ICYMI: Tennessee Lawmakers Giving Free Rein to Overt Discrimination - More Than a Dozen Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills Dominate Legislative Activity

Nashville, TN - March 12, 2024 - Last week, the Tennessee legislature heard more than a dozen bills attacking the LGBTQ+ community - and this week, the parade of discrimination is poised to be even worse with more anti-equality bills being considered. These proposals aim to restrict LGBTQ+ rights statewide and terminate resources for the community like the Tennessee Human Rights Commission. Outright attacks on health care for transgender people, education, and adoption services are also part of the coordinated legislative assault.

Reminder: even before the onslaught of bills being considered this week, Tennessee had already enacted more anti-LGBTQ+ laws than any other state since 2015. At least a dozen explicitly anti-LGBTQ+ bills are currently being considered, and HRC is monitoring others that could have devastating consequences for Tennesseans.

The bills attacking the rights and lives of LGBTQ+ Tennesseans include:

• SB 1873, So-Called "Parents' Bill of Rights": This bill would subject supportive, trusted school staff to disciplinary action, eroding trust with LGBTQ+ students.
• SB 1110, Anti-LGBTQ+ Common Law Marriage: This bill would create a new common law marriage contract that is only available to opposite-sex couples.
• SB 2781, Anti-LGBTQ+ Bathroom Ban: This bill continues Tennessee's tradition of expanding criminal offenses in private places in a way that is likely to lead to harassment or intimidation of transgender people in restrooms or locker rooms.
• SB 1738, Adoption Ban: This bill creates a cause of action for a foster or adoptive parent who believes they've been discriminated against as foster or adoptive parents because of their anti-LGBTQ+ views and would allow placement of an LGBTQ+ child with a family who believes that LGBTQ+ identities are sinful or problematic, or who will enroll them in so-called "conversion therapy."
• HB 1386, Anti-LGBTQ+ Common Law Marriage bill, companion to SB 1110?
• SB 2396, Relating to Gender Care Clinics and a Mandatory Reporting System: This bill would prohibit municipalities from prohibiting so-called "conversion therapy." It would further require an onerous and unnecessary reporting system for providers of gender-affirming care.
• HB 1634, Discriminatory Education bill: This bill would remove a teacher's obligation to ensure that students are not denied or excluded from important educational programs or benefits on the basis of their family status or their sexual orientation. It would remove the requirement that sex education programs in school be medically accurate.
• HB 1949, Anti-LGBTQ+ Bathroom Ban, companion to SB 2781?
• HB 2169 Adoption Ban, companion to SB 1738?
• HB 2310 Gender-affirming Care "Trafficking" bill: Would provide for criminal and civil penalties for those who help transport minors for gender-affirming care.
• SB 2766, Discriminatory Education bill, companion to SB 1634?
• HB 2816, Gender Care Clinics bill, companion to SB 2396?

Since 2015, Tennessee has enacted 15 anti-LGBTQ+ laws, more than any other state in the country. It has passed novel legislation, like the business bathroom sign law and the drag ban, and been part of, if not led on, every trend in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in recent years. Tennessee has banned transgender students from playing school sports three times; forbidden students from using the correct bathroom at school; allowed government contractors providing child welfare services to discriminate with taxpayer dollars; regulated the ability of transgender youth to access age-appropriate gender affirming care, and several others.

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.