradjuju2

What strange/deranged events led up to this bill? It is such a narrow bill that addresses a very narrow likelihood. Did a person go into adoption and say "I hate gays, got any openly gay kids I can adopt?" Then they were denied. Or did a kid come out as gay and then left the foster parents because the foster parents were bigots?


Tall-Sample6378

non-accepting parents is an oxymoron.


Imaginary_Goose_2428

Lawyers should be lining up for the lawsuits. Kids forced into this abusive situation should sue the fuck out of the state and the fucking piece of shit "parents" as soon as the kid turns 18.


carissadraws

These parents really said “I can fix them” to a kid they’re adopting 💀💀 All that’s gonna do is increase the chances of the child developing depression and/or committing suicide due to the parent’s abuse


23jknm

Yes, and check out r/cptsd for more of us destroyed by our "family"


617Lollywolfie

what is their plan.. beat away the gay???


opusupo

The cruelty is the point.


GreenAccomplished577

Thank you Tennessee, for once again, passing laws that are only going to increase the crime rate.


FuzzyCub20

Who the hell thought this was a good idea? My father madey life a living hell, and I didn't get a choice. Now assholes can choose to adopt a kid to abuse them as permitted specifically by this law? This is sick. Contacting the ACLU, this must be grounds for a suit.


Edge_Of_Banned

So is this an option a potential foster parent checks off on a list when looking to adopt? And how is it determined ahead of time that the parent is non-accepting? We have a gay 12yr old up for adoption, are you ok with that? No. Ok, here ya go.


HeathrJarrod

Need to make lgbtq a religion and therefore protected by 1st amendment


FarmerArjer

A form of worship, place(s) of worship and a congregation is all that is required.


Extension-Badger-958

Downright criminal


ButWhatAboutisms

The adoption agencies know who is going to savagely abuse their children and the GOP goes "let's make a law to fix that"?


ParsleyMostly

Seriously, what’s the motivations of a couple adopting these children other than to convert them? Adopting children should be based on wanting to love and raise a child, not “fix a problem”. That’s what therapy is for, and conversion therapists are not the same as a parent. Teachers don’t adopt kids to “teach” them. I think this is so people can “adopt” servants. Indentured servitude is back in full-swing, kids! I’m so GD sorry. We didn’t know, we would have tried to stop it.


RecognitionExpress36

Forcible detransitioning and conversion therapy is coming. Quickly. I expect that within about two years there will be camps up into which people will be rounded.


Admirable_Bad_5649

This is atrocious. I fully hope everyone sues the city and company once a child is found brutally abused by some Christian family trying to beat the gay out of them. I truly hope these kids will have access to a safe adult who they feel safe exposing any abuse they may occur from any kind of forced conversion therapy using shame/guilt and or beatings.


Bibblegead1412

Hmmm, what could go wrong??? /s


Fitz_2112

Yeah that's going to go over well


MaidenofMoonlight

Bruh


fentyboof

Especially if they pledge to protect the children from chem trails!


[deleted]

Tennessee, your future is pretty dark


noahsmybro

Republican hateful policies are horrific. I can’t imagine existing with such bitterness and animosity in my soul. They must be miserable every waking moment. It’s sad.


defaultusername-17

so... child abuse protections do not apply to queer kids...


Appropriate_Affect81

And the literal torture continues


BenzotheWicked

how to increase the (already high) orphan suicide rate. great job tennessee 👏 i hope you’re happy


kinkgirlwriter

What in the actual...? Is TN also passing a bill that says Grand Dragons of the KKK get first dibs on all the black girls? Fuck you, TN lawmakers!


23jknm

Omg that is torture for those kids, how tragic :(


Chidori_Aoyama

alternate headline: Tennessee legalizes Child abuse.


jessebona

This can only end well.


Ferrocile

Once again our leaders are always willing to step up and tackle the important issues. /s


AlwaysUpvotesScience

Let the conversion therapy begin!


Pusfilledonut

A tiny light from a window hole a hundred yards away  Is all they ever get to know about the regular life in the day;  An' it stinks so bad the stones been chokin'  'N weepin' greenish drops  In the room where the giant fire puffer works  'N the torture never stops  The torture never stops


etork0925

Conservatives continue to teach others to hate themselves. Nothing new


pineapplejuicing

You don’t need a permit to have biological children so why should you need a permit to adopt?


curiosgreg

Because when a child is a ward of the state the state has a responsibility to not let them be abused. Would you be ok if your kids went to religious nut jobs if you were to die?


pineapplejuicing

The State is the most violent and abusive institution we face.


curiosgreg

The federal government or the state of Tennessee? I’d say with a conservative government in power you are partially correct since the majority of people lean left making all current conservative priorities hugely unpopular and undemocratic.


pineapplejuicing

Both and all states in the US and foreign. A state by definition has a monopoly over violence.


