Tennessee ramps up its lead as the state with the most anti-equality laws enacted in the nation. Tennessee lawmakers added 4 more discriminatory bills topping the 20 they already passed in recent years. The last 3 bills follow on the heels of SB 1738 passed earlier this month & signed by Governor Lee which could place LGBTQ youth in the foster care system into unsupportive homes. Cathryn Oakley HRC Senior Director of Legal Policy stated, “Tennessee lawmakers are on the verge of enacting more than twice as many anti-LGBTQ+ laws as any other state, a staggering assault on their own constituents. LGBTQ+ people & our families live in Tennessee & these unrelenting legislative attacks have made Tennessee an increasingly challenging place to make a home. These policies don’t improve lives, they don’t solve existing problems, they don’t address the real challenges that Tennesseans face every day. They only make life more difficult for people who are simply trying to live their lives. Governor Lee should veto these harmful, discriminatory bills & signal Tennessee's commitment to prioritizing the wellbeing of its citizens, not promoting hate.” Tennessee has passed the business bathroom sign law, the drag ban & led every trend in anti-LGBTQ legislation in recent years. Tennessee has repeatedly banned transgender students from playing school sports, forbidden students from using the correct bathroom at school, allowed government contractors providing child welfare services to discriminate with taxpayer dollars, restricted transgender youth from accessing age-appropriate, medically necessary health care, attempted to undo marriage equality & more.
This year alone we’re already dealing with more than 470 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures nationwide mostly targeting our transgender youth.
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