Category: Memphis Gaydar

Tennessee’s 2017 legislative session spawned six bills identified as discriminatory towards LGBTQ citizens by advocacy organizations like the Tennessee Equality Project, OUTMemphis, and American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.

Dubbed the “Slate of Hate” by TEP, the six bills featured resurrected attempts to undermine marriage equality as defined by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v Hodges in new and inventive ways.
The session also hosted this year’s attempt to enforce which public restroom transgender adults and underage students can and cannot use.

With the 2017 session drawing to a close as early as next week, here’s a full breakdown of the status of each bill in the Slate of Hate.

SB30/HB33 discussed under SB1085/HB1111: Sponsored by Sen. John Stevens and Rep. Andrew Ellis Farmer
As introduced, requires that undefined words be given their natural and ordinary meaning, without forced or subtle construction that would limit or extend the meaning of the language, except when a contrary intention is clearly manifest.

Status: Passed by both Senate and House, the next stop is Governor Bill Haslam’s desk, where he will either sign it into law or veto it. Haslam has gone on record to say that he is deferring to the will of the legislators.

TEP is currently circulating a petition calling on Haslam to veto the bill, which they say has the potential to jeopardize same-sex couples’ marital or divorce statuses, and child custody matters. The full implications of the bill are largely unknown.

SB771/HB8888: Sponsored by Se. Mae Beavers and Rep. Mark Pody
As introduced, requires students in public school and public institutions of higher education to use restrooms and locker rooms that are assigned to persons of the same sex as that indicated on the student’s birth certificate.

Status: Failed in Senate Education Committee, unlikely to return this year.

SB127/HB54: Sponsored by Sen. Mark Green and Rep. Jason Zachary
As introduced, prohibits state and local governments from taking discriminatory action against a business based on that business’ internal policies. Basically, if a business discriminates towards an LGBTQ individual, then they are protected in the state of Tennessee.

Status: Deferred to State Committee subcommittee for the first of 2018. Though it’s not an absolute guarantee, legislators will often defer a bill to next year’s subcommittee when they want it to die quietly.

SB752/HB892: Sponsored by Sen. Mae Beavers and Rep. Mark Pody
As introduced, enacts the “Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act”, which states the policy of Tennessee to defend natural marriage between one man and one woman regardless of any court decision to the contrary.

Status: Deferred to a Civil Justice Subcommittee for the first of 2018. (See above)

SB1153/HB1406: Sponsored by Sen. Joey Hensley and Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver
As introduced, repeals statute that deems a child born to a married woman as a result of artificial insemination, with consent of the married woman’s husband, to be the legitimate child of the husband and wife.

Status: This bill has been parked for a while in a Senate Judiciary Committee, and likely won’t be heard again this session.

The 2017 version of Tennessee’s “Bathroom Bill” may not be completely dead, but it is on life-support after failing to get the required motion to be heard in the Senate Education Committee.

The bill, which would require students in public schools and higher-ed institutions to use restroom and locker facilities that correspond with the gender indicated on their birth certificate, is unlikely to move to House Committee next week.

The attempt to regulate which bathroom a student uses is of a particular danger to transgender students, who are safer using a facility that matches their outward gender expression, according to the Tennessee Equality Project.

During a press conference yesterday, TEP chairwoman Ginger Leonard referenced a study conducted by the Williams Institute at the Univeristy of California Los Angeles School of Law that reported more than 70 percent of transgender people surveyed have been verbally and physically harassed, attacked, or denied entries to public restrooms because of gender identity.

There are no reports of any attacks carried out by transgender individuals who used their preferred gender identity to gain access to a restroom.

There are still five more bills up for consideration in the Tennessee Legislature that have been deemed a threat to the LGBTQ community by associated advocacy organizations.

During a joint press conference, representatives from the Tennessee Equality Project and OUTMemphis dissected six bills that, if made into law, could cost the state of Tennessee billions in federal funding and have unintended consequences for all Tennesseans regardless of sexual and gender identity.

If passed, HB 892, or the “Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act” could cost the state of Tennessee billions in federal funding allotted to TennCare and the Department of Human Services, to the tune of $9.5 billion, according to TEP chairwoman Ginger Leonard and the bill’s own fiscal note.

“This bill comes with an enormous price tag,” said Leonard, who stressed that economic boycotts could also cost the state heavily in revenue and job losses resulting from economic boycotts.

Last year, Gov. Bill Haslam signed into law legislation that allowed counselors to refuse treatment of an LGBTQ individual if treating them violated “sincerely held religious principles”. The American Counseling Association promptly cancelled their conference scheduled to be held in Nashville, costing the state an estimated $4 million in revenue.

The Natural Marriage Defense Act is one of six bills that TEP officials say targets LGBTQ citizens. Among other bills is a revived attempt at forcing students in the state to use restroom and locker facilities that correspond with their gender that appears on their birth certificate. 

