NASHVILLE – Tennessee’s transgender school-bathroom controversy is threatening to bubble up again this year in the General Assembly.
State Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, has introduced legislation requiring either that the Tennessee attorney general defend or the state provide financial help to school districts and officials facing legal action over any policies “designed to protect the privacy of students from exposure to others of the opposite biological sex.”
The facilities included in the bill include restrooms, locker rooms or other areas “where students may be in various states of undress.”
“I think the ACLU will try to find some poor county and go after them,” said McCormick of his bill, noting the legislation is primarily intended to protect poorer counties that may not be able to afford a legal fight.
The former House majority leader added that “we don’t want someone intimidated by a lawsuit. We just want to show them the state will back them up.”