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BREAKING: Tennessee bill bans public drag shows, sex changes for minors

The two bills now head to Governor Bill Lee’s desk for his signature.

 
Hannah NightingaleWashington DC
On Friday, Tennessee lawmakers passed a pair of bills, one banning public drag performances in specific areas, and another banning child sex changes. The two bills now head to Governor Bill Lee’s desk for his signature.

House Bill 9 passed on Thursday in a 74-19 vote, while its sister bill in the Senate passed earlier this month 26-6.

Senate Bill 3 seeks to amend existing state law banning “adult-oriented businesses” from operating within 1,000 feet of public parks or places of worship and school, expanding it to include “adult cabaret performances,” which the bill describes as performances that feature “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest,” according to The Hill.

Those found in violation of the bill would be charged with a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense, punishable by up to one year in jail and fines up to $2,500. Subsequent violations will land a Class E felony, bringing a prison sentence of one to six years.

House Bill 1 passed on Thursday in a 77-16 vote, with its sister bill, Senate Bill 1, passing at an earlier date.

The bill bans health care providers from performing care on minors “for the purpose of enabling a minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor’s sex.”

This is a breaking story and will be updated.