Senator Mae Beavers is one of the lawmakers defying the U.S. Supreme Court’s legalization of same-sex marriage.

The fiscal impact of the so-called “Bathroom Bill” could also come in the form of economic boycotts.

Referring to the state of North Carolina, which passed a similar law last year, Leonard wondered,”How much has North Carolina already lost?”

According to Forbes, North Carolina has already lost $630 million in tourism dollars as of November last year.

Beyond economic impact, Leonard and OUTMemphis executive director Will Batts implored concerned citizens to think about the dangers posed to same-sex families.

HB1111, dubbed the “Erasure Bill” by its opponents, will require undefined words be given their “natural and ordinary meaning”. In other words, terms like “husband”, “wife”, “father”, and “mother” must correspond with their traditional biological association in legal documents.

Should HB1111 pass, Tennessee judges could potentially use the language to deny a couple’s marital status in divorce proceedings, child custody, or matters relating to inheritance or hospital visitations. TEP asserts that the full legal ramifications of the bill have gone unexplored.

“This one is sneaky, but not so sneaky that we can’t see what they’re doing,” said Batts. “They want us to disappear. We know this because that’s what this bill does. It erases us.”

This is the full line up of all six bills.

SB771/HB8888: Sponsored by Se. Mae Beavers and Rep. Mark Pody
As introduced, requires students in public school and public institutions of higher education to use restrooms and locker rooms that are assigned to persons of the same sex as that indicated on the student’s birth certificate.

SB1085/HB1111: Sponsored by Sen. John Stevens and Rep. Andrew Ellis Farmer
As introduced, requires that undefined words be given their natural and ordinary meaning, without forced or subtle construction that would limit or extend the meaning of the language, except when a contrary intention is clearly manifest. (This bill is similar to SB30/HB33, but discussed under SB1085/HB1111)

SB127/HB54: Sponsored by Sen. Mark Green and Rep. Jason Zachary
As introduced, prohibits state and local governments from taking discriminatory action against a business based on that business’ internal policies.

SB752/HB892 Sponsored by Sen. Mae Beavers and Rep. Mark Pody
As introduced, enacts the “Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act”, which states the policy of Tennessee to defend natural marriage between one man and one woman regardless of any court decision to the contrary.

SB1153/HB1406 Sponsored by Sen. Joey Hensley and Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver
As introduced, repeals statute that deems a child born to a married woman as a result of artificial insemination, with consent of the married woman’s husband, to be the legitimate child of the husband and wife.

There will be a joint press conference tomorrow between the Tennessee Equality Project and OUTMemphis in response to the slate of anti-LGBTQ bills that are snaking their way through this year’s state legislative session.

The conference, dubbed the “Slate of Hate”, is scheduled to take place in front of OUTMemphis at 3:00 p.m.. Local representatives from both organizations will inform attendees the intent and current status of each anti-LGBTQ bill currently in the works.

This year, state representative Mark Pody and state senator May Beavers have concentrated their efforts on two bills considered extremely threatening by TEP, and possibly just about every other LGBTQ citizen in Tennessee.

The two have sponsored HB0892, or the “Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act”, which predictably enough, seeks to establish marriage in Tennessee as only occurring between one cisgender man and one cisgender woman, “regardless of any court decision to the contrary”.

This is the same Rep. Pody who once declared that God had called upon him to stop same-sex sinners and their enablers, and encourage them to repent.

The dynamic duo has also concerned themselves with a familiar and ongoing theme of policing genitalia and its owner’s corresponding bathroom usage by introducing this year’s version of a “Bathroom Bill”.

If passed, the bill would require transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender assigned on birth certificates.

It’s a similar bill to the one that was passed in North Carolina in 2016, HB2. Consequently, it is now estimated that HB2 has cost the state of North Carolina more than half a billion in tourism dollars, and an unknown number of jobs.

Finally, the press conference is also expected to address HB1406, a bill that if passed would deem children conceived through artificial insemination as illegitimate. This charming piece of legislation is sponsored by state senator Joey Hensley and state representative Terri Lynn Weaver.

Rep. Weaver has stated that the bill’s intent is not to harm the LGBTQ community in Tennessee, and maybe she means it. Maybe Rep. Weaver was adversely affected by the 1948 classic, “Test Tube Babies”.

Either way, if this bill becomes law then its very possible that any couple who conceives a child through artificial insemination would have their child listed as an “illegitimate offspring”.

OUTMemphis is located at 892 Cooper St. in Midtown. Come and find out more about the antics of Beaver, Weaver, and Co. and learn how concerned citizens can get involved.

Courtesy of Trans Equality Rally Planning Committee

OUTMemphis will hold a rally in support of transgender rights and protections tomorrow at the Overton Park Greensward from 5:00p.m. to 7:00p.m. in response to the Trump administration’s revocation of federal protections for transgender students in public schools.

