Last summer Hillsborough County Christian conservative Terry Kemple made certain to keep his socially conservative views on creationism, gays and bikini bars in the closest as he aspired to mainstream acceptance in his bid for election to Hillsborough County's School Board.
However, he was unsuccessful, losing out in the primary last August.
He's back in the news today, however, after the LGBT advocacy group Equality Florida issued a press release slamming the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners for naming Kemple to its Human Relations Board back in December. The release was written by the group's Executive Director, Nadine Smith:
"The primary purpose of the the Human Relations Board is to 'encourage equality among all people.' By appointing Terry Kemple, the Hillsborough County Commission has selected someone who stands in direct opposition to everything this board is supposed to represent. Kemple has consistently opposed equal protection under the law for gay people and has advocated against the freedoms of those who don't share his particular religious views. For years, he worked to block anti-bullying and non-discrimination protections in local schools. He tried to block students from forming Gay Straight Alliances on campus to reduce harassment and bullying of LGBT students. More recently, Kemple led a failed 2009 boycott against Pepsico because of the company's provides equal benefits for gay employees. In his unsuccessful run for the Hillsborough County School Board, Kemple required donors to check a box declaring they do not support equal rights for gay people. Terry Kemple's presence on the Hillsborough County Human Relations Board creates an insurmountable obstacle to the fulfillment of it's stated purpose – encouraging equality among all people – and we strongly urge the commissioners to revoke this appointment."
This article appears in Feb 17-23, 2011.