Key takeaways:
- Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed two controversial bills into law on Thursday, one of which bans gender-affirming health care for minors and the other which criminalizes certain drag shows.
- The legislation has been met with criticism from civil rights organizations, who have threatened to sue if and when the bill becomes law.
- Tennessee is the latest in a string of states to introduce legislation attacking gender-affirming medical care for young people, even as such services have been available in the U.S. for more than a decade and are endorsed by major medical associations. It is the first state to criminalize certain drag shows.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed two controversial bills into law on Thursday, one of which bans gender-affirming health care for minors and the other which criminalizes certain drag shows.
The health care legislation forbids minors from taking puberty blockers or hormone therapies, and from having surgeries done for the purpose of “enabling a minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor’s sex.” It also allows parents to sue doctors who provide such care to their minor children without their consent.
The second law restricts drag shows from taking place in public or in front of children.
The legislation has been met with criticism from civil rights organizations, who have threatened to sue if and when the bill becomes law. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health have all spoken out against the bill, citing the potential harm it could cause to transgender youth.
Tennessee is the latest in a string of states to introduce legislation attacking gender-affirming medical care for young people, even as such services have been available in the U.S. for more than a decade and are endorsed by major medical associations. It is the first state to criminalize certain drag shows.
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