Tennesee pushes bills targeting trans youth care, drag shows

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s Republican-dominant Legislature has advanced a handful of proposals that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth and severely limit where drag shows can take place. The push in Tennessee comes as state lawmakers across the United States are introducing dozens of restrictions targeting LGBTQ people, even as critics warn that such proposals are discriminatory and harmful. Advocates on both sides of the issue crowded legislative hearing rooms Tuesday, as some claimed that the legislation is needed to prevent what they called “child abuse” while others warned that Tennessee taxpayers could end up footing the bill if a court found the ban illegal.