Last week, officials with the federal departments of education and justice notified the U.S. Supreme court that the administration will order that public schools disregard Obama’s federal guidelines that say prohibiting a transgender student’s ability to use the restroom that aligns with their gender-identity is a violation of federal anti-discrimination laws.

OUTMemphis’ transgender services coordinator, Kayla Gore reiterated OUTMemphis’ commitment to fight the federal revocation and all future measures out of the Trump administration that could harm LGBTQ individuals.

“The LGBTQ community, and specifically the transgender community refuses to be silent in the face of deliberate and targeted discrimination,” said Gore. 

Several Memphis organizations have signed on to attend the rally including Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region and the Tennessee Equality Project. The rally will host several speakers from these and other community organizations.

The state of Tennessee has also joined in on the federal efforts to police bathroom use by transgender individuals.

State lawmakers Rep. Mark Pody and Sen. Mae Beavers have revived the “bathroom bill” for this year’s legislative session. Last year a similar piece of legislation was introduced by Rep. Susan Lynn but was ultimately scrapped amid growing resistance and controversy.

The state of North Carolina passed their own version of the “bathroom bill” in 2016, and saw immediate backlash from national sports organizations like the NBA and the NCAA, who both pulled multi-million dollar events from North Carolina venues. Forbes estimates that the state has lost $630 million in tourism revenue as a result of the law’s backlash.

Courtesy of FedEx

Memphis’ largest employer, FedEx, is among some of the area organizations that have signed on to the Tennessee Thrives pledge.

Some of the most recognized organizations in Memphis including FedEx, St.Jude, and International Paper added their names to the Tennessee Thrives pledge, a coalition of more than 300 Tennessee businesses signaling their displeasure with a recently passed anti-LGBTQ law and calling for an inclusive Tennessee.

The law, which was signed by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam allows mental health counselors to refuse treatment to LGBTQ patients if their sexual orientation or gender identity conflicts with the therapist’s religious beliefs.

Just two weeks after the law’s passage in late April, the American Counseling Association cancelled a scheduled conference in Nashville, saying the law was in clear violation of the ACA code of ethics and they would stand firm against it. The ACA projected a local economic loss of $10 million for Nashville as a result of the conference’s cancellation.

It’s a similar tale to North Carolina, where the NBA and the NCAA immediately cancelled games in response to the state’s passage of laws meant to force transgender citizens to use bathroom and locker facilities that correspond with the biological sex on their birth certificate.

Other private organizations and even musicians such as Bruce Springsteen began to quickly follow suit.

The Center for American Progress estimated that economic loss in North Caroline could soar to more than $568 million in private sector activity based on the growing list of organizations distancing themselves from the state.

Tennessee Thrives signees are hoping to avoid similar economic repercussions.

Some of the Memphis-based organizations that have signed the Tennessee Thrives pledge are: FedEx, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, International Paper, AutoZone, Baker Donelson, Memphis College of Art, Rhodes College, and Little Bird Innovations.

Healthy and Free Tennessee will be teaming up with GenQ Memphis to host the Black and Pink Holiday Card Decorating Party at OUTMemphis, where guests can decorate cards that will be sent to incarcerated members of the LGBTQ community.

Black & Pink, a national advocacy organization that joins incarcerated LGBTQ individuals with “free world” allies, hosted 150 similar card decorating parties across several countries last year, resulting in the distribution of more than 7,000 cards.

Especially poignant to this cause is the fact that in 2016, some men are still arrested under “anti-sodomy” laws in the U.S., according to recent reporting in The Advocate. The Supreme Court found these laws to be unconstitutional in the landmark ruling of Lawrence v Texas in 2003, yet as many as 12 states still have outdated versions of these laws in their books.

The event will last from 7-9:00p.m. on Friday, December 16. Card supplies will be provided.

OUTMemphis

This Sunday, December 11, OUTMemphis is hosting an open house for LGBTQ seniors from 11:00a.m. until 1:00p.m.

OUTMemphis’ senior committee is hoping to see some new faces, as the center continues its outreach work for all segments of the Midsouth’s LGBTQ population.

Coffee and light refreshments will be served. The event is free to all, and offers a chance for LGBTQ seniors to learn how they can get involved with the community center.

Kristofer Reynolds

Miss Gay America 2016, Asia T. O’Hara, will be on hand to crown the new winner for 2017.

When you think about the queer-centric areas of Memphis, the area around the airport may not be the first part of town that jumps to your mind. But, this week an otherwise bleak intersection will be infused with ample doses of glitter and choreography as the 44th annual Miss Gay America Pageant comes to the Holiday Inn on Democrat Road and Airways Boulevard.

Forty of America’s best queens will descend upon the hotel’s conference center for five nights
starting October 5 for the chance to win the most prestigious crown in all the land for female impersonators in the longest running female impersonator competition (sorry, RuPaul).

The new MGA will be crowned on October 9, after five days of pageant classics including Evening
Gown, On-Stage Interview, and Talent. Tickets to the crowning event are $45 and can be purchased here.