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

"Republican state Rep. Gino Bulso of Tennessee | Tennessee Legislature 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. Of the decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationally in 2015, Bulso claimed in a committee hearing that the opinion only dictates that public actors have to recognize same-sex marriages, not private citizens, reports. Tom Lee, a member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Pride Chamber, countered in his testimony that under Bulso's interpretation, anyone could discriminate against married LGBTQ+ people in their capacity as private citizens. "Imagine if under this bill, a private employer said, 'Well, you can't take family leave because I, as a private citizen, don't recognize - using the language of the bill - your purported marriage,'" Lee said. "Or a bank says, 'You'll pay the higher rate (for unmarried couples). We're not bound by the 14th Amendment. You're not married in our eyes,'""

The Tennessee legislature returned with multiple anti-LGBTQ+ bills prioritized by Republicans. Two bills introduced by Rep. Gino Bulso would explicitly challenge Supreme Court rulings in Obergefell and Bostock, targeting marriage equality recognition and federal non-discrimination protections. Bulso asserted that Obergefell binds public actors but not private citizens. Opponents warned that the measures would enable employers, banks, and other private actors to deny married LGBTQ+ people rights and benefits, undermining 14th Amendment protections. State Rep. Gloria Johnson emphasized that federal law supersedes state law, framing the proposals as direct conflicts with constitutional precedent.

Read at LGBTQ Nation