Anti-LGBTQ+ in school legislation advances

By Logan LangloisNASHVILLE, TN — Legislation accused by Civil Rights groups such as the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) of gradually stripping away the rights of LGBTQ+ people has advanced through the Tennessee House and Senate, several of which only require the signature of Governor Bill Lee to officially become law. This legislation includes that which would eliminate explicit language to protect minority children from the Tennessee teacher’s code of ethics, prohibit the display of pride flags in schools across the state, and require teachers as well as possible school counselors to report children to their guardians if they label themselves as gender nonconforming. Tennessee Equality Project Wilson County Chair Erin Moore“The goal is to erase us, it’s to make us feel small, it’s to make us feel like our contributions don’t matter,” said TEP advocate and trans K-5 Special Ed Teacher MJ Bearden.Bearden said the state legislature’s goal is to pick apart the LGBTQ+ community by first targeting smaller niches rather than the community as a whole, to limit the amount of public outcry. They said by using academic language in their legislation the h is appealing both to those who already hold anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and those who...