Current:Home > InvestTennessee schools would have to out transgender students to parents under bill heading to governor-InfoLens
Tennessee schools would have to out transgender students to parents under bill heading to governor
View Date:2024-12-23 15:30:14
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee would join the ranks of states where public school employees have to out transgender students to their parents under a bill advancing in the Republican-supermajority Legislature.
GOP House lawmakers gave near-final passage to the bill on Monday, putting Tennessee just a few hurdles away from joining states such as Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana and North Carolina with similar laws. Virginia has such guidance for school boards, as well. The bill goes back for another vote in the Senate, which had already passed a version of it, before it can go to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his signature.
The bill’s progression comes as Tennessee Republican lawmakers have established the state as one of the most eager to pass policies aimed at the LGBTQ+ community as Republicans pursue legislation nationwide.
During Monday’s limited but heated House floor hearing, Democrats took turns alleging that their Republican colleagues were constantly finding new ways to bully LGBTQ+ kids.
“These are the most vulnerable kids in our state who are just trying to make it out of middle school alive,” said Democratic Rep. Aftyn Behn. “And we are weaponizing their identities instead of actually passing bills that help Tennesseans.”
Audible gasps could be heard from the public galleries when the bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Mary Littleton, argued that the legislation was needed so parents could know if their student would need therapy.
“I feel like the parents, they have the right to know what’s happening in the school with their children,” Littleton said. “And I also think that possibly they could get that child some therapy that could help them solve their problems and make their way through school.”
Littleton also confirmed she did not speak to any transgender students before introducing the proposal but said some teachers had told her that they did not want the responsibility of having such information.
According to the legislation that passed Monday, school employees would be required to pass on information about a student to an administrator, who would have to tell the parent. That includes a student asking for action to affirm their gender identity, such as using a different name or pronoun.
However, the bill also would allow parents or the state’s attorney general to sue if they felt the school district was not following this new law.
The proposal is just one of several targeting the LGBTQ+ community over the years.
Earlier this year, Tennessee Republicans passed a measure that would allow LGBTQ+ foster children to be placed with families that hold anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs. Gov. Lee signed the bill into law last week. Lawmakers are still considering criminalizing adults who help minors receive gender-affirming care without parental consent.
Meanwhile, Tennessee Republicans have banned gender-affirming care for most minors, attempted to limit events where certain drag performers may appear, and allow, but not require, LGBTQ+ children to be placed with families that hold anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs.
In schools, they already have approved legal protections for teachers who do not use a transgender student’s preferred pronoun, restricted transgender athletes, limited transgender students’ use of bathrooms aligning with their gender identity and allowed parents to opt students out of classroom conversations about gender and sexuality.
___
AP writer Geoff Mulvihill contributed from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
veryGood! (5351)
Related
- Best fits for Corbin Burnes: 6 teams that could match up with Cy Young winner
- Everything to Know About the 2024 Emmys' Biggest Winner Shogun
- Dick Van Dyke, 98, Misses 2024 Emmys After Being Announced as a Presenter
- Panthers bench former No. 1 pick Bryce Young, will start Andy Dalton at QB
- Panel advises Illinois commemorate its role in helping slaves escape the South
- The Key to Fix California’s Inadequate Water Storage? Put Water Underground, Scientists Say
- Pregnant Pretty Little Liars Alum Torrey DeVitto Marries Jared LaPine
- Is ‘Judge Judy’ on the Supreme Court? Lack of civics knowledge leads to colleges filling the gap
- The Daily Money: All about 'Doge.'
- An Iowa shootout leaves a fleeing suspect dead and 2 police officers injured
Ranking
- 'Full House' star Dave Coulier diagnosed with stage 3 cancer
- Tell Me Lies’ Grace Van Patten Shares Rare Insight Into Romance With Costar Jackson White
- Lawsuit says Alabama voter purge targets naturalized citizens
- Shooting leaves 1 dead in Detroit at popular tailgating location after Lions game, police say
- Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands
- Charlie Puth and Brooke Sansone Spark Marriage Speculation by Showing Off Rings in Italy
- Biggest moments at the 2024 Emmy Awards, from Candice Bergen to 'Shogun'
- Here's What Artem Chigvintsev Is Seeking in Nikki Garcia Divorce
Recommendation
-
The Office's Kate Flannery Defends John Krasinski's Sexiest Man Alive Win
-
Rumer Willis Kisses Mystery Man After Derek Richard Thomas Breakup
-
2024 Emmys: RuPaul’s Drag Race Stars Shut Down Claim They Walked Out During Traitors Win
-
Sofia Vergara's Stunning 2024 Emmys Look Included This $16 Beauty Product
-
Katherine Schwarzenegger Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Chris Pratt
-
Hawaii prisons are getting new scanners that can detect drugs without opening mail
-
Martin Sheen, more 'West Wing' stars reunite on Oval Office set at Emmys
-
Customer fatally shoots teenage Waffle House employee inside North Carolina store