The anti-LGBTQ adoption bill was quietly dropped until at least the next legislative session.
One of the ‘Slate of Hate’ bills has been quietly dropped, after the sponsor for the anti-LGBTQ adoption bill requested that it be moved to the next legislative session, which is due for next year. This in effect has killed the bill.
However, a bill targeting trans people using the correct bathroom was passed. Although lobbyists were successful in removing parts of the bill that specifically targeted trans people, the Tennessee Equality Project warned that the bill could still be misused in order to target the trans community.
The bill was passed by 21-5 and has been sent off to the Republican governor for signing.
Tennessee politicians have come under fire for the anti-LGBTQ bills with many prominent celebrities and businesses voicing their disapproval.
At the start of April, Taylor Swift donated $113,000 to the Tennessee Equality Project, voicing her support for their work against the bills. “Dear Chris, I’m writing you to say that I’m so inspired by the work you do, specifically in organizing the recent petition of Tennessee faith leaders standing up against the ‘Slate of Hate’ in our state legislature,” she wrote.
Later that month, actress Megan Fox urged her 6.8 million Instagram followers to campaign against the bills, saying: “My home state of Tennessee is on the verge of passing a ‘Slate of Hate.’ A slew of anti-LGBTQ bills including business license to discriminate, child welfare and anti-trans bills.”
She urged followers to contact the Human Rights Campaign to add their voices against the bills. “Text HRCTN to 472472 NOW to stop these anti-LGBTQ bills from becoming law,” she wrote.
And businesses like Amazon and Dell were among over a dozen companies to voice opposition to the bills in a letter, which was drafted by Freedom For All Americans.
The letter reads: “Legislation that explicitly or implicitly allows discrimination against LGBT people and their families creates unnecessary liability for talent recruitment and retention, tourism, and corporate investment to the state.
“We’ve seen time and again that discriminatory policies that negatively impact LGBT people and their families have drastic economic consequences, and such policies would surely put Tennessee at an economic disadvantage.”
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