Tennessee lawmakers could soon track the number of transgender patients seeking gender-affirming care.
Amid a crowd of chanting protesters, the state House passed legislation Thursday that would compile data on trans Tennesseans. State troopers carried one protester out of the House gallery in accordance with rules against vocal protest.
HB0754/SB0676 by Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, would also expand healthcare coverage for people de-transitioning and require clinics to report who is accessing gender-affirming care.
The data would be de-identified, Faison said on the House floor, meaning the reports would not include names, social security numbers or geographical information.
“Collecting data gives us the ability to study trends, outcomes and effectiveness of treatment without knowing who the patient is,” Faison said.
After the vote, Faison told WPLN News that he believes gender-affirming care will eventually fall out of fashion, and so it’s important to collect as much data as possible.
Marianna Bacallao WPLN NewsProtestors gather outside the state House as the body votes to approve HB 754.
“I believe that we as a society are going to look back on this time that really burst out in 2014 and think, ‘Dear God, what were we thinking? This was as dumb as frontal lobotomies,’ ” Faison said.
Chaplain Dahron Anneliese Johnson with the Tennessee Equality Project said she’s worried about being tracked by a legislature that has passed a record-breaking number of bills rolling back protections for transgender Tennesseans in the past few years.
In 2023, the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office was able to obtain detailed medical records of transgender patients at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Johnson said that she supports healthcare coverage for those de-transitioning, but that there should also be support for those who don’t regret transitioning.
“They don’t talk about the vast percentage of folks who feel more at home, more at ease, more capable and confident in their own life,” Johnson said.
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