A new bill in Tennessee would prevent local municipalities from extending their nondiscrimination statements to include sexual orientation and gender identity (PDF). To rally support for it, a conservative group has recycled an anti-trans commercial used in a similar (failed) campaign in Florida. The Family Action Council of Tennessee rehashes the “bathroom meme,” claiming that protections for transgender people would allow child predators into public restrooms:
Do gender difference matter to you? They won’t if Memphis or Shelby County mandates “gender expression” policies on private employers. …
Is that the kind of Tennessee you want?
Watch:
Not only has there never been a reported case of this bathroom fear coming to fruition, there is also nothing that currently prevents a child predator from entering a bathroom as it is.
A recent groundbreaking study found that discrimination against transgender people is exorbitant, including in housing, healthcare, and treatment by law enforcement.
A similar bill preventing local non-discrimination ordinances failed in Montana last week.
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