Tennessee's Governor Bill Lee signed House Bill 1270 into law, allowing educators and individuals to be sued if they use a person's preferred name or pronoun. Critics, including Democratic Rep. Justin Pearson, condemned the law as discriminatory towards LGBTQ+ individuals, calling it the 'Bullying LGBTQ+ Students Act.' The legislation requires alignment with a person's sex assigned at birth, neglecting the respect and recognition of identities. The Tennessee Equality Project emphasized that using correct names and pronouns is essential for respect and social interaction, highlighting the legal action's potential to harm vulnerable populations.
With all of the problems that we have as a state, whether that be dealing with poverty, the lack of healthcare access, the rights of women to choose what they do with their bodies, we're getting legislation after legislation that furthers discrimination, othering, and separation.
Words matter. Respect for anyone includes consistently and respectfully using the name and pronouns that they request. Regardless of legislation, legal limitations, and anticipated litigation, people deserve the respect of others to do something as simple as using their name and pronouns.
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