Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signs athlete bill into law over concerns from transgender community

Transgender students in Tennessee will be required to compete in school sports according to their sex at birth after Gov. Bill Lee signed a controversial bill into law Friday.

The Volunteer State is the third to enact such legislation into law this year, following Mississippi and Arkansas.

The bill quickly advanced in the state legislature this year. Supportive lawmakers argue the bill protects women sports by ensuring fairness and eliminating a competitive edge they say transgender women may have over their cisgender peers. 

But medical experts, LGBTQ advocates and transgender Tennesseans deem the legislation discriminatory against a small population in the state. There is no evidence of transgender student athlete participation in Tennessee.

Lee, who previously said transgender athlete participation would "destroy women's sports," touted his signing of the bill on social media.

"I signed the bill to preserve women's athletics and ensure fair competition," he posted on Twitter. "This legislation responds to damaging federal policies that stand in opposition to the years of progress made under Title IX and I commend members of the General Assembly for their bipartisan work."

The bill reflects a nationwide push as similar bills advance in at least 21 states this year. Many are modeled after an Idaho law last year, which was blocked by a federal judge from taking effect. The push comes as President Joe Biden has sought to bar gender discrimination in many areas, including school sports, through a January executive order.

Critics have said Tennessee's bill may invite economic loss and legal challenge in the future. The American Civil Liberties Union in Tennessee has also threatened to sue the state.

Joe Woolley, CEO of the Nashville LGBT Chamber, told lawmakers during a committee hearing that Tennessee stands to lose billions of dollars from tourism if anti-LGBTQ legislation is passed.

"This discriminatory policy is illegal," said Sam Brinton of The Trevor Project, a national group providing transgender youths with crisis prevention services. “The Trevor Project is here 24/7 to support trans youth in Tennessee and across the country who feel hurt and invalidated by these purely political attacks.”

Reach Yue Stella Yu at yyu@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @bystellayu_tnsn.