Tennessee has become the first state in the South to include transgender people in their hate crime laws.
Tennessee became the first state in the South to include transgender people in their hate crime laws.
Tennessee’s state attorney general Herbert Slatery issued a statement including transgender people in the state’s hate crime laws Feb. 13.
“A defendant who targets a person for a crime because that person is transgender has targeted the person because of his or her gender,†Slatery wrote in his opinion piece.
Chris Sanders — the executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, an organization that fights for LGBTQ people’s rights — said this was a tremendous feat for the LGBTQ community.
“It is a great victory at a time when we are under attack in the Legislature with six significant anti-LGBTQ bills,†Sanders said.
Despite the feat, Sanders also said each hate crime case remains a judgment call.
“When a transgender person is attacked, or that person’s property is vandalized and bias is a motivation, prosecutors can seek an enhanced or larger penalty if the perpetrator is convicted,†Sanders said. “It is still up to the district attorney to use the law, so we will be watching for that.â€
Sanders also said while he remains optimistic, he has to note that other states have yet to follow suit.
In November, when two women were killed at a yoga studio Tallahassee, Florida, the man was allegedly motivated by a hatred of women. Scott Beierle, the murderer, would be exempt from hate crime charges if he were alive because gender is not included in Florida’s hate crime statute. Democrats in the Florida state legislature are currently working towards the expansion of the statute that would add gender, gender identity and disability to classes protected from hate crimes.
Iasia Peoples — a member of Stonewall Tigers, the University of Memphis’ gay-straight alliance — said this statement means a lot to the LGBTQ community in Tennessee.
“Not many hate laws protect us,†Peoples said. “It is highly significant, especially for a red state.â€
Peoples also said there are other laws gender and sexual minorities are trying to fight for.Â
“Sometimes, LGBTQ teens are kicked out of their homes, and adults are sometimes discriminated from job opportunities because of it,†Peoples said. “It is harmful and abusive.â€
Tennessee has a reputation for passing anti-LGBTQ bills. The state legislature has introduced bills protecting private adoption agencies that discriminate against same-sex couples and bills allowing schools to prohibit students from using bathrooms corresponding to their gender.Â
Will McCormick, a member of Stonewall Tigers, said he remains positive about other states following suit.
“In an optimistic outlook, the red state Tennessee making this move might encourage other conservative states to make a similar move†McCormick said. “They are not usually the first to catch onto trends, and this move was really progressive.â€
McCormick also said Tennessee might face backlash from other traditionally red states for this move, and he will pay close attention to what actions are taken going forward.
Keaton Gilbert, a member of Stonewall Tigers, said many people have misconceptions about the LGBTQ community.
“There may not be many laws opposing us, but there are not many laws for us,†Gilbert said. “That is what a lot of people do not understand.â€
