Tennessee Republicans advance flurry of bills to make life unlivable for transgender people

In recent days, Tennessee Republicans have moved a cluster of bills affecting transgender people across multiple areas of public life, from schools and government policy to health care and access to shared facilities.

The pace is part of a larger pattern. The American Civil Liberties Union is tracking 36 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in Tennessee in 2026, spanning categories that include health care barriers, school restrictions, civil rights limitations, and efforts to redefine sex in law.

While not all of those bills will become law, the ACLU notes that “they all cause harm for LGBTQ people.”

A redefinition of sex in state policy

One of the most consequential measures to advance in recent days is SB936, which passed the Senate this week after clearing the House earlier in the session.

Related: Tennessee Republican 'honorifics' bill is personal for the trans teacher at its center

According to the official legislative summary, the bill requires state and local governments to revise policies so that references to sex or gender are defined as “immutable” characteristics determined at birth. It also bars new policies that use a different definition after July 1, 2026.

In a statement provided to The Advocate, the Tennessee Equality Project said, “We condemn the Senate’s passage of SB936/HB1271. This bill is a brutal attack on transgender and nonbinary people across the state. Governor Lee should veto it. Every local government employee should be free from workplace discrimination, and every student in this state ought to be protected from bullying.”

The group argued the measure would undo existing local protections. “Some of our cities and school districts have been wise enough to uphold these principles and include gender identity in their policies. This bill rips those pages from their policy manuals,” the statement said.

It also warned of broader impacts beyond major cities.

Related: Tennessee Republicans advance bill targeting what students can call transgender educators

“Many know that our largest cities have inclusive policies, but this bill takes power away from local governments and school districts in every corner of Tennessee. Henry County Schools, Oak Ridge Schools, Oneida Special School District, Putnam County Schools, and Sumner County Schools are among the school systems that have included gender identity in some of their policies. This bill means that a vulnerable population is now exposed to even greater risk, especially in rural areas.”

The organization pointed out that the legislation represents a shift in how authority is exercised in the state.

“When the Legislature removes or overrides local nondiscrimination policies, voters in Tennessee are disenfranchised. They elected city council members and school board members to make these decisions. The Legislature has again waved its heavy hand and exposed local government employees and students to greater risk of discrimination, harassment, and bullying.”

Regulating access to shared spaces

Another major measure moving through the Legislature in recent days is SB468, renamed the “Riley Gaines Women’s Safety and Protection Act,” which has now passed both chambers.

The bill would prevent transgender people from being housed according to their gender identity in shelters, dorms, and incarceration or detention facilities, and instead require use based on sex as defined by the state. It also regulates access to multi-occupancy spaces such as restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters in those settings.

Related: Tennessee Republicans are one step closer to creating a registry of transgender Americans

In its statement, Tennessee Equality Project said, “We are alarmed by the passage of the newly renamed Riley Gaines Women's Safety and Protection Act, one of the most dangerous anti-transgender bills to come out of the Tennessee legislature. This is another in a long line of bigoted legislation rooted in misinformation, racism, and transmisogyny to torment our community.”

The group tied the bill to conditions inside carceral settings and federal protections.

“When the US Congress unanimously passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act, it was intended to protect the highest risk group of prisoners from sexual violence and harassment perpetrated by corrections officers and other inmates, and solitary confinement. Twenty-three years later, it is still needed. Incarcerated transgender individuals are 9 times more likely to experience sexual assault or sexual harassment. More than a third have experienced at least one incident of sexual abuse from staff or other inmates, and nearly 90% experience solitary confinement.”

It added, “The reality is that transgender women of color are facing the steepest consequences from criminalizing survival and the policing of race and gender.”

“Simply put, this bill maliciously endorses the epidemic of rape, sexual assault, and solitary confinement experienced by transgender and gender nonconforming adults and juveniles housed in prisons, jails, and detention centers,” the group said. “We call on the Governor to find the moral courage to veto this deadly bill and, instead, address criminal justice reform to protect every Tennessean’s fundamental and human rights.”

Schools and classroom policy

Education policy has also been part of the recent push, particularly HB1666/SB1665, which passed the House on April 21 and has cleared the Senate.

The bill expands an existing Tennessee law by adding honorifics to the list of titles that teachers and public employees cannot be required to use.

In its statement, Tennessee Equality Project said, “We are saddened and unsurprised by today’s passage of HB1666. From the beginning, this bill targeted and further marginalized transgender educators.” The group added, “When the bill came before its first subcommittee, the House sponsor openly represented the bill as a personal vendetta against one instructor in his school district.”

The Advocate previously identified a transgender educator who believes they were the inspiration for the legislation and described the fallout from being thrust into a political debate.

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The educator, Max Bearden, told The Advocate the attention brought harassment and fear, saying the bill turned their life into “a target.” Republican state Rep. Aron Mayberry said the legislation is about ensuring people are not required to use honorifics that conflict with what he described as “biological reality.”

But for Bearden, the consequences have extended beyond legislative text, affecting daily interactions at school and in public life.

Tennessee Equality Project said, “When legislators prioritize targeted, inane, personal attacks, they fail to protect students or advance real educational goals.” The organization added, “Trans and nonbinary educators across the state are devoted to the well-being and education of their students. We need our lawmakers to share that sentiment.”

“If the Senate agrees to the House version, we call on Governor Bill Lee to veto this dangerous legislation and protect educators, staff, and students from petty, blatant disrespect,” the group said.

Another measure advanced this month, HB754/SB676, requires health care providers and insurers to report data to the state about gender-affirming care services and detransition care, including demographic and treatment information, while specifying that individually identifiable health information should not be included. Critics call it a registry of trans people.