MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Close to 50 people from Memphis non-profits made their way to Nashville to meet with lawmakers to defend LGBTQIA+ rights and combat the discrimination of those with HIV.
For groups like The Haven, OutMemphis, and the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), if certain potential bills were to go into effect, they could have problematic consequences.
Among those bills of concern, one would prevent certain schools from displaying Pride or Black Lives Matter flags. Another would require schools to report to school administrators and a student’s parents if the student in question wished to go by a different gender than what they were assigned at birth.
A third bill would increase the amount of time someone could face in jail if they commit sexual assault, knowing they had HIV. This bill have led to concern with groups like The Haven, who say it would lead to people not wanting to get tested, and it would not deter people from committing sexual assault.
“What we do hear about is rumors of that happening, and it further stigmatizes those living with HIV,” said Krista Wright-Thayer, The Haven Director of Outreach and Prevention. “It doesn’t happen often. We’ve actually had some calls at certain camps where it may have been happening, and we went and investigated and we did the testing, and it turns out it was just rumors to try to hurt someone else.”
The problems facing the LGBTQIA+ community in Tennessee are not new. According to the Human Rights Campaign, in the past nine years, Tennessee leads the country with the most anti-LGBTQ+ laws passed..
"Even though the laws are saying we don't belong here, we do and that there are people who are ready to represent in this state," said Jace Wilder, education manager with the Tennessee Equality Project.
The TEP called on Governor Bill Lee to veto a bill — on the day of it passing a House vote — they said would allow public officials to refuse to marry a queer couple who have a legal marriage license.