Tennessee House Passes Law Criminalizing Gender-Affirming Care Assistance

The Republican-controlled Tennessee House passed a first-in-the-nation law criminalizing adults who assist adolescents in receiving medical care that allows them to shift genders without parental authorization.

Adults who assist kids in Tennessee “to receive a prohibited medical procedure to enable the minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor’s sex,” will be punished under the bill. The offense would be labeled as a felony.

Violations would include showing children websites or other sources from where they may obtain such care, as well as directing minors to jurisdictions where they could travel that do not ban those resources.

Last Thursday, the Tennessee Senate approved its version of the bill. The bill now goes to Gov. Bill Lee’s (R-TN) desk to be signed into law.

Lee has not publicly stated his plans, but he has already signed relevant legislation into law. During his tenure as governor, he never issued a veto.

“Tennessee lawmakers are on the verge of enacting more than twice as many anti-LGBTQ+ laws as any other state, a staggering assault on their constituents,” Human Rights Campaign Senior Director of Legal Policy Cathryn Oakley stated last week. Tennessee lawmakers passed a similar bill earlier this week, making it illegal for adults to assist minors in seeking abortions across state borders. This gender treatment law utilizes similar words.

If the bill becomes law, it will almost certainly face judicial challenges.