NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Equality Project, TEP, announced that their ‘Freedom Together’ statement which is self-described as taking a stand “for Dignity and Freedom and Against Discrimination,” has gained over 100 signatures. These signatures include that of organizations, small businesses, and congregations, with the list of signees still growing. The TEP statement continued, “dignity of every person is the cornerstone of good public policy,” and “words and laws that divide us have no place as Tennessee looks to the future.”
The statement concluded that “Bills that limit life-saving healthcare for transgender and nonbinary people, create obstacles for LGBTQ students and faculty, discriminate in adoption and foster care, and challenge marriage equality do lasting harm,” and that the TEP and all organizations who sign the statement, “call on the Tennessee General Assembly to abandon discriminatory proposals.”
The Davidson County Committee of the Tennessee Equality Project co-chair, Dahron Johnson, said that the TEP has been fighting for equal rights of LGBTQIA+ people for 20 years within the Volunteer State. She said the LGBTQIA+ community consists of folks from all demographics, communities, and populations.
“This diversity of folks is really in all parts of the state,” Johnson said. “The easy way to describe that first is across the three grand divisions, whether that’s here in ‘central’ or across the ‘western’ part of the state or the ‘eastern’ part of the state. But also the other three types of sort of ‘characteristics’ in the state. Like, ‘metropolitan’ or ‘urban’ areas, ‘suburban’ areas, ‘rural’ areas.”
Johnson said that the state legislature over the last few years has been trying to reinforce a “very particular and specific” notion of how people should be in the world. She said the LGBTQIA+ community has seen several examples of state legislators trying to reinforce this notion recently in the form of numerous anti-diversity education measures. She said these measures have forced institutions of higher learning to curtail the quality of the curriculum that they can offer their students.
“You can’t have a full discussion about what race is like in this country,” Johnson said. “You can’t have a full discussion about what gender is like in the country, and of course, all of those issues are issues for the Queer community as well.”
Johnson said that TEP didn’t actively pursue organizations for their signature on the ‘Freedom Together’ statement but instead drafted the statement and posted an open invite for others to provide their signature. Johnson said while gathering signatures she has noticed that those signing on do not just live in Tennessee’s cities, but also consist of rural folks who believe in LGBTQIA+ rights and often do not have their perspectives represented.
“When I was looking at it the day before yesterday, I noticed this odd little coffee shop that was on the list and when I looked up where it was, it was in Moss, Tennessee,” Johnson said. “I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Moss, Tennessee. I never heard of Moss, Tennessee. It’s a tiny little unincorporated town in Clay County about 20 miles from the Kentucky border, really just out in the middle of nowhere. But that to me really demonstrates the purpose of this.”
Johnson said TEP loves to welcome new people and organizations who would like to show their support in whatever capacity they feel comfortable. She said citizens can receive further updates from the Tennessee Equality Project on their website tnep.org. There, she said citizens will be able to find a link to a list of bills that TEP is watching and that have some connection to equality.
