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☆ Tennessee Republicans Unlikely to Move on Governor’s Gun-Control Proposal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Cameron Mcwhirter | Mariah Timms | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has tried to secure passage of legislation that he says could reduce the chances of mass shootings in the future. Photo: Mark Zaleski/Associated PressNASHVILLE, Tenn.—The GOP-dominated Tennessee legislature appeared likely to wind down its session without taking up a measure to tighten gun-control laws following a mass shooting here, despite a late plea by Republican Gov. Mr. Lee backed a proposal that would allow police to ask a civil-court judge to remove firearms from people who were at risk of hurting themselves or others. As of Thursday evening, the legislation supported by Mr. Lee hasn’t been attached to existing bills and it hadn’t come up for discussion in any committees.

☆ Tennessee Republicans Fail to Move on Governor’s Gun-Control Proposal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Cameron Mcwhirter | Mariah Timms | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee tried to secure passage of legislation that he says could reduce the chances of mass shootings in the future. Photo: Mark Zaleski/Associated PressNASHVILLE, Tenn.—The GOP-dominated Tennessee legislature wound down its session Friday evening without taking up a measure to tighten gun-control laws following a mass shooting here, despite a late plea by Republican Gov. Mr. Lee backed a proposal that would have allowed police to ask a civil court judge to remove firearms from people who were at risk of hurting themselves or others. Republican leadership blocked it in both chambers, leaving it without a sponsor or a bill number by the time the General Assembly adjourned Friday evening.

But many medical associations have said the law is transphobic and that gender-affirming care can be life-saving. The new lawsuit says depriving transgender youth of medically necessary care will have devastating consequences for them and their families. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three families with transgender children and a Memphis-based doctor who performs gender-affirming procedures. Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the ban into law last month along with a separate measure restricting drag performances in public. Several other U.S. states have banned gender-affirming care for minors, and over the last several weeks groups have sued over laws adopted in Utah, Florida, Indiana and Arkansas.

☆ Opinion: Gun control after Louisville shooting has a chance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Max Burns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Meanwhile, Democrats — once wary of mentioning gun control at all — have finally rediscovered their voice. See heated gun control discussion between lawmakers in the halls of Congress 01:19 - Source: CNNDemocrats’ rising confidence in fighting for gun reform comes against a backdrop of tireless coalition-building from gun safety activists and community organizers across the country. Everytown credits at least 51 pieces of state-level gun safety legislation passed in 2022 to their state-by-state strategy. Over the summer, an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found that 59% of American adults think it’s more important to control gun violence than to protect gun rights (35%) — “its highest point in nearly a decade.” These figures have surely factored into Democrats new assertiveness on gun control. “Republicans look completely unreasonable when they won’t even discuss background checks, gun safety measures like storage or red flag laws,” Del Percio warned.

☆ Drag queens fight back against Tennessee law that classifies drag shows as 'adult cabaret' entertainment and makes them a felony
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Bill Lee signed HB0009 into law, amending a law about cabaret performances. A drag queen suing the state over the law told Insider it violates performers' and parents' rights. Tennessee House Bill 0009 was signed into law by Lee on February 27, amending an existing clause regulating erotic performances to include "male or female impersonators" as "adult cabaret entertainment." The company's all-ages performances feature variety shows and comedies highlighting drag performers in an effort to provide the LGBTQ community with events and activities outside of bars and nightclubs. "Were it not for this law, Absent Friends would not have added an age restriction to its monthly performances."

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday temporarily blocked a law restricting drag performances in public from going into effect, saying it was likely "vague and overly-broad" in its restriction of speech. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, in February, had signed the bill passed by the state's legislature that was meant to go into effect on Saturday. The judge said the state had failed to justify with a compelling interest the restrictions it aimed to impose. The Tennessee bill was part of an upswing in recent months in Republican efforts to regulate the conduct of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Much of the debate in Tennessee has been over whether drag is inherently a sexually explicit art form.

☆ After school shooting, some trans Tennesseans face backlash
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Mykul Coscia, who performs drag as Eazy Love at Play, a night club, poses for a portrait after a deadly shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. March 29, 2023. Even before the shooting, many transgender Tennesseans felt villainized by their state's efforts to regulate the lives of gay and trans people, and were increasingly fearful for their safety. Police identified the Nashville shooter as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, and initially referred to Hale as female. Every time there is a school shooting, Story VanNess said she has sleepless nights: she was a special education teacher in a Knoxville school for several years before becoming the director of trans and non-binary programs at Knox Pride. "We've had another school shooting but, because this shooter was trans, that's taken a back seat so politicians can demonize trans people.

☆ Tennessee governor says his wife, 2 school shooting victims were friends
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Juliet, held for the victims of a deadly shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., March 28, 2023. It will take place at a public park in the heart of Nashville, the Tennessee state capital. The governor's wife Maria, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak and the head of the school Katherine Koonce previously taught together at another school, he said. The assailant, Audrey Elizabeth Hale, 28, went to the Covenant School armed with two assault-style weapons and a handgun. Monday's violence marked the 90th school shooting – defined as any incident in which a gun is discharged on school property – in the United States this year, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, a website founded by researcher David Riedman.

