The Republican Governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee, has signed a bill requiring children in government schools to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their biological sex rather than their gender identification.
Lee signed the "Tennessee Accommodations for All Children Act" on Friday, after it cleared both houses of the state legislature, reports the Christian Post. The law, also known as House Bill 1233, specifies sex as "a person's immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth."
Although the measure prohibits students from using private facilities intended for the opposite sex, it also allows "reasonable accommodations" for students experiencing gender dysphoria.
The law contains an appeal for the establishment of 'reasonable accommodation' for any student who, during the course of a public school activity, is "unwilling or unable to use a multi-occupancy restroom or changing facility designated for the person's sex and located within a public school building, or multi-occupancy sleeping quarters.
According to the law, reasonable accommodations entail "access to a single-occupancy restroom or changing facility or use of an employee restroom or changing facility." The Tennessee Accommodations for All Children Act is set to take effect on July 1.
Supporters of legislation such as House Bill 1233, dubbed "bathroom bills" by the opposition, believe that the rules are vital to preserve the privacy and safety of women and girls.
An example of the implications of laws enabling adolescents and adults to use facilities that match their perceived gender identity rather than their biological sex is the molestation of a five-year-old girl in a girl's bathroom at a school in Decatur, Georgia.
Opponents of the bill, on the other hand, believe that it is a case of anti-LGBT bigotry.
The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT advocacy organization, criticized Lee's signature of House Bill 1233. HRC President Alphonso David claims in a statement that the governor and state lawmakers are using their authority to injure and further stigmatize trans children in Tennessee by promoting 'hateful' legislation like HB 1233 (SB 1367).
"I want to be clear: Gov. Lee's shameful decision to sign this baseless and discriminatory bill into law will harm the health and well-being of trans students in Tennessee by creating daily degrading experiences for them at school. These 'Slate of Hate' bills are unjustifiable and must stop," added David.
President Joe Biden issued an executive order prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity on his first day in office, prompting the approval of House Bill 1233. According to the executive order, "children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room or school sports."
The Equality Act was enacted by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives earlier this year, but it remained stuck in the Senate owing to opposition from both Republicans and Democrats.
Tennessee has also passed legislation prohibiting males who identify as transgender from participating in girls' sports at the K-12 level, making it one of several states to do so this year.
Along with LGBT-related legislation, the Republican-controlled Volunteer State has tried to enact other conservative measures in recent years, including a bill that would prohibit abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, require women who have chemical abortions to be told about abortion pill reversal, and prohibit abortions solely on the basis of a Down syndrome diagnosis.
