Knoxville: Not as Bad as It Sounds

If I'm going to visit anyplace in Tennessee, it will be Nashville.  Certainly not Knoxville, way up in the Smokey Mountains, so far up that even if you find your way there, you may never find your way down again.  It's near Rocky Top, memorialized in the 1967 song (now the University of Tennessee Fight Song) about having sex with girls and killing outsiders:

Once two strangers climbed ol' Rocky Top
Lookin' for a moonshine still
Strangers ain't come down from Rocky Top
Reckon they never will

It's near Oak Ridge, home town of the Oak Ridge Boys, the Country-Gospel quartet. I'm not personally familiar with any of their songs,but lots have toped the Country-Western charts: "Trying to Love Two Women,""Bobbie Sue," Elvira":

 Tonight I'm gonna meet her at the hungry house cafe
And I'm gonna give her all the love I can
She's gonna jump and holler 'cause I saved up my last two dollars
We're gonna search and find that preacher man


To bring the heterosexism into the 21st century, the Knoxville Museum of Art recently unveiled "The Cycle of Life," a sculpture by Richard Jolley.  It depicts a man and a woman grabbing at each other next to a tree.





Other than heterosexism, moonshine, and shotguns, Knoxville has 3 times as many Baptists and twice as many Pentecostals as the U.S. in general, and 58% of the county voted for the Orange Goblin in the 2016 election.

Run away.

Then I saw this photo of the Smokin' Salmons swim team of Knoxville, Tennesee. Smokin' Salmons = smoked salmons = lox = Jewish.

Jews in Knoxville?

Yep, about 3,000 Jews, with a community center and four synagogues.  Including Heska Amuna, "An egalitarian synagogue open to all,"  The rabbi graduated from Harvard and served in the Peace Corps before deciding on Knoxville, of all places, where in addition to his rabbinic duties, he practices yoga and plays Dungeons and Dragons.  His biography page also lists his preferred pronouns.

The Muslim Community of Knoxville runs a mosque, a children's academy, and a lot of community activities, such as a Grill and Chill Open House, an Ice Cream Social, World Hijab Day, the MLK Parade, and Adopt-a-Highway.

Ok, Jews and Muslims may have carved out some sanctuaries in the mountains, but what about the gay people?

Knoxville has 2 gay bars, Club XYZ and The Edge.  There's an annual Pride Fest, a Gay Men's Chorus, and a Lambda Car Club.  Mayor Madeline Rogero is reputedly gay-positive.

There are 10 welcoming churches in Knoxville, including one named God's Remnant Ministries.  That sounds way fundamentalist, but its website does say EVERYONE is welcome (EVERYONE in caps usually means "Even those who you would never in a million years think you would find inside a church, gay people").

But how welcoming are the high schools?

1. Farragut.  Books and Bites, Girl Up, and a GSA.

2. Bearden. Arabic Club, Drama Dawgs, Helping Hands, and a GSA.

3. Central.  Chess Club, Helping Hands Club, GSA.



4. Fulton.  Comics Club, Key Club,and GSA.

5. Gibbs.  Art, French, Math, no GSA. But they do have "Pancakes with Santa."

6. Halls.  Drama Masquerade Players, Skills Club, Teens for Christ, GSA..

7. Hardin Valley Academy.  Earth Club, Math Hawks, Teens for Christ, no GSA, but there's a pro bodybuilder among the alumni.

8. Karns.  Bass Fishing Club, Climbing Club, GSA.

9. Powell.  Chess Club, Nerd Club, "Diversity Club/GSA"

10. South Doyle.  Frisbee Club, Skills Club, GSA.

80%, impressive.  I'm in.

Plus there are 8 Thai restaurants.