Nashville mayor appoints first transgender city board member

Renee Mclaughlin, senior medical director, Cigna HealthCare; left; Marisa Richmond, lobbyist for the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition; Chad Griffin, Human Rights Campaign president; Hedy Weinberg; and Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, gather outside the Tennessee Capitol on April 13. Gov. Bill Haslam signed a law allowing therapists to deny treatment to people from "sincerely held" beliefs, which advocates for LGBT people see as legalizing discrimination.
Renee Mclaughlin, senior medical director, Cigna HealthCare; left; Marisa Richmond, lobbyist for the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition; Chad Griffin, Human Rights Campaign president; Hedy Weinberg; and Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, gather outside the Tennessee Capitol on April 13. Gov. Bill Haslam signed a law allowing therapists to deny treatment to people from "sincerely held" beliefs, which advocates for LGBT people see as legalizing discrimination.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Nashville Mayor Megan Barry has appointed a transgender woman to the Metro Human Relations Commission - an apparent first for Tennessee.

Media outlets report that Nashville's Metro Council on Tuesday confirmed all 20 of Barry's board nominations, including voting unanimously to appoint Dr. Marisa Richmond to the Metro Human Relations Commission.

The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition says Richmond is the first transgender person in the state's history to be named to a local government board or commission.

Richmond is a Nashville resident, a professor in the history department at Middle Tennessee State University and former president of the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition.

The 17-member commission oversees the human relations department, which is tasked with resolving discrimination complaints and carrying out educational programs in a number of areas.

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