SW News: Tennessee’s House of Representatives has passed legislation that seeks to ban minor children from accessing gender re-affirming surgeries and hormonal change therapy. The bill, which was passed 77-16 last Thursday, is now on the desk of Republican Governor Bill Lee awaiting his signature.
Speaking to Fox News, the office of the governor said that Lee “appreciates the work of Leader Johnson and Leader Lamberth to protect children”, adding that he would sign the bill.
The legislation entitled HB 1 prevents a healthcare provider from performing sex-altering surgeries on a minor or providing therapy with the intention of helping a minor with gender dysphoria identify with a gender that is incongruous with the person’s biological sex.
If Governor Lee affixes his signature to the bill, then it will go into effect in the summer. Those patients who are undergoing gender change have until March 2024 to forgo such therapies. The bill specifies that violators will be prosecuted. “A violation of this bill's prohibitions concerning medical procedures constitutes a potential threat to public health, safety, and welfare and requires emergency action by an alleged violator's appropriate regulatory authority,” says the legislation.
Separately, the state has become one step closer to banning public drag performances. Lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill that makes it a felony offense for a person who takes part in an “adult cabaret performance” on public property or in a place where it could be “viewed by a person who is not an adult”.
It is now on the Governor’s desk and if he signs it into law, Tennessee will become the first in the United States to penalize such shows in public. More than a dozen states are also gunning similar measures.