☆ A Tennessee high school club tried to put up flyers for transgender awareness month. The school said they were illegal.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A school club in Tennessee tried to put a flyer that defined the word "transgender" in November. But the principal of Northeast High School rejected it, a 17-year-old member of the club said. After the poster was rejected, Elizabeth came up with other ideas in an effort to get the word out about Transgender Awareness Month. Elizabeth said the experience raised her awareness about the extent to which trans rights are threatened in the state of Tennessee. The Tennessee law is part of a wave of legistion focused on trans people largely fueled by anti-LGBTQ sentiment in the United States.

☆ Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Restricting Transgender Healthcare for Minors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Mariah Timms | Laura Kusisto | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tennessee lawmakers made these measures a priority for this year. NASHVILLE—Tennessee’s governor on Thursday signed legislation that blocks physicians from providing treatments to minors related to their gender identity, one of dozens of bills moving through legislatures that would impose limits on access to transgender healthcare for children and teenagers. The law, signed by GOP Gov. Bill Lee , prohibits doctors from providing certain treatments to anyone under 18 even with parental consent if the procedure is used as part of transgender healthcare. Those treatments could include prescribing medications that can delay the onset of puberty or hormones that can cause physical changes such as the development of facial hair or breasts.

☆ 2 Republican leaders pushing for anti-drag laws have dressed in what could be considered drag based on the bill texts' definition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Both Republican leaders have previously dressed in drag — based on their bills' definition of the word. The Tennessee bill does not include the term "drag" but suggests "male or female impersonators" as one type of entertainment that is "harmful to minors." Schatzline similarly responded on Twitter that his performance was not a "sexually explicit drag show." Yah, that's not a sexually explicit drag show… lol y'all will twist ANYTHING," he tweeted on Monday. Bella DuBalle, a Memphis-based drag queen, previously spoke to Insider about the Tennessee bill and the rise in legislation that associates drag performances with sexually explicit acts.

☆ Tennessee governor will sign bills restricting drag, transgender youth treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said he would sign into law bills that passed the legislature last week banning gender-affirming treatment for transgender youth and restricting drag performances in public. Lee said the drag bill, which comes into effect April 1, would protect children from being "potentially exposed to sexualized entertainment, to obscenity." Modern drag performances, which have long flourished in LGBT venues before becoming a more mainstream entertainment in recent years, typically do not involve nudity. One of the bills Lee will sign bans doctors from providing gender-affirming medical treatment, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery, for transgender minors. The Tennessee bills are part of an upswing in recent months in Republican efforts to regulate the conduct of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.

☆ Tennessee governor targeting drag says a photo showing him dressed as a woman isn't a problem because it was 'lighthearted' when he did it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A photo purporting to show Tennessee's Republican governor in drag in 1977 resurfaced on Reddit. The bill would limit where drag shows can take place under the guise of protecting children. Bill Lee after a photo purporting to show Lee in drag in a 1977 high school yearbook was shared on Reddit. Lee's spokesperson did not deny that the image was of the governor, but said that it was different to what Lee is targeting, which would stop drag shows taking place on public property. Lee told reporters on Monday that he plans to sign a bill that would limit drag shows in public under the guise of protecting children.

☆ Memphis drag queen fears Tennessee drag ban bill would empower strangers to call the cops on her for how she dresses
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A bill that would outlaw drag is poised to head to Tennessee Gov. Bella DuBalle, a Memphis-based drag queen, said the bill is "terrifying" and puts her at risk. The bill identifies "male and female impersonators" — drag kings and drag queens — as adult cabaret performers. Tennessee's public drag ban proposal is one of the latest anti-LGBTQ bills making their way through legislatures across the country. Outside of drag, DuBalle identifies as nonbinary and said she worries the way she dresses could run her afoul of the law if it's passed.

☆ Executions in U.S. continue decline but many ‘botched,' report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Kate Brown commuted the sentences of all 17 of the state’s death row inmates to life in prison without parole. There have been no federal executions since January 2021 following a historic use of capital punishment by the Trump administration. Dunham said he believes ongoing issues with botched executions or reviews of execution protocols by states is helping to erode public support of capital punishment. In 2000, Texas executions reached a high of 40, according to this year’s annual report by the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Dunham said he believes the number of botched executions has contributed significantly to the movement among lawmakers, particularly conservatives, to express doubts about the death penalty.

☆ Alabama pauses executions after third failed lethal injection attempt
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Kay Ivey sought a pause in executions and ordered a “top-to-bottom” review of the state’s capital punishment system Monday after an unprecedented third failed lethal injection. Ivey also requested that Marshall not seek additional execution dates for any other death row inmates until the review is complete. In September, the state called off the scheduled execution of Alan Eugene Miller because of difficulty accessing his veins. Alabama in 2018 called off the execution of Doyle Hamm because of problems getting the intravenous line connected. Alabama should have imposed an execution moratorium after Hamm’s failed execution for the benefit of everyone, said Bernard Harcourt, an attorney who represented Hamm for years.

Another focus of the conference was “electability,” with many Republicans expressing increased interest in making sure that candidates who emerged from primaries were best positioned to win in November. Pete Ricketts, who just finished a term as RGA co-chair, suggested that the group could get more involved in primaries. The RGA did spend to defend incumbents facing primaries but now may consider spending in open races. “The idea that Trump would make an announcement yesterday — and I’ve been proven right, because it’s barely a story — it was just stupid,” he said. It’s clearly from a position of weakness, and for his own self-serving purposes, whatever they may be legal or otherwise.

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