KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Fox Schweiger grew up in Knoxville and is a senior in college. He's expecting to graduate in the next few months, but after he does, he won't come back home to Tennessee.
Schweiger said the environment around transgender people and laws passed in recent years make it difficult for him to return.
"I was going to get out when I have the chance," Schweiger said. "There's just this whole culture now of just being really vile toward trans people."
The Human Rights Campaign said since 2015, Tennessee has enacted more anti-LGBTQ+ laws than any other state in the country. Those laws include bans on gender-affirming medical care, transgender youth participation in sports and bathroom bans, among others.
"All of these bills are just encouraging people to be more open about their bigotry and hatred," Schweiger said.
A new survey from the National Center for Transgender Equality said Tennessee was among the top ten states transgender people left in the U.S. because of anti-LGBTQ+ laws and unequal treatment. Around 80% of the people who responded to that survey reported mistreatment, including verbal harassment, physical attacks and online bullying.
"I had teachers and I had administrators who were basically bullying me," Schweiger said. "I had people who refused to use the right name, pronouns, for me."
Schweiger said for him to come back to Tennessee, attitudes and laws would have to change.
"I think some people don't realize that we're real people. You've probably met us before," Schweiger said.
The American Civil Liberties Union said this legislative session, lawmakers in Tennessee have proposed 29 bills considered anti-LGBTQ+.