The Official Community for Tennessee's Democrats
In Memoriam: State Rep. Larry Turner
The death of State Rep. Larry Turner (D-Memphis) on Friday has added a note of sadness to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Representative Turner was not a man who drew attention to himself. He always struck me as quiet, thoughtful, and calm. Beneath that exterior was a highly principled advocate for those whose needs were underrepresented in state government.
He was one of seven members of the Tennessee House of Representatives who voted against the marriage discrimination amendment in 2005. He was a co-prime sponsor of HB 0335, which would add gender identity or expression to Tennessee’s hate crimes bill. In his capacity as a member of the House K-12 education subcommittee, he worked in a cool and careful manner to help throw the Don’t Say Gay bill off track when it was first introduced in 2008. He had even been one of the speakers at Tennessee Equality Project's annual Advancing Equality Day on the Hill.
Larry Turner stood up for Tennessee's GLBT community, and I'll bet many of you who are active in the TNDP could name other issues where he was a leader, too. As I mourn, I also give thanks for the life and witness of one of Tennessee's statesmen.
Representative Turner was not a man who drew attention to himself. He always struck me as quiet, thoughtful, and calm. Beneath that exterior was a highly principled advocate for those whose needs were underrepresented in state government.
He was one of seven members of the Tennessee House of Representatives who voted against the marriage discrimination amendment in 2005. He was a co-prime sponsor of HB 0335, which would add gender identity or expression to Tennessee’s hate crimes bill. In his capacity as a member of the House K-12 education subcommittee, he worked in a cool and careful manner to help throw the Don’t Say Gay bill off track when it was first introduced in 2008. He had even been one of the speakers at Tennessee Equality Project's annual Advancing Equality Day on the Hill.
Larry Turner stood up for Tennessee's GLBT community, and I'll bet many of you who are active in the TNDP could name other issues where he was a leader, too. As I mourn, I also give thanks for the life and witness of one of Tennessee's statesmen.
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