NASHVILLE, TN — Legislation that poses a direct threat to LGBTQIA+ Tennesseans is receiving another push in the Tennessee State House of Representatives, including some that received a passing vote despite the disapproval of civil rights groups such as the Tennessee Equality Project.
Among the passing legislation is HB1473, otherwise known as the anti-Obergefell bill, which moves to circumvent the landmark 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision by the United States Supreme Court that ruled the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. The passing of HB1473 “anti-Obergefell” has critics such as Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) Co-Chair Dahron Johnson simply asking why there is a push for legislation such as this, even though it, as of now, effectively changes nothing.
“If the Obergefell bill … really does nothing, then why run it?” Johnson said. “It does set the flag a little bit further up the beach. So next year, when they come back to session, this legislature’s super majority will have already established that it’s okay to go this far. Taking the next step from there is a shorter reach.”
“It’s not enacting anything. But, if you take this series of actions cumulatively that they’ve taken against our community of communities over time, we’re a long way from our starting point.”
Tennessee Equality Project reports it is also tracking several other bills that were voted on during the Tennessee House’s most recent session, including HB2498, which bans TennCare from covering gender-affirming care, and passed the House TennCare Subcommittee and will be going to the full committee. The bill’s predecessor, according to TEP, banned any gender-affirming care to minors, TennCare or otherwise, and this bill will ban gender-affirming care funded by TennCare to anyone, including adults.
Bills TEP said they will continue following also include HB2082, which gives special protections to anti-trans parents, which passed the House Children & Family Affairs Subcommittee and will now head to the full Judiciary Committee. They also report they will be following HB1474, a bill banning Pride flags and celebrations, which passed the House State & Local Government Committee after heated debate accompanied by several committee outbursts. Tennessee Equality Project reports the bill passed without the benefit of hearing from those who signed up to deliver testimony that day, despite TEP double-checking the sign-up sheet before the committee meeting began.
Other bills of concern that have been rolled back, according to TEP, include HB1472, which was rolled back to the next meeting and outlines the banning of the 2020 landmark Bostock v. Clayton County decision by the United States Supreme Court, which held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill HB1666 was also rolled back into the next calendar, a bill which Johnson said details that members within secondary schools, higher education, state offices and state employees are free not to use a person’s preferred pronouns, name or honorifics.
“But, there’s no definition of honorifics that I could find in the code,” she said. “So, honorifics could be ‘professor.’ This bill would free you from even calling your professor ‘professor.’”
Johnson said she worries most about LGBTQIA+ community members who are a part of several non-majority groups, as they are most likely to be the most affected by the increasingly aggressive legislation coming out against multiple communities in a very short period of time. Johnson said people can receive future updates regarding legislation news and TEP events at tnep.org. Copyright TNTRIBUNE 2026. All rights reserved.
