Tennessee Lawmakers Pass Bill Preventing Transgender Teachers From Requiring Students To Use Their Preferred Honorifics

Students in Tennessee will be protected from disciplinary action if they do not use a teacher’s preferred honorifics under a bill passed by the legislature. Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have been advancing legislation aimed at cracking down on what they say is an “ideological agenda” in schools. On Tuesday, the Tennessee House passed House Bill 1666, which prevents teachers from requiring students to refer to them as “Mr.” or “Ms.” if the honorific does not match their biological sex. Students who decline to use a teacher’s preferred honorific will be protected from disciplinary action. The state senate passed the bill on March 9.The bill’s sponsor, Aron Maberry, said in a post on X, “A male is a Mr., and a female is a Mrs., Ms., or Miss, and Mx. is made up and cannot be used.”“Objective truth matters. We must stand to protect the most innocent in our society – our children – from those who seek to manipulate and confuse them into an ideological agenda,” he said. During debate over the bill, a Democratic representative, Gloria Johnson, said the legislation is “bigoted” and “mean-spirited.”“There’s no reason not to refer to someone the way they want to be referred to. You’re teaching children to be bigots,” she said. HB 1666 expands existing restrictions for teachers. Under current law, teachers and school staff are not required to use a student’s preferred pronouns if they do not match the student’s biological sex. Tennessee law states that using pronouns consistent with biological sex is “protected expression.”Tennessee also requires school staff to receive written permission from a student’s parents before using a name different from their legal name or a pronoun that does not match their biological sex. HB 1666 now goes to Governor Bill Lee’s desk. Several other conservative states have sought to prevent teachers from using honorifics that do not match their biological sex or that are gender-neutral. In October, a Florida teacher was placed on administrative leave after telling students to use the gender-neutral title “Mx.” instead of “Ms.” or “Mrs.”Florida’s attorney general, James Uthmeier, said the term was “made-up” and “ideological” and said it “interferes with parents’ religious upbringing of their children.” In 2023, Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, signed legislation that prevents teachers from using titles or pronouns that do not align with their biological sex.

Tennessee Lawmakers Pass Bill Preventing Transgender Teachers From Requiring Students To Use Their Preferred Honorifics

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