Dollywood Asks Lesbian to Change Shirt

Would you be offended by this T-shirt?

marriage is so gay

Well, probably not, because you're reading my blog.

I'm not a huge country-music fan, but I've always liked Dolly Parton. Her commonsense no-nonsense philosophy and self-deprecating humor are wonderful. She mostly keeps her politics and religion to herself because she believes an entertainer should entertain. (Imagine that ... an entertainer who doesn't think her fame makes her an instant expert on religion, politics or relationships! It's refreshing.)

So I was surprised to read this headline:

Gay couple asked to reverse shirt at Dollywood

Olivier Odom was visiting the park with her partner, Jennifer Tipton, and was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt with the above-mentioned "Marriage is so gay." They were stopped by an employee at the front gate and asked to turn the shirt inside-out so that the message wouldn't show.

So Dolly, tell us: if a woman arrived wearing a shirt that said, "Marriage is for heterosexuals," would you have asked that woman to turn her shirt inside out too? Back in the 1960s, would you have banned someone with an NAACP T-shirt? In the early twentieth century, would you have banned a T-shirt that said, "Women have a right to vote"?

Dollywood's policy discourages clothing or tattoos that "could be considered offensive." Offensive to whom? Anyone? Or is Dollywood only trying to protect mainstream Christians from offense?