Two bills opposed by LGBTQ advocates are already advancing in the state legislature in the early days of session. One prevents minors from being at drag shows, and the other would stop some medical care for transgender minors.
Gender-affirming care ban
There was standing room only in the House hearing room as a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union warned against passing discriminatory bills. Chase Strangio says it has cost other states who created laws that discriminate based on sex and transgender status.
“In Arkansas, costs and fees alone for plaintiffs have been over $3 million. The state of Alabama has not yet reached trial and has spent $1.7 million defending their bill,” said Strangio.
Blaise Gainey WPLN NewsRep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville, speaks to Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, about the bill that would end gender-affirming care for minors in Tennessee.
Still, the bill passed. But not without Rep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville, and Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, entering a back-and-forth on whether many of the surgeries being highlighted in the bill happen at all.
“There’s zero record of any genital surgery at any major medical facility in Nashville. I don’t know if it’s happening somewhere else,” Mitchell said.
Rep. Lamberth pointed out that genital surgery isn’t the only one in the bill and that he is aware of double mastectomy procedures taking place.
“There were five cases where a child qualified for the mastectomy, if they so choose,” Mitchell responded. “I don’t know if any of those five happened between the ages of 16 and 18, but that is very small. So if we want to ban those surgeries, so be it. But I just want to get on record that the other is not happening.”
It would also ban hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries for minors. Rep. Mitchell also finds that a step too far because puberty blockers are reversible.
Drag show bill
Rose Gilbert WPLN NewsDrag queens perform at Play on Church Street.
The bill related to drag shows that would add age restrictions also passed.
Specifically, it would create an offense for a person who engages in an adult cabaret performance on public property or in a location where the adult cabaret performance could be viewed by a minor.
During the hearing, an amendment was also quietly added that would make the bill’s effective date April 1 if passed. Typically, bills go into effect either when they are signed by the governor or on July 1. The amendment raised alarm bells among opponents who noted that would kick in just before Pride month in June — effectively shutting down festivals.
David Taylor co-owns the popular queer bars Tribe and Play, which cater to the LGBTQ community. He complained that the bill goes too far by labeling male or female impersonators as adult cabaret performers. During the hearing, he pointed out how things seen as normal now could fall victim to the new law.
“Is it the group of birthday girls in Memphis that decides to dress like Elvis for the night and dance on the street, or megastar Harry Styles as he performs in Knoxville in a dress?” Taylor asked. “And what about Halloween? Can my daughter walk down the public street as Batman?”
The sponsor of the bill, possibly as a response to Taylor, explained that the bill only speaks to if the performance is seen as obscene or harmful to minors, though Knoxville Republican Gloria Johnson mentioned that the state’s current obscenity laws already prevents nudity and other sexual conduct from taking place in front of minors.
WPLN’s Rachel Iacovone contributed to this report.
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