Tennessee Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill Awaits Governor’s Decision

A proposed bill in Tennessee that mandates educational institutions providing overnight accommodations for students to segregate bathrooms based on “immutable biological sex” is on its way to the desk of Republican Governor Bill Lee for approval.
The predominantly Republican Senate passed the legislation on Thursday, despite opposition from LGBTQ+ advocates and the chamber’s few Democratic members.
This bill represents a continuing trend in Tennessee where Republican lawmakers have frequently introduced measures affecting the transgender community, as part of a broader national push by the party focused on LGBTQ+ issues.
Earlier in the year, Utah Governor Spencer Cox approved a similar measure explicitly addressing university housing, which restricts transgender college students from living in dormitories that align with their gender identity.
“It just seems we spend a very long time on a very small part of our population,” commented Sen. Heidi Campbell, a Democrat from Nashville.
Governor Lee has not publicly expressed his stance on the bill, although he has not opposed other controversial anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives in the past. He is therefore likely to sign this one as well. If enacted, the legislation would become effective immediately.
The bill was sponsored in the Republican-majority House by GOP Rep. Gino Bulso, who had drafted the legislation following communications from constituents upset by their daughter sharing accommodations with a transgender female student during a summer program at a private university. Bulso elaborated the parents were concerned when they learned that the student would be using the same bathrooms and showers as their daughter.
“We want to protect girls, protect young ladies and their privacy and security in spaces like restrooms and shower facilities,” Bulso stated earlier this year during a committee discussion.
Currently, Tennessee laws already prevent transgender students and school employees from accessing bathrooms or locker rooms that align with their gender identities. For those desiring additional privacy, the legislation dictates schools must attempt to provide single-occupancy facilities. A federal judge dismissed a legal challenge to this statute late last year.
In previous years, Tennessee’s Republican legislators enacted provisions allowing LGBTQ+ foster children to be placed with families holding anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs. Additionally, they established penalties for adults assisting minors in obtaining gender-affirming care without parental consent.
Furthermore, Tennessee Republicans have prohibited most minors from receiving gender-affirming care and have sought to restrict events featuring drag performers.