Lawmaker Wants Female Student Athletes To Wear Shirts Over Sports Bras

State lawmakers today took up a measure which allowed them to debate dress codes for students – including the proper dress for “young lady” athletes.

Memphis Democrat Joe Towns has tried for several years to make it against the law for young men to wear pants so loose that they sag below the waistline.

His current bill came up in the House Education Subcommittee, where it got more help than he expected. That’s because it would ban any underwear from showing. Knoxville Republican Bill Dunn expressed his shock at the way women athletes dress.

“…. having several children who play sports, it’s pretty shocking to me that you go to practices and games and young ladies are walking around in sports bras…would that be considered underwear?”

Currently dress codes are the responsibility of each school district.

The bill, which, so far, does not mandate particular uniforms for women athletes, was approved and sent to the House Education Committee.

The subcommittee had scores of high-profile bills on its agenda, including major changes to the state’s lottery scholarship. Those were deferred.

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Towns’ anti-baggy pants bill, HB 3679 Towns/SB 3558 Ford, was fought off for several legislative sessions as targeting young urban blacks.

Other Democrats, also members of the Black Caucus, complained that any such bill would be used by police exclusively against young black men.

The current version writes into, a requirement that school dress codes specifically address the baggy pants issue. Towns:

“But what it does, it requires local education to provide a provision in the student discipline code, that prohibits students from wearing clothing that is worn inappropriately, underwear exposed, indecent manner which they feel disrupts the learning environment.”

Rep. Richard Montgomery, a Sevierville Republican, suggested the whole matter be addressed in a non-binding resolution urging such a course. He says it’s overkill to put such detail into Tennessee Code Annotated, the green law books that already take up two shelves in most legislative offices.

“We’ve put on this in Code …you know, these books, as has mentioned, we’re gonna have to start building more bookcases.”

Town’s explanation that it keeps students from showing their underwear apparently suggested further action to Dunn, a spokesman for many conservative issues, who brought up the question about sports bra.

“I’m serious…I hope that is included. I would consider that underwear, that they have. And they should wear shirts, instead of running around like that.”

In the Senate, the bill has so far been ignored.