TN Attorney General files transgender regulation lawsuit

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - In a federal lawsuit filed by Attorney General, as well as 19 other states’ attorneys general, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee has enjoined the U.S. Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from enforcing new, expansive “unlawful” guidance on federal anti-discrimination laws.

The guidance attempted to force schools to allow biological males to compete on girls’ sports teams as well as to prohibit sex-separated showers and locker rooms to compel people to use biologically preferred pronouns, according to Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III.

The new law which was set to go into effect in July would make it harder for students to play sports in school if they are transgender.

The law will add penalties for school districts that allow transgender athletes to play on teams that do not match the gender on their birth certificates.

If the school system breaks the law, the Department of Education could withhold some funding from the district.

The following states joined Tennessee in the lawsuit:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• West Virginia

To read the District Court’s ruling, click here.

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