The Republican-controlled Tennessee House signed a first-in-the-nation bill that would criminalize adults who help minors receive medical care that would allow them to transition gender without parental consent.
Under the law, any adults who help minors in Tennessee “for the purpose of receiving a prohibited medical procedure for the purpose of enabling the minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor’s sex,” would be punished. The crime would be classified as a felony.
Violations would include showing minors websites or other sources where they could receive such care, as well as pointing minors to states where they could travel that do not criminalize those resources.
Last week, the Tennessee Senate approved its version of the legislation. The bill now heads to Gov. Bill Lee’s (R-TN) desk to be signed into law.
Lee has not commented publicly on his plans, but he has previously signed other related legislation into law. In his time as governor, he has never issued a veto.