The first, openly-gay Republican elected to the Tennessee General Assembly has written a letter to colleagues urging them not to support legislation that would ban trans participation in school sports.
Knoxville Rep. Eddie Mannis was elected to represent Tennessee’s 18th District last November. The Tennessee House and Senate are dominated by GOP lawmakers.
The House is currently considering SB228/HB3. The legislation would restrict young people to compete in school sports according to the sex they were assigned at birth.
The legislation makes no exception for trans students receiving gender-affirming care, such as hormone blockers.
Mannis wrote a letter to his colleagues on the House Education Administration Committee on Monday. He released the letter yesterday to the media.
In it, he says, “As we strive to represent ALL of our students, this legislation could very well marginalize a percentage of our kids and have a tremendous impact on them both physically and mentally,” he wrote.
“I trust that you will extend grace and mercy to the circumstance that none of us may totally understand and remember that we are here to represent all our kids … that includes those who may be suffering silently but have the access and right to participate and enjoy the same activities as their classmates.”
Related: 5.6% of American adults say they are LGBTQ. Over half identify as bisexual.
He goes on to say that if passed, “This issue will be divisive and will be used against us in general elections for years to come, and likely lead to costly legal battle in the courts.”
Mannis points to the high incidence of trans teens attempting suicide as one of the main factors behind his reasoning.
“Research has shown that nationally, 65% to 75% of transgender adolescents think about suicide and 15% to 30% make a suicide attempt,” Mannis said. “In contrast, roughly 17% nontransgender adolescents have reported thinking about suicide and 7.4% make an attempt.”
He also said such legislation might dissuade some employers from establishing businesses in the state.
In a Facebook post that reprinted the letter, Mannis said his decision to send it, “was not made in haste.”
Besides attempting to curb the levels of teen suicide, he also suggested that this was not a pressing issue that needed addressing as he didn’t know of any trans athletes competing in Tennessee schools.
“My challenge with this bill is that the issue currently does not exist in our state. And if so, there is no documented scenarios. I don’t disagree that it may not be the best idea for boys to play on girls’ teams. My issue is that transgenders, that have gone through transition therapy, should be exempt from this status.”
He concluded, “I respect the tough decisions of my colleagues in the General Assembly. At the end of the day we must be brave enough to make our own individual decisions and for that, I will have no regret.”
Related: Marjorie Taylor Greene puts up anti-trans sign on Congress corridor wall
Despite Mannis’ letter, the legislation cleared both the Senate Education Committee and the House Education Administration Committee on Wednesday and will now head to debate on the House and Senate floor.
ACLU Tennessee was among the advocacy groups to blast the legislation’s progress.
“Today Tennessee lawmakers voted to advance a harmful and unconstitutional bill that discriminates against transgender children by barring them from participating in the school sports that they love,” said Chase Strangio, deputy director for Trans Justice,with the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project, said in a statement Wednesday night.
“Without a single example of a Tennessee student facing any harm, lawmakers still insist on leveraging these misguided attacks on some of the most vulnerable youth in the state.”
Similar legislation was passed in Idaho last year but was blocked by a federal judge and is now subject to court wranglings.
Tennessee GOP Lt. Gov. Randy McNally has given the legislation only a lukewarm reception, and also said his colleagues should “move with caution.” Governor Bill Lee (Republican) has previously voiced the belief that trans athletes would “destroy women´s sports”, but has not yet promised he would sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
Eddie Mannis is a businessman who established a successful dry-cleaning business, Prestige Cleaners, in the mid-80s. Before his election to the House, he was Deputy Mayor for Knoxville and unsuccessfully stood to be Mayor in 2019. He was one of two openly LGBTQ lawmakers to enter the House in 2021: the other being Democratic, Memphis Rep. Torrey Harris.
LumpyPillows
You can be pro trans and yet not support trans women competing against women in sports.
Catholicslutbox
Can you? Can you reeeeeally?
LumpyPillows
Looks in mirror. Pinches self to see if awake. Well, yes, yes you can.
Cam
I figured you’d come here under your @Monkey1 screename. I guess you’re trying to be subtle.
TheX86
Agreed
Catholicslutbox
There’s no denying that some trans women will have a great advantage over bio-women. No denying.
Cam
Yep, it’s all a scam. Men are going to trick everyone by taking hormones, or getting surgery all so they can be more competitive in women’s sports. Because we all know that the way to get rich is to do well in women’s high school sports.
Catholicslutbox
They’re called sports Scholarships.
Cam
@Catholicslutbox
Oh yes, tens of thousands of dollars in hormone treatments and one hundred thousand dollars of surgery so they can get a partial scholarship to play women’s Vollyball. My eyes couldn’t be rolling anymore.
djguapo
He looks like Derek Faye. “Who, dear? Me, dear? Gay, dear? No, dear.”
sillyme
That is the one state to be gay in and be a repukialan isn’t a good thing, too many churches there they will preach hate against any that aren’t of the same mind as the church no that and any that are living there I feel for you, with people like this clown and his bill I’d not vote for any of them, and would write in no confidence for any of their type of belief just can’t seem to wrap a mind about small thinking.
Cam
So in Republican’s minds, school kids are going to go through bullying, harassment, therapy, hormones, and sometimes surgery, all so they can compete in a sport as a different gender.
I get that Republicans are used to lying and cheating to win, but I mean, come on. I could give two sh*ts about who is competing in school sports when it compares to human rights and kids not being bullied or harrassed.
The fact that the country is in the middle of a lockdown and THIS is what Republicans are worried about shows just how ideologically bankrupt the party is. All they have left is to wave around “Trans” and hope that the bigots in their party will keep voting for them.
radiooutmike
Also, yes.
That IS what every transgender female high school/college athlete is after– that edge.
Some will train vigorously to get that edge.
Some will take steroids or other PEDs to get that edge.
And apparently, some will commit changing their gender to get that edge…?! Right?
Cam
Of COURSE, because intense bullying and expensive medical procedures are totally worth being able to play well at high school women’s basketball. Right?
HenryHawke
Mr. Mannis has a bigger question to answer. He claims to be gay yet he’s a member of a political party that is openly hostile to members of the LGBTQ+ community. I’m sorry but that’s a mutually exclusive position. You CANNOT be gay and support Republicanism. That’s hypocrisy just like those “log cabin Republicans.” It’s like claiming to support racial equality while being a member of the KKK. It can’t be done. If Rep. Eddie Mannis wants to be taken seriously he MUST quit the Republican Party. It’s that simple.
James26
What are + people?
James26
Gay and bi people should be free to decide for ourselves what we think about trans activism and its public policy demands. “LGBT people” is a fiction that was invented to restrict our ability to think for ourselves and come to conclusions that trans activists don’t like. I am not trans and I don’t share an identity with them.
As for sports, I think it makes absolutely no sense to regulate and segregate sports based on how people “identify.” The issue here is physical and biological and only sex-based regulation makes any sense. “Trans girls” are welcome to compete against other boys in school. And they can certainly play against girls in non-competitive sports outside of school. The idea that they *must* play competitively against females in school, or else they will commit suicide, is silly.