Unjust Tennessee Transphobic Bill Dead For Now

The transphobic HB 2279 bill that Tennessee state representative transbigot Richard Floyd (R-Chattanooga) introduced that sought to make it a Class C misdemeanor crime punishable by a $50 fine to use a public restroom or dressing room "designated for one particular sex" if not a member of that designated sex.appears to be dead for now.

Rep. Floyd told Nashville's WTVF-TV his motivation for introducing HB 2279 was reading news reports about the San Antonio Macy's dressing room incident involving transphobic clerk Natalie Johnson.  She denied access to the transwoman in violation of Macy's corporate policy and was subsequently terminated

"I just do not want the same sort of thing happening in Tennessee," Floyd said in a WTVF-TV interview, adding that he believes "society is on the slippery slope to depravity" and the bill would help average citizens avoid being forced to "go along with the perverted way of thinking" promoted by a few persons.

Yeah, right.  And what about us citizens who don't want your conservabigotry imposed on us?  

Moving on to the good news.   The bill was effectively killed (for now) thanks to Sen. Bo Watson (R-Hixson) withdrawing his Senate version of the unjust bill. 

For the unjust bill to become law it not only had to pass both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly, it needed at least one sponsor in the Senate to do so.  

As of this writing no one in the Senate has stepped up to be the sponsor for Rep Floyd's transphobic bill.  
 
As Marisa Richmond of the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition pointed out in a MetroWeekly article, in the TTPC's view the bill had it been enacted would be unconstitutional: "For any gender non-conforming, or gender variant person, we see this as a violation of their Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures."

In addition, the bill would have put transpeople and androgynous looking cis people transiting the Volunteer State either in its airports, bus stations or interstate highways traversing the state in the position of being cited for violating the draconian bill.   That's before we even talk about cleaning staffs and parents who bring children of the opposite gender into restrooms with them or fitting rooms.

So yeah, this was a bad bill that needed to die.   This is a prime example of a legislator seeking to write an unjust law targeting a minority group and in the process not seeing (or caring) that it would have ripple effects far beyond the group they were singling out for vindictive action.

The TTPC will keep a watchful eye on the HB 2279 situation and so will I.  .