Republicans are now coming for marriage equality in this state’s “slate of hate”

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Republicans are now coming for marriage equality in this state's "slate of hate"

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/02/republicans-are-now-coming-for-marriage-equality-in-this-states-slate-of-hate/ 🔗

Greg Owen (12 Feb 2026)

The Tennessee legislature is back in session, and once again, a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ bills are front and center among Republican priorities.

Two of the most extreme bills, addressing marriage equality and employment discrimination, fly in the face of recent Supreme Court precedent.

Critics are calling the collection of discriminatory legislation a "slate of hate."

"We're talking about federal law that supersedes state law," state Rep. Gloria Johnson (D) said of the bills that ignore the Supreme Court's rulings on marriage equality and employment discrimination. "You can't just ignore the federal law. So, therein is the problem for those of us who believe in our U.S. Constitution."

Both measures were introduced by Republican state Rep. Gino Bulso in January and would challenge the landmark cases Obergefell v. Hodges and Bostock v. Clayton County.   

Both of Bulso's measures advanced through committee along party lines.

Other measures proposed this session expand previous bills targeting LGBTQ+ Tennesseans. A state law already allowing teachers to ignore a student's preferred pronouns would be broadened to allow all school students and workers to ignore a trans person's honorifics, like "Mr." or "Mrs."