NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — After multiple anti-LGBTQ laws have been passed by state lawmakers in recent years, the Tennessee Equality Project has issued a strategic advocacy guide for those looking to support LGBTQ+ students in the Volunteer State.
According to the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), Tennessee leads the nation in the number of anti-LGBTQ laws passed. While the laws are written to affect all students, TEP says they “are most harmful to LGBTQ+ students of color, those with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ students who lack support at home.”
Some of the ones highlighted in the guide permit educators and school staff to discriminate against LGBTQ students, like SB466, which allows teachers and school employees to misgender students and “discriminate at will” against transgender and nonbinary students by referring to them by the information listed on their birth certificate.
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Another law highlighted by the report is SB1810 , which mandates teachers report when a student asks to be referred to by a name or pronoun not listed on their birth certificate. The law forces teachers to “out” students to their parents or legal guardians, according to LGBTQ advocacy groups.