Skip to main content
Friday, November 13, 2026Nov 13

Tennessee businesses align against possible anti-LGBT bills

FILE - This June 21, 2011 file photo shows a Federal Express shipping envelope in Milwaukee. Prosecutors said Monday, June 13, 2016 that FedEx delivered packages containing illegal prescription drugs for internet pharmacies even after it noticed that authorities were cracking down on the businesses, as a trial began over drug trafficking charges against the shipping giant. ((AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
FILE - This June 21, 2011 file photo shows a Federal Express shipping envelope in Milwaukee. Prosecutors said Monday, June 13, 2016 that FedEx delivered packages containing illegal prescription drugs for internet pharmacies even after it noticed that authorities were cracking down on the businesses, as a trial began over drug trafficking charges against the shipping giant. ((AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Almost 200 Tennessee companies are aligning against proposals they fear would encourage discrimination.

The group Tennessee Thrives says the state must stay welcoming, regardless of race, sex, national origin, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Companies involved include HCA, FedEx, Jack Daniels and Country Music Television.

A new Tennessee law lets mental health counselors refuse patients treatment based on the therapist’s religious or personal beliefs. Calling it a “hate bill,” the American Counseling Association cancelled a Nashville convention.

A new North Carolina law directs transgender people to use school and government building bathrooms aligned with the sex on their birth certificates.