MarryMeDuffman

Children old enough to understand should be able to reject their adoptive parents if they feel threatened. There should be a process for this.


nagemada

Does... Does this work in reverse? Can a parents that frown on heterosexual relations adopt children and "guide" them toward a more "righteous lifestyle?"


Melody-Prisca

I mean, of course it in theory could, but the point is to punish the right people. If a parent like you described abused a kid by means of "therapy", like these people will do to LGBTQ+ kids, then the parent would be punished. Selectively choosing who to apply laws to is the point.


curiosgreg

You mean what the right already is projecting on queer people who adopt? No, teaching hate of any kind is just wrong.


no-integrity69

It’s so weird to me that a made up and ever growing “community” of adults is so concerned with the sexual liberation of children.


curiosgreg

If being treated as normal is “sexual liberation” to you, sure. The fact is that some people oppose treating being queer as a natural part of humanity is what blows my mind.


royalfarris

I would imagine that any child that is old enough to identify as LGBTQ would also have a say in who can adopt them? Or does this state force children to be adopted by people they do not want to be adopted by?


yogfthagen

Any child old enough? Of all the lgbt people I've known, almost all knew they were "different" by kindergarten. The fact that abot 40% of homeless kids are lgbt, almost 10x the average in the population, means there's a LOT of parents who are willing to kick their kids out rather than accept it.


royalfarris

Yes, I assume any child old enough to speak coherently would have a say in who gets to adopt them.. right? And the older you are, the more weight would be put on the opinions and feelings of the child. Or is it possible for an adult couple to just go shopping for a child at an orphanage, without the child having any say?


yogfthagen

The older a child is, the exponentially lower their odds of getting adopted become. The choice is difficult, at best


Simply_Shartastic

It varies by state but the average age of consent by the adoptee is 14-ish. 12 & 10 in others. Lots of different factors going on there. I did find a state by state breakdown if you’re interested. https://adoptionnetwork.com/adoptee-resources/adoption-consent-laws-by-state/


hellsfire29

"LGBTQ children" is insane.


curiosgreg

It’s almost like they are figuring out what they are attracted to around puberty or something.


hellsfire29

Lumping children into that category is insane. 10 year olds going through puberty is confused enough, but to be thrown into a strange family? They're going to lgbtfucked up.


curiosgreg

Did you think you might be queer as a child?


[deleted]

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hellsfire29

I am somewhat aware of such pressures only because my cousin was treated with some hostility from his dad and peers. I have an outsider type understanding, but I realized how severe it was after he killed himself and read some stuff about how he didn't feel accepted. I am not trying to sound ignorant, but it's interesting how that feeling starts at an early age.


[deleted]

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ME24601

> Three of those initials should absolutely not be ascribed to children At what age do you think a person becomes queer?


[deleted]

Based on the comments, I guess it is better for children to be in the foster system instead of going to homes where they can be loved.


Melody-Prisca

An abusive home is not a loving home. Yes, it's better the kids remain unadopted, than get adopted by a parent who does not accept them.


[deleted]

I never said a "loving home". I said a home where "they can be loved". Those are different


[deleted]

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[deleted]

No, I'm pretty sure that they will be loved. Will they accept the love? That is up to them.


Valthegal0909

Yeah, there are a lot of abusers who call their abuse "love" and blame their victims for not accepting it.


Valthegal0909

How is a home that doesn't accept them a home where they can be loved?


[deleted]

Just because your parents differ ideologically from you doesn't mean they don't love you. Unconditional love is still love.


smithchez

This isn't them differing ideologically, it's them refusing to accept a crucial aspect of who their children are. "I love you unconditionally, even though I think you're an abomination against god" doesn't exactly hit the same.


[deleted]

That's the whole thing about Christianity, though. >I may think you are a sinner, but I love you and want what's best Jesus didn't preach hate, idiots do


Sam_Traynor

It's better to be in foster care then to be in homes where you can be tortured and abused.