Tennessee has enacted more anti-LGBTQ laws than any other state, according to the Human Rights Campaign. The advocacy organization hosted a rally Thursday night in protest at one of downtown Nashville’s few remaining queer bars.
Tribe doesn’t usually have tight security, but for this event, attendees had to clear a metal detector before they could be let into the bar. The added security speaks to how unsafe the LGBTQ community feels, in the wake of Gov. Bill Lee signing a first-of-its-kind law restricting drag shows.
Nik Harris of the Human Rights Campaign was the host for the night.
“I love Nashville, Tennessee, y’all, but I don’t want to be here today. I’m here for all the wrong reasons. I come for hot chicken, not hate,” Harris said. “But I also have to say this: When you bring a fight to our community, we stand up and we fight back.”
Republican lawmakers say that the ban on drag protects children. But Kathy Sinback, head of the ACLU of Tennessee, says lawmakers were disrespectful to transgender kids who testified against the state’s ban on hormone therapy for minors.
“That is what our children are experiencing,” Sinback said. “You have never seen the wrath of a Mama Bear over a child … and I see all the children of Tennessee as our children.”
Advocates say the lack of access to gender-affirming care will be detrimental to the mental health of trans kids. Singer and trans activist Shea Diamond paid tribute to one 16-year-old trans kid who recently died by suicide.
“We fight so hard for our youth. That’s our claim to fame is that we protect each other. And I feel like we failed Caden. And this song right here, my heart is with all of y’all, and it’s with his family as well. Thank you so much.”
Legislation that would narrow the definition of sex in Tennessee code is also advancing in the statehouse. If passed, it could prevent trans people from changing the gender markers on their drivers licenses and birth certificates.
