First They Came For The Trans People...

Then they came for marriage equality and job protections!

Tennessee Republicans target same-sex marriage, LGBTQ+ job protections

Axios

Adam Tamburin

March 5, 2026

Tennessee Republicans have worked for years to advance policies targeting the LGBTQ+ community, and 2026 is no exception.

Why it matters: Conservative lawmakers are pushing bills this year that would undermine same-sex marriages, scale back LGBTQ+ employment protections and further restrict Pride celebrations.

• Some of those measures have already cleared significant hurdles in the legislature.

Driving the news: The House started the session by passing a bill that would place added restrictions on businesses that host drag shows.

• "That sent the signal right there," Chris Sanders, the executive director of the pro-LGBTQ+ Tennessee Equality Project, tells Axios.
• "And that's what we faced every week since in the legislature."

Between the lines: While the push to enact more LGBTQ+ restrictions is not new, Sanders says the strategy has shifted to become "quicker, more obvious, more direct and more urgent."

• "The bills are written more directly this year than they have been in past years," he says. "There's no obfuscating."

The big picture: Some of the bills are direct rebukes of pro-LGBTQ+ U.S. Supreme Court rulings, including the Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriages and the Bostock ruling protecting gay and transgender workers.

I don't like to say this but there were members of the Lesbian and Gay community who thought marriage and their protections a done deal... well now the snake has come for you!

LGBTQ+ advocates rally at Tennessee Capitol against 'slate of hate' bills

Tennessee Equality Project identifies 10 bills targeting LGBTQ community, including challenges to Supreme Court decisions on workplace discrimination and same-sex marriage.

News Channel 5 Nashville

By: Chris Davis

Feb 10, 2026

Thousands of bills are being considered in 2026 in the Tennessee legislature, but several are deeply concerning to the LGBTQ+ community. Advocates invited people to come to Capitol Hill to fight against them.

The Tennessee Equality Project held its annual "Advancing Equality Day on the Hill" event, a tradition that has continued since 2005. The organizers said they wish the event wasn't necessary.

"When legislation tries to erase people, silence is not an option," said Brenda Gadd, a Metro Council member.

[...]

In 2026, the list includes 10 bills

Two include apparent challenges to Supreme Court decisions, including the "Banning Bostock Act."

Several bills deal with healthcare, including one that would block TennCare from providing gender-affirming care, the ability for people to sue healthcare providers that "coerced" someone into youth gender-affirming care, and a bill that prevents doctors from asking certain questions about gender identity without parental approval.

"The things a healthcare provider asks are not meant to be intrusive or ideological, they are meant to be part of the open honest dialogue of a good diagnosis," Sanders said.

Other bills on their radar include a proposal to prevent a state employee or public school teacher from wearing or displaying anything resembling a pride flag.

Just for our gay brothers and lesbian sisters so you left out... they are removing work place protections for you and allow businesses to not recognize same-sex marriages. What does it mean? It mean for things like health insurance that they don't have cover your spouse!