Please, vote NO on HB1274 if it comes to the House floor. It was placed behind the budget on April 17 in House Finance, Ways & Means Subcommittee.
Just because the Attorney General defends a school district when it is sued for having an anti-transgender policy doesn't mean the school district will win. In fact, this bill gives school districts a false sense of security. Courts are still siding with transgender students. In January 2018 the Kenosha, Wisconsin school district lost its case and Ash Whitaker, a transgender former student, won a settlement of $800,000.
This bill sets school districts up for a major loss and will encourage them to act recklesslessly and act in ways that are not in the interest of students.
Furthermore, this bill in essence and in application is an anti-transgender bathroom bill and will be viewed as such by the national business community, which will result in millions and millions of dollars of economic losses for Tennessee. We don't want to become the next North Carolina.
Thank you for considering my views.
