Knoxville Restaurant Kicks Out Don’t Say Gay Bill Author Stacey Campfield

Posted by Kevin Farrell on Jan 30, 2012 in Inspirgaytion | 29 comments

The Bistro at the Bijou: Homophobes need not enter.

Oh no they didn’t! (Oh yes they did!) Knoxville restaurant The Bistro at the Bijou gave Tennessee State Senator Stacey Campfield the boot yesterday after he came in for a meal.

The homophobic lawmaker was refused service for, among other things, his authoring of Tennessee’s incredibly discriminatory Don’t Say Gay Bill, which would outlaw mention homosexuals even exist in K-12 schools.

Nashville 21 reports:

Earlier today, from what I can tell, the restaurant The Bistro at the Bijou in Knoxville refused service to one Sen. Stacey Campfield. They posted a FB message that said, “I hope that Stacy Campfield now knows what if feels like to be unfairly discriminated against.” From all that I can ascertain, that was a response to not serving him for his well documented views of ignorance and bigotry towards the GLBT community.

In response, one Matthew Hurtt wrote: So, discriminating against someone because you don’t agree with their political beliefs is perfectly fine. Two wrongs do, in fact, make a right, Fantastic logic!

That’s a fine example of false equivalency. Stacey Campfield, who I’ve met, talked to, and actually kind of like as a human being, is a person of power in this state who has used said power to promote discrimination, misinformation, and outright hatred towards his constituents and other Tennesseans. Knoxvillains who wish to eat out have a whole host of different options from which to choose from. But Tennesseans who want equal representation and rights have only one legislature to look to. While there are many representatives, theirs, Stacey Campfield has made it a mission in his life to make life harder for those who don’t fit his own personal view of ‘normal’.

Campfield made headlines just last week after a radio interview in which he incorrectly explained that it is impossible to contract AIDS from heterosexual sex. Watch him defend his ignorance in the video here.

If you support The Bistro’s decision to boot this jackass, you can let them know on their Facebook page. At press time, their post about refusing Campfield service had about 600 “likes.”

Big thanks to you, Bistro! Way to take a stand against homophobia, one meal at a time!

http://www.facebook.com/people/Brian-Goulet/25704485 Brian Goulet

well, if i’m ever in knoxville, i know where i’m getting dinner at!

Anonymous

That’s exactly what I put on their FB page too! I wish we knew what other businesses would do the same thing.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Torbet/516763421 Mike Torbet

Dear Mr. Campfield,

I’ll tell you how people from other states feel about your state, we think that your state government is made up of a bunch of bigots. Yes that’s right, because when you don’t take the time to educate yourself about other groups of people and continue to make hateful, ignorant blanket statements about those people than you are a BIGOT! Your religious beliefs do not warrant you the right to deny anyone their full rights. Do you want to know why your education level is 44th in the nation? It is because of your state government’s backward educational policies. In New York, I learned about HIV/AIDS in 5th grade and knew more about it then than you do now Mr. Campfield. I think that you should be grateful for the valuable social studies lesson that the Bistro has given you. It sure sucks to be denied anything in this country. There are gay people in your state Mr. Campfield and you are being the worst kind of public servant if you aren’t serving all of your citizens! I also found it extremely offensive that you characterized what “regular/normal people” were. There are more black women in Africa than there are white male bigots in the USA so I guess if the definition of “normal/ regular” meant the majority, you would be the odd ball out.Shame on you and you backwards agendas! Bravo to the Bistro!
Sincerely,

A Concerned Citizen of the Human Race
http://www.facebook.com/artman225 Brandon Lynn Sharp

FINALLY! Some good news about Tennessee!!!!! I will make a point to dine at the Bistro, just because of this stand. Bravo!
Anonymous

Good for them, if I am ever there I know where I am going to eat! He is such a racist, not only hating on the gays but other minority groups as well. Such a closed minded person..
Anonymous

Maybe if Campfield actually read “And the Band Played on” by Randy Shilts instead of making up what’s in it (Gaetan Dugas was not having sexual relations with monkeys), he’d have a realistic understanding of the AIDS epidemic. But I don’t imagine Campfield actually reads books.
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http://profile.yahoo.com/T2IXKECM2PCXNRS2QG2APKOSVM Jason Nay

Wow! this guys is a joke!!! I wonder if these people that think and act this way actually realize how ridiculous they are?
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LAQIEMJOVY74DXAXWC6JIWNNZE mikem

i am sorry, but i just could not believe stacey campfields caustic statements. for every action thier is a reaction. i hope his reactions are shown at the polls. such petty nonsense from an unenlighten person.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000451850693 Ashley Valencia

This just made my month.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LAQIEMJOVY74DXAXWC6JIWNNZE mikem

words hurt, don’t they stacey. wait until these people step up to cast a vote next time……… public is like an elephant. long trunk and long memory. you place food for thought in their trunk, and they are digesting it.
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http://www.facebook.com/people/Chreiya-Sonia-Zaari/100001967165977 Chreiya Sonia Zaari

Eye for an eye. <3

http://www.facebook.com/sammael88 Matthew Williamson

Not really. They just wouldn’t serve him food. It’s not like they tried to erase his existence.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1188098866 A’isha Leslie Marbach

As a lesbian I appreciate the sentiment expressed by kicking this guy out, but as an American I disagree with the action. This is the same kind of action–refusing service to someone because you disagree with their beliefs–that we fight against regularly as part of the LGBT community.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1365172585 James Rodgers Jr

Is it though? She stated in an interview that she felt that his statements had “gone from controversial to dangerous.”

And no offense, but member of the LGBT community (and I’m saying this as a member of it mind you) does the same thing to people with beliefs and views that they don’t agree with! Need I remind you of the constant hate and slurs that are visited upon the entire right wing, when 100% of their members aren’t participating in this whole equality issue?
http://www.facebook.com/sammael88 Matthew Williamson

No, he was not refused service because of his beliefs. He was refused service because of his actions, which are incredibly hurtful to a big chunk of his constituency, not to mention the children affected. And how are we supposed to fight against attitudes like his if we should all just roll over and take whatever bigots like him choose to dish out? “You’re a horrible person and I don’t like being anywhere near you, but here’s your iced tea. Have you looked over the menu?” Gee, that’s not absurd at all.
http://www.facebook.com/kellanm Kellan Martz

This is not the same thing at all. He promotes discrimination as a government employee. He is saying it is ok for the government to discriminate against someone and that they don’t deserve the rights of their heterosexual counterparts.

Refusing to serve someone because of their hatred and discriminatory beliefs/remarks is perfectly acceptable. The restaurant could also refuse to serve someone that screams profanities in their restaurant, that calls different racial groups disparaging names, or someone that bothers other customers.

There is a big difference between being discriminated against for WHO you are vs. being refused a meal because of your hatred, which is a choice.
http://www.facebook.com/odinn.celusta Odinn Celusta

I tend to agree with you. Something doesn’t sit well with me on this one. Far better to give him a good table, sit down with him and try to listen. Granted, it can be difficult when someone sounds so challenged in regards to knowledge of human rights and basic logic/science. It might (probably won’t) teach by example, so that he could listen a little in return. It would be good to remember that one discriminatory turn does not cancel out another. That being said, if Camfield was the proprietor of his own restaurant, it would be more than okay to boycott him.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1365172585 James Rodgers Jr

“Gay AIDS Historian?” What in God’s name is this man talking about?! And his body language and eye-rolling clearly tell me he doesn’t give a shit one way or the other! Is it possibly he’s one of those…high functioning mentally disabled? (My apologies to anyone that is offended by that statement). The shit that is falling out of his mouth. “Someone who is not from Africa?!” How does he still have a job?!

Also: “Dugas became notorious as the alleged patient zero for AIDS, though he is now more accurately regarded as one of many highly sexually active men who spread HIV widely before the disease was identified.”
Kevin Webb

As an elected public official he is seen as an authority figure. What he says matters, and people will believe him because of his station.

If he doesn’t know, he should just acknowledge it. Grasping on to the most offensive monkey sex theory and saying, well no proof of anything else so I’ll just go with this (also) unsubstantiated idea.

The eye rolling was annoying. Didn’t make it through the whole video, but the interviewer really should have called him on his claiming to be a non authority while speaking as an authority.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Dale-Winters/1058535718 Dale Winters

What an idiot! What he is SPECULATING from is wrong. Not everyone in Africa is infected. Anytime you engage in risky behavior, whether it be unprotected sex, anal or whatever, it puts you at risk. I know a lot of STRAIGHT individuals who do it in the booty! Educate yourself you idiot before spewing crap out of you mouth… or did I get the wrong ends mixed up?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=688236750 Craig Knox

This interview was even more ridiculous than his first comments. Meanwhile, they first case of HIV has been traced back to the early 60′s…. not monkey’s. That was 80′s “we don’t know so we’ll make up a story about monkies” crap.
http://www.facebook.com/airizombie Airi Magdalene

So, he’s defending his statement by essentially saying, it’s impossible to catch AIDS through heterosexual sex as long as you’re not having heterosexual sex with someone who has AIDS..? Jesus. Someone drive a bus over this guy.
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http://www.facebook.com/evilsponge Michael Martin

I think he’s just mad because his name is Stacey.
http://www.facebook.com/g0dfree Brittany Jeffers

Actually, it got over 2,500 likes!
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http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-McIrvin/100000661773740 Richard McIrvin

I find this was a completely appropriate action taken by the bistro, restaurants are allowed to refuse service to ANYONE for pretty much anything they determine. If they lose some customers because they agreed with Stacey…well the bistro is gonna have to live with it.

This being said, I swear Campfield is just mad that his parents gave him a gender neutral yet distinctly feminine sounding first name.
http://twitter.com/fdcr_16 Francisco Cruz

Not only a bigot, a homophobe, but also a racist. WOW!
http://www.facebook.com/danielenglishocilla Daniel English

I think more businesses with gay people should start running these
homophobes out of them. I think blackballing is a good way to send a
message.
http://www.facebook.com/rmurrayatlanta Rick Murray

I wish the interviewer could ask better questions, this interview is hard to watch and is a missed opportunity to expose a bigot.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Matthew-Forsythe/1347338369 Matthew Forsythe

Good for them! Its ridiculous the money wassted on hate filled garbage like what this man wants to make law….. The MILLIONS of dollars thats raised to stop gay people from having rights is pathetic. They claim they do this to “help the children”. There are so many children in our country starving, going without medical care.. People loosing their homees.. This money raised could do so much good. Its doing NO good at all just fueling hatred.. This guy gets votes by fueling hate. Its sad!

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