LGBTQ+ advocates have called the current 2026 Legislative Session an “emergency situation” with a number of discriminatory scheduled to be heard in committees.
On Tuesday, the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) held a press conference to mark a day of advocacy at the Tennessee Legislature. Advocates from across the state joined to meet with legislators and protest harmful proposed legislation.
Chris Sanders, executive director for TEP, called the current climate a”crisis” as the legislature passed an anti-LGBTQ+ bill on the first day of the session. He added that six discriminatory bills are expected to be heard this week alone.
Proposed bills target drag performances, healthcare for trans people, marriage, employment discrimination, pride celebrations, and more.
“These bills are often described as policy debates, but let’s be honest — they do not target policy, they target people,” Brenda Gadd, vice chair of the Metropolitan Council LGBTQ+ caucus, said. “There is no disguise for bigotry, and when legislation tries to erase people, silence is not an option.”
Gadd and other speakers encouraged the community to stand together and fight the bills. They stressed the importance of putting a face with the legislation, so lawmakers know who is affected by their votes.
Ginger Leonard represented Memphis during the day of advocacy, and also serves as chair of the boards for TEP. She said putting a face in front of legislators makes the issues personal and shows the potential impact of passing the bills.
“Sometimes I think they forget that,” Leonard said. “They travel in these little spheres and their microcosm, and they think they don’t know any queer folks. I would argue that’s not true; they just don’t know who they are.”
She said this level of thinking often causes lawmakers to think they aren’t hurting anyone with their votes.
Leonard’s advocacy work dates back to the AIDS epidemic, where she recalled handing out condoms. She said it was an “ugly” period, but felt that she experienced a phase where “life was okay” for queer people.
However she said the passage of the Marriage Equality Act “scared a lot of people,” which manifested in attacks against the LGBTQ+ community in policy and other ways.
She said in recent years, more specifically, since President Donald Trump’s first term, that the attacks have gotten “uglier and uglier.” The advocate said she believed lawmakers are acting out of fear and manufacturing problems.
“They fear what they don’t understand,” Leonard said. “They also don’t know how to fix real problems. They don’t know how to feed hungry children, make housing, childcare, [and] healthcare affordable.”
Leonard said it can be easy for people to feel hopeless in this climate, but encouraged people to keep fighting. She noted that they’ve celebrated small victories in the past, such as getting bills pushed and tabled to where they don’t come back up.
She urged people to speak up and to play an active role and push back.
“Everybody has a voice — make it heard,” Leonard said. “Don’t be afraid. Get out there and do it — make baby steps.”