Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Defining Kissing And Holding Hands As \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 Into Law<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Haslem has signed the \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 bill into law. Earlier this year, the Tennessee Republican controlled\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Defining Kissing And Holding Hands As \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 Into Law\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Haslem has signed the \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 bill into law. Earlier this year, the Tennessee Republican controlled\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rhetoric Race and Religion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-05-14T12:49:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andre E. Johnson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andre E. Johnson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html\",\"name\":\"Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Defining Kissing And Holding Hands As \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 Into Law\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-05-14T12:49:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-05-14T12:49:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/#\/schema\/person\/892ad446aed3fd242a430151516a83fc\"},\"description\":\"Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Haslem has signed the \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 bill into law. Earlier this year, the Tennessee Republican controlled\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Defining Kissing And Holding Hands As \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 Into Law\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/\",\"name\":\"Rhetoric Race and Religion\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/#\/schema\/person\/892ad446aed3fd242a430151516a83fc\",\"name\":\"Andre E. Johnson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8740442d3e2978d7a9dd204585be3ed0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8740442d3e2978d7a9dd204585be3ed0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Andre E. Johnson\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/author\/ajohnson\"}]}<\/script>\n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Defining Kissing And Holding Hands As \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 Into Law","description":"Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Haslem has signed the \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 bill into law. Earlier this year, the Tennessee Republican controlled","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Defining Kissing And Holding Hands As \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 Into Law","og_description":"Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Haslem has signed the \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 bill into law. Earlier this year, the Tennessee Republican controlled","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html","og_site_name":"Rhetoric Race and Religion","article_published_time":"2012-05-14T12:49:00+00:00","author":"Andre E. Johnson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Andre E. Johnson","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html","name":"Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Defining Kissing And Holding Hands As \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 Into Law","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-05-14T12:49:00+00:00","dateModified":"2012-05-14T12:49:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/#\/schema\/person\/892ad446aed3fd242a430151516a83fc"},"description":"Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Haslem has signed the \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 bill into law. Earlier this year, the Tennessee Republican controlled","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Defining Kissing And Holding Hands As \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 Into Law"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/","name":"Rhetoric Race and Religion","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/#\/schema\/person\/892ad446aed3fd242a430151516a83fc","name":"Andre E. Johnson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8740442d3e2978d7a9dd204585be3ed0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8740442d3e2978d7a9dd204585be3ed0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Andre E. Johnson"},"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/author\/ajohnson"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2251"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2141\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":2141,"date":"2012-05-14T12:49:00","date_gmt":"2012-05-14T12:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html"},"modified":"2012-05-14T12:49:00","modified_gmt":"2012-05-14T12:49:00","slug":"tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2012\/05\/tennessee-governor-signs-bill-defining-kissing-and-holding-hands-as-gateway-sexual-activity-into-law.html","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Defining Kissing And Holding Hands As \u2018Gateway Sexual Activity\u2019 Into Law"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The law is so vague that it could define kissing and holding hands as \u2018gateways to sexual activity\u2019 and make it difficult for sex education teachers to address such activity in class. The law also may prevent sex education teachers from discussing contraception.<\/p>\n

The new law allows teachers who do encourage the use of contraception to promote safe sex to be punished, which could scare teachers from even mentioning contraception at all, meaning sex education courses would consist of just abstinence-only programs, which are proven to not work in preventing teen pregnancy.
Read the rest here<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"