An LGBTQ theater company based in Memphis brought the case against the state in late March, arguing that it violated their First Amendment rights and that the law’s vague language left them in a legal gray area.
WPLN’s 2023 Pride Guide: Dozens of LGBTQ events are planned in Middle Tennessee this month
Pride Month has just begun, but this first weekend alone there are three cities’ Pride festivals — in Franklin, Cookeville and Columbia — and several other events around the region.
A judge will soon decide whether Tennessee’s first-of-its-kind drag restrictions will go into effect. Here’s how that decision has shaped Pride this year.
Tennessee passed a first-of-its-kind law restricting drag in public places earlier this year. But that law has never been enforced. A judge temporarily blocked it the night before it was set to go into effect. Now, a ruling in the case against Tennessee’s law is expected soon, just as Pride month is coming up.
What’s next for the case against Tennessee’s drag restrictions
The fate of a first-of-its-kind law restricting drag in Tennessee is now in the hands of a federal judge. Attorneys in a legal challenge to the new law delivered closing arguments Tuesday.
The first mayoral debate kicks off the race for Nashville’s next mayor. So far, the expansive field is playing nice.
The race for Nashville’s next mayor is intensifying, as the first mayoral debate was hosted by The Tennessean at Belmont University last night.
God, guns and gay rights: Nashville’s Youth Poet Laureate is asking lawmakers for change
During this year’s State of Metro Address, Nashville’s Youth Poet Laureate called on lawmakers to do better for Tennessee’s children. The 16-year-old poet sat down with WPLN News to talk about gun reform, religion and LGBTQ rights.
Glam squads, IHOP and Phoebe Bridgers: Behind the scenes of the inclusive prom held for a queer teen excluded from their school dance
A Nashville teenager went viral after being excluded from their senior prom for wearing a suit rather than a dress — the latest example of an increasingly hostile environment for LGBTQ youth in more conservative states. But quickly the community rallied around them to throw a separate prom for them and their friends.
How Mya Byrne paved her long, winding road to country music with grit and sparkle
Mya Byrne loved country music since her childhood in New Jersey. But it took years of searching and traveling to lead to the place where she could make her new album, “Rhinestone Tomboy.”
DOJ sues Tennessee over law banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth
Tennessee’s law banning gender-affirming care for transgender kids is facing another challenge. The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a complaint against the state, arguing that the new law violates the Fourteenth Amendment and will deny “medically necessary care” for trans youth.
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