Federal court blocks Tennessee's anti-trans bathroom law from going into effect
The law required businesses to publicly post "policy" signs showing that they have trans-friendly bathrooms.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
- A federal judge blocked Tennessee's bill that requires businesses to notify customers if they have trans-inclusive restrooms.
- Transgender advocates criticized the bill for alienating trans people for trying to use public restrooms and businesses trying to be inclusive.
- Experts say bathroom bills like these can directly harm trans people, making them more vulnerable to attacks.
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A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked a Tennessee law requiring businesses to publicly post "policy" signs showing that they have trans-friendly bathrooms from going into effect.
Middle District of Tennessee Judge Aleta A. Trauger granted a temporary injunction on Friday that blocks the law, according to The Tennessean.
The law was signed by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in May, and requires businesses to post signs with a red "NOTICE" title at the top.
The rest of the sign must read: "This facility maintains a policy of allowing the use of restrooms by either biological sex, regardless of the designation on the restroom."
Advocates initially criticized the bill for alienating trans people for simply trying to use the restroom, which can make them more vulnerable to transphobic violence.
Human Rights Campaign president Alphonso David said the bill could "cause real harm to transgender Tennesseans" if passed into law.
The American Civil Liberties Union and its Tennessee chapter had filed a lawsuit against the state on behalf of business owners, saying that the law was "unconstitutional."
The law was the latest attempt by GOP-led state governments to pass laws targeting transgender citizens. Currently, there are over 100 anti-trans bills that have been introduced to local legislatures in 2021 alone, many of them directly targeting trans children.
Advocates say transgender bathroom bills have a direct impact on trans health and safety
The first prominent flashpoint in the trans bathroom debate took place in 2013 when a Colorado school district attempted to bar a trans 6-year-old from using the girls' restroom at her school.
The Colorado Civil Rights Division ruled against the school's decision, setting a precedent in favor of trans children using the restroom of their choosing at school.
The US Supreme Court upheld this precedent in the last week of Pride month this year.
On June 28, SCOTUS refused to hear a case appealing the decision to allow trans students to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender, Gavin Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board.
Advocates say bathroom bills that target trans kids are dangerous because they send a message that trans people are lying about their identity or trying to "trick" people.
"It doesn't make any sense at all to let grown adult men - strangers - to be alone in bathrooms with little girls," Senator Ted Cruz said in 2016 while speaking in support of a trans bathroom bill.
This same sentiment trickles into everyday harassment, with the majority of trans people reporting they have experienced some kind of harassment in public restrooms.