Facts:
- On Thursday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill banning doctors from performing transgender surgical and hormonal treatment on children, with doctors facing fines of up to $25k per procedure if in violation.
- The bill passed 77-16 in the GOP-controlled House late last month. The medical restrictions include an exception for patients who begin treatment before the bill takes effect on July 1. However, the bill stipulates that treatments must end by March 31, 2024.
- This comes two days after Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed a similar law called the Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures Act. Several other states, such as South Dakota, have recently enacted similar legislation.
- Gov. Lee also signed legislation banning drag shows performed in public in front of minors, with violators facing almost a year in prison and a $2.5k fine.
- The drag ban, to take effect April 1, prohibits “adult cabaret performances” from taking place within 1k feet of schools, public parks, or places of worship. It expands the state’s obscenity laws to include performances that feature topless or exotic dancers or “male or female impersonators” that appeal “to a prurient interest.”
- While supporters of the bill argue drag shows sexualize children, opponents worry about the potential chilling effect it could have, with some organizers already considering canceling or delaying performances until there is clarity around the law.
https://www.improvethenews.org/story/2023/tennessee-curbs-trans-treatment-drag-for-children