Skip to main content
Friday, November 13, 2026Nov 13
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

Tennessee bills target gender identity and expression

John Partipilo, Tennessee Lookout / At a "slay the hate" rally in Nashville last week, hundreds came out to oppose recent legislation they view as anti-LGBTQ. The event was sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign.
John Partipilo, Tennessee Lookout / At a "slay the hate" rally in Nashville last week, hundreds came out to oppose recent legislation they view as anti-LGBTQ. The event was sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign. John Partipilo, Tennessee Lookout / At a "slay the hate" rally in Nashville last week, hundreds came out to oppose recent legislation they view as anti-LGBTQ. The event was sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign.

By Ellen Gerst 9 min read

A string of legislation related to gender identity, transgender people and gender expression is moving through the Tennessee statehouse.

Two bills, which restrict drag performances and gender-affirming health care for young people, have already been signed into law. Proponents say the laws will shield children from sexually explicit content and from making health care decisions at too young an age.

Drag performance restrictions, which ban shows with sexual content in public or where children are present, are set to go into effect April 1.

Local authorities in Chattanooga say they haven’t received guidance from the state on how to enforce the law, though Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp issued a statement last week saying drag queens could be prosecuted for performing in front of children.

Under the new restrictions placed on gender-related care, people under the age of 18 will not be able to receive treatments including gender-affirming surgery, hormone therapy or puberty blockers. The bill allows about a year, through March 2024, for minors currently on those treatments to stop using them.