Dear [Your Elected Official],

<p>I urge to vote NO on HB1472, HB1474, and HB2082 on Wednesday in the House Judiciary Committee.</p> <p><strong>HB1472</strong>: Banning a Supreme Court decision ought to give everyone pause. It is important to remember that one of the defendants in the case was Clayton County, Georgia, a government entity. The Bostock decision applies to the State of Tennessee and its political subdivisions.  Justice Neil Gorsuch, appointed by President Trump, wrote for the majority, “An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex. Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids.”</p> <p>Employees deserve workplaces free of discrimination. This bill sets up a clash between state law and a Supreme Court ruling leaving employers in a bind and employees with less protection. It leaves employers with less certainty and it exposes the state to expensive lawsuits.</p> <p><strong>HB1474:</strong> Local governments support a variety of cultural emblems and flags and support a variety of cultural and civic observances. A bill that singles out Pride symbols and celebrations for exclusion displays incredible animus and it would face formidle challenges in court. It sends the wrong message to people of every age, but particularly to youth who are searching for safety and belonging. This bill could have the unintended consequences of banning other uses of rainbow symbolism, as was pointed out in the Public Service Subcommittee.<strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>HB2082: </strong></p> <p>The "best interest of the child" ceases to be the standard if you start listing exceptions such as a parent wanting to disregard a child's gender identity. Nevertheless, there is no indication that parents who don't affirm their child's gender identity are currently somehow at a disadvantage. So there is no need for this bill. What the state should do instead is be ready to provide resources to families to promote greater understanding and support to children whatever their gender identity.</p> <p>Thank you for considering my views on these bills.</p>