Tennessee's Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill is Dead

Tennessee Rep. Susan Lynn has pulled her sponsored "Bathroom Bill," which would require all public schools, including universities, to require students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender at birth. The controversial bill is strikingly similar to the much-protested North Carolina HB2, and to Georgia's recently repealed HB 757.

Rep. Lynn said her decision wasn't impacted by corporations, businesses, and LGBT advocacy groups protesting the measure, but instead because the discriminatory practices of the bill might lose Tennessee $1.2 billion of Title IX funding, a source of funding that forbids any discrimination based on sex.

According to The Tennessean, Rep. Lynn had spoken with Governor Bill Haslam who expressed concerns about the possibile loss of funding. The Huffington Post reported that Gov. Haslam worried about signing the bill and had already implied he might veto it when the time came.

During her April 18 press conference, Rep. Lynn said she had only intended to ensure protection: "We just did want to protect children at the state level." But at that time, two transgender students--Jennifer Guents and Henry Seaton--were headed to Gov. Haslam's office with more than 67,000 signatures opposing the legislation.

Although she's pulled the bill from consideration, Rep. Lynn hinted at plans to revive the legislation in the future.