NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A bill introduced by Rep. John Ragan (R - Oak Ridge) would withhold money from schools if they do not specifically use a birth certificate from around the time a student was born to determine their sex if that student is trying to play in school sports.
The bill, H.B. 1895, would require the state's commissioner of education to "withhold a portion of the state education finance funds" that schools would otherwise be eligible for if they do not inspect students' birth certificates. However, it would not apply to students who refuse to comply due to a court ruling or other legally binding order.
It does also require the state board of education to create policies that would require schools to inspect birth certificates if students are trying to play sports. It also requires them to create policies on how the funds would be withheld from schools.
If the bill passes, it would go into effect on July 1, 2022.
It would also impact H.B. 1894, a separate bill that would restrict transgender women from playing women's sports in higher education. It also follows similar anti-transgender legislation that prevents high school students from playing on teams that align with their gender identity.
A Farragut student and his family sued Tennessee in Nov. 2021 over that law after the student was restricted from trying out for the boys' golf team.
They called that law "a solution in search of a problem," saying lawmakers could not identify an example of how transgender students' participation in sports limited opportunities for cisgender students.
The Tennessee Equality Project, an advocacy organization that works to protect LGBTQ+ rights in the state, also released a statement on the bill. They warned that the bill would harm children, taking away their equal opportunity to express themselves.
The statement can be read below:
Transgender people are Tennesseans too; these laws are a continuation of a culture war where plenty of kids will be hurt but none will be helped. We are stripping Tennessee students of an equal opportunity to express themselves, learn, and just be kids.