Mark Pody

Mark Pody (born April 23, 1956) is an American politician. He serves as a Republican member of the Tennessee Senate from the 17th district, encompassing Cannon County, Clay County, Dekalb County, Macon County, Smith County and Wilson County.

Mark Pody
Member of the Tennessee Senate
from the 17th district
Assumed office
January 9, 2018
Preceded byMae Beavers
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 46th district
In office
January 11, 2011 – January 9, 2018
Preceded byStratton Bone, Jr.
Succeeded byClark Boyd
Personal details
Born (1956-04-23) April 23, 1956
Spokane, Washington
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceLebanon, Tennessee
OccupationPolitician

Early life

Mark Pody was born on April 23, 1956 in Spokane, Washington.[1]

Career

Pody runs a life insurance small business.[1]

He is a member of the Tennessee Firearms Association, the Chambers of Commerce in Lebanon, the Trousdale County, Watertown, and Cannon County.[1] He is also a past President of the General Agents & Managers Association.[1] A private pilot, he is a member of the Civil Air Patrol.[1]

In April 2012, he proposed a legislation in favor of religious freedom on state college campuses in reaction to Vanderbilt University's "all-comers" policy.[2][3][4]

In September 2015, Pody proposed bill HB1412, known as the Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act, to ban same-sex marriage in Tennessee despite the Supreme Court's decision to legalize it.[5] He drew a parallel with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.[5] His colleague in the Senate, Mae Beavers, proposed a similar bill.[5]

According to the Nashville Scene, Pody "believes he’s on a mission from God to stamp out same-sex marriage."[6]

In 2017, Pody won a special election to the State Senate in a closer than expected race.[7] Prior to that, he served in the State House of Representatives for District 46.

Personal life

Pody is married and has two children.[1] He is a Christian.[8] He attends Woodmont Bible Church in Nashville.[6]

gollark: Not really.
gollark: What we really need, clearly, is formally specified English.
gollark: Fine, I'll stick to standard English then. Mostly.
gollark: It Can Be, If We Make It That Way.
gollark: English Is However It Is Commonly Used.

References
  1. House of Representatives biography
  2. Steven Hale, Anti-All Comers Bill Incites Religious Debate, Dunn Runs Afoul of Party Leadership, Nashville Scene, Apr 27, 2012
  3. Chas Sisk, State lawmaker takes on Vanderbilt’s all-comers policy, The Tennessean, April 26, 2012
  4. Joe White, Religious Debate in State House Precedes Idling of Anti-All Comers Bill, WPLN-FM, April 26th, 2012
  5. Brant, Joseph (September 17, 2015). "State Republicans file bill to end marriage equality: Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act proposed". Out & About Newspaper. Nashville, Tennessee. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  6. Woods, Jeff (December 18, 2015). "God Warriors Organizing to Stop 'Sodomite Police' in Tennessee". The Nashville Scene. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  7. "Mark Pody narrowly wins Mae Beavers vacant District 17 state Senate seat". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  8. Official website biography
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