A Tennessee lawmaker that most of us have heard of from his ridiculous “Don’t Say Gay” laws last year has recently proven that he’s even stupider than we thought he was. Now Senator Stacey Campfield is saying that it’s actually impossible to get AIDS unless you are gay. Heterosexual couples, claims Campfield, cannot get AIDS, and the disease itself came from a gay man having sex with a monkey.

You know, I remember hearing about this theory back in high school. Is it possible? Well, sure; anything is possible. It’s possible that I was Marie Antoinette in a past life. People do depraved things no matter their sexual orientation. But most scientists believe that the disease was spread through blood contact rather than a sexual act, which makes much more sense—and we all know that there are millions of heterosexual people living with AIDS, including children. “Impossible” doesn’t seem to give these figures justice.

The man also maintains that lesbians and gays have shorter life spans; I’m not sure where he got that statistic at all, though I don’t see how that could have anything to do with defending his stupid law. Are they not allowed to say the words Down Syndrome, since that condition is linked to a shorter lifespan? How about heart disease, or drug addiction, or lack of seatbelts, or even being a carnivore? All of these things can shorten your lifespan, yet I am positive Campfield allows them to be discussed in the classroom.

The scope of power that these embarrassingly stupid lawmakers have is spreading like a virus that is far more deadly than AIDS, which is, at least, showing signs of being treatable. There are really hundreds of reasons why I homeschool, but not being forced to conform to these harmful standards is definitely a perk. I am thankful that I can raise my daughter to be aware of her gay brothers and sisters in this nation—in this world—as equals who deserve equal treatment and rights, not as some sort of lepers who get AIDS. Speaking of which, why has Campfield not banned that term as well?

Experts are calling Campfield funny, since his statements are simply not factual; but he, and his fellow Right-wing distortion machinists, is far from funny. The lies they sell as facts are hurting both our policies today as well as the information our children take with them into solving the problems and injustices of tomorrow.