Court Cases

Blount Pride, Inc. (“Blount Pride”) planned a Pride event that would feature drag performances, including a performance by drag queen Flamