If a bill now racing through the Tennessee legislature becomes law, as it almost certainly will, it will become illegal to display a pride flag at a public school in a location where any student might see it. It’s one of a long line of moves made by Tennessee’s Republican-dominated legislature to demonstrate their disdain and disapproval of LGBTQ+ Americans.
As this bill was rapidly heading toward a final vote, Democratic Rep. Justin Pearson introduced an amendment.
“This legislation is immoral and unjust. I’m against it in its entirety,” said Pearson. “I believe that what is doing and the signal that it is sending is evil and wrong.” But he had a proposal: If the legislature is going to ban pride flags from the classroom, shouldn’t it at least ban the display of, as Tennessee still cringingly calls it, a “war between the states” flag? Also known as a Confederate battle flag.
It took Republicans literally seconds to cut off debate and crush the amendment. If there’s one time the Tennessee legislature feels strongly about protecting free speech rights, it’s when those rights involve a symbol promoting racism and treason against the United States.
Other legislatures might lead the way for the sheer spiteful ugliness of their laws (definitely looking at you, Missouri), but none can match Tennessee in their eagerness to goosestep away from democracy.
After Democratic legislators—including Pearson—were expelled for daring to speak in favor of gun safety following a school shooting, voters in their districts sent them right back to the legislature.
Republicans responded by moving to further limit debate and discussion. The new rules make it much easier to silence a member, drastically shorten speaking times, and make expulsion even simpler. The result is an assembly line for Republican extremism, untainted by any hint of opposition. While the U.S. House might be caught up in factional infighting, Tennessee Republicans are all marching together, passing hundreds of bills.
Included in the mass of legislation was not just banning drag shows and finding new ways to harm trans kids, but multiple laws stripping power away from Nashville, the largest city in the state, because Nashville tends to vote Democratic. Republicans in the legislature spent the year gathering more of the city’s power to themselves. As they did, Gov. Bill Lee vetoed exactly zero bills.
Anyone who wants to know what the Republican ideal of government is need only watch this process in which Pearson gets his proposed amendment out, and Republicans proceed to crush it without debate, all inside a minute and a half.
If that seems brutal, just wait. It’s about to get worse.
One of the bills now being shoved through this single-party pipeline would ensure that anyone they toss from the chambers stays tossed. That bill would block local governments from reappointing anyone whom state lawmakers had expelled. Republicans are charging ahead with this, even though a staff attorney has warned it may be unconstitutional. As far as Tennessee is concerned, people definitely can be told who they are allowed to select as their representative … so long as Republicans are the ones telling them.
As soon as this legislation makes it to Lee’s reliable rubber stamp, Republicans can start inventing a new reason to expel Pearson and other Democrats.
But at least he is there for now.
Campaign Action