• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Is Trump kissing Fauci? With apparently fake photos, DeSantis raises AI ante
  • US Supreme Court backs Alabama Black voters, bolsters civil rights law
  • Pat Robertson, who made Christian right a political force, dead at 93

Tennessee Lawmakers Advance 2 Horrific Anti-LGBT Bills

Sean Mandell April 7, 2016 Leave a Comment

tennessee lgbt

The war against LGBT Americans in the south continues to rage on.

Lawmakers in Tennessee on Wednesday advanced two pieces of legislation that target LGBT individuals in the state. One bill would allow therapists in the state to deny service to LGBT people based on their religious beliefs. Another is a so-called ‘bathroom bill’ that singles out transgender students for unjust discrimination.

Talking Points Memo reports: 

The state House on Wednesday passed a bill that would allow counselors to deny services to individuals based on sincerely held beliefs, letting them refuse to help gay individuals. State Rep. Dan Howell (R) has pushed the legislation in response to a change in the American Counseling Association’s ethics code that tells counselors not to refer clients “based solely on the counselor’s personally held values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors.”

The state House education committee also passed a bill on Wednesday that would require students to use the bathroom that aligns with their sex at birth, reviving legislation that the committee tabled a month ago due to concern from some Republicans.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) has expressed concern over the bill and whether it could cost the state education funding from the federal government. He’s argued that schools should decide their bathroom policies.

Continuing its tactic of using business interests to try and influence lawmakers, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) rallied companies Dow Chemical, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Choice Hotels International, Inc., and Alcoa, Inc. to sign a letter to Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Senate Ron Ramsey and Speaker Beth Harwel, calling on them to abandon the bills.

Said HRC of the bills,

SB 2387 and HB 2414 would put Tennessee school districts at risk of losing federal funds under Title IX. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has echoed concerns that the discriminatory measure would compromise the state’s three billion dollars in federal funding for its schools and universities. His spokesperson also said the governor “trusts our teachers and local school boards to make necessary accommodations” for transgender students. The legislation offers costly supposed solutions to non-existent problems, and it would force schools to choose between complying with federal law — plus doing the right thing for their students — or complying with a state law that violates students’ civil rights.

Topics: Uncategorized More Posts About: Gay Rights, LGBT Rights, Religious Freedom, Religious Liberty, Tennessee

Related Posts
  • Louisiana bans transgender girls from girls’ sports teams
  • Lil Nas X Comic Released; Furries Rescue Pro-LGBTQ Library; Iceman’s Big Queer Prom; Tennessee Bible Burning Protest: Books Roundup
  • The 100,000 (est) Men Convicted for Same-Sex Contact Under UK’s Maze of Sodomy Laws Over The Last Few Hundred Years Can Get Pardons Now. Bit Late For Some.
  • US Supreme Court backs Alabama Black voters, bolsters civil rights law

    US Supreme Court backs Alabama Black voters, bolsters civil rights law

    Published by Reuters By John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday handed a major victory to Black voters who challenged a Republican-drawn electoral map in Alabama, finding the state violated a landmark law …Read More »
  • Pat Robertson, who made Christian right a political force, dead at 93

    Pat Robertson, who made Christian right a political force, dead at 93

    Published by AFP Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, has died at the age of 93 Washington (AFP) – Pat Robertson, the soft-spoken televangelist who helped make America’s Christians a powerful political force while …Read More »
  • Uganda enacts repressive law putting LGBTQ+ communities at serious risk

    Uganda enacts repressive law putting LGBTQ+ communities at serious risk

    Published by Global Voices Image of LGBTQ community protest in Uganda, on the Africanews YouTube Channel. May 2023 was a watershed period for Uganda’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community. On May 2, the …Read More »
  • Biden names coordinator to work on book bans issue

    Biden names coordinator to work on book bans issue

    Published by AFP The graphic novel Washington (AFP) – US President Joe Biden has named a government coordinator to handle the thorny issue of book bans in schools — one of a series of initiatives announced …Read More »
Previous Post: « This Guy Took Fake Book Covers on the Subway and Raised More Than a Few Eyebrows: WATCH
Next Post: Federal Appeals Court Confirms Gay Marriage Is Legal in Puerto Rico Despite Judge’s Ruling »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • 2 groups cancel Orlando conventions as worries over political climate grow

    2 groups cancel Orlando conventions as worries over political climate grow

  • Danny Westneat: We’re going back in time on LGBTQ+ equality

    Danny Westneat: We’re going back in time on LGBTQ+ equality

  • South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem Says America ‘Can't Shop at Target Anymore' Because the Store is 'Fundamentally Tearing Down This Country' After 'Tuck-friendly' Swimwear Debacle

    South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem Says America ‘Can't Shop at Target Anymore' Because the Store is 'Fundamentally Tearing Down This Country' After 'Tuck-friendly' Swimwear Debacle

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Justin Bieber’s Dad Faces Backlash Over Anti-Pride Post After Telling LGBTQ Community to ‘Thank a Straight Person’ for Their ‘Existence’

    Justin Bieber’s Dad Faces Backlash Over Anti-Pride Post After Telling LGBTQ Community to ‘Thank a Straight Person’ for Their ‘Existence’

  • Former CNN anchor Don Lemon lands new hosting gig – but not on TV

    Former CNN anchor Don Lemon lands new hosting gig – but not on TV

  • Elliot Page Shockingly Admits He had Secret Relationship With Kate Mara While She was Dating Max Minghelia

    Elliot Page Shockingly Admits He had Secret Relationship With Kate Mara While She was Dating Max Minghelia

Partner Links

  • Morning Round-Up: Rock Hudson; Sam Smith and Madonna; Janelle Monae; Elliot Page & more!
  • Lorna Luft, Kevin Spirtas & Jojo Siwa honored at opening of “Real to Reel: Portrayals & Perceptions of LGBTQ+ in Hollywood”
  • 54 Candles
  • The Magic A.I. Genie
  • Rosie reacts to second Trump indictment

Most Recent

  • Is Trump kissing Fauci? With apparently fake photos, DeSantis raises AI ante

    Is Trump kissing Fauci? With apparently fake photos, DeSantis raises AI ante

  • US Supreme Court backs Alabama Black voters, bolsters civil rights law

    US Supreme Court backs Alabama Black voters, bolsters civil rights law

  • Pat Robertson, who made Christian right a political force, dead at 93

    Pat Robertson, who made Christian right a political force, dead at 93

  • Uganda enacts repressive law putting LGBTQ+ communities at serious risk

    Uganda enacts repressive law putting LGBTQ+ communities at serious risk

  • Biden names coordinator to work on book bans issue

    Biden names coordinator to work on book bans issue

  • Biden rails against ‘prejudiced,’ ‘unjustified’ attacks on LGTBQ+ Americans

    Biden rails against ‘prejudiced,’ ‘unjustified’ attacks on LGTBQ+ Americans

  • 40 Moments From the Original ‘Sex and the City’ Series That Live Rent-Free in Our Heads

    40 Moments From the Original ‘Sex and the City’ Series That Live Rent-Free in Our Heads

  • Janelle Monae admits she’s always craved her mum’s approval: ‘It’s everything!’

    Janelle Monae admits she’s always craved her mum’s approval: ‘It’s everything!’

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×