Tennessee GOP bill would ban textbooks with LGBTQ content

A bill proposed by Republican Tennessee state lawmakers would ban textbooks and teaching materials that contain LGBT content. 

The bill, H.B. 800, was introduced by state Rep. Bruce Griffey (R) in February and is slated to be considered by the state’s Education Instruction Subcommittee on March 30, according to KENS5.

According to the legislation’s summary of the bill, “LEAs (local education agencies) and public charter schools are prohibited from locally adopting or using in the public schools of this state, textbooks and instructional materials or supplemental instructional materials that promote, normalize, support, or address lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgender (LGBT) issues or lifestyles.” 

The bill’s text also states that it is unknown if some textbook material currently in use is in violation of the proposed legislation. 

If the bill is passed, it would go into effect in July of this year and would be implemented in school districts statewide for the 2021-2022 school year, according to the local news station. 

Earlier this year, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) remarked that transgender girls should be prohibited from middle and high school sports teams that match their gender identity, or they will “destroy women’s sports.”

Tennessee Republicans also advanced legislation last year that would penalize state schools for including transgender girls in athletic events and teams.

However, the bill was later removed from the Tennessee State Legislature’s Education Committee’s calendar.