Tennessee Republicans pass law that singles out same-sex couples that marry for discriminationhttps://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/02/tennessee-republicans-pass-law-that-singles-out-same-couples-that-marry-for-discrimination/ 🔗Alex Bollinger (20 Feb 2026)
Republicans in the Tennessee House of Representatives yesterday passed a bill that says that people and private organizations don't have to recognize same-sex marriages. It also shields people from facing professional discipline if they refuse to officiate or "celebrate" a same-sex wedding.
Opponents of the bill say that, if it passes, hospitals, banks, and other businesses could refuse to accept same-sex couples as clients or patients.
H.B. 1473 states that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution only requires state and local governments to provide equal protection under the law, not private entities. The bill's text is very specific in that it says that people and organizations don't have to recognize "a purported marriage between individuals of the same sex" and not any other kind of marriage.
H.B. 1473 passed in a 68-24 vote along party lines. No Republican voted against it.
"The overwhelming majority of Tennesseans already affirmed what we have known for all of history: marriage is between one man and one woman," state Rep Gino Bulso (R), who introduced the bill, said in a statement. "This legislation protects religious liberty in the Volunteer State by clarifying that private citizens can never be forced to recognize any other definition. I'm grateful to my Republican colleagues for standing with me to defend the common-sense values that have shaped our state and nation."
LGBTQ+ advocates denounced the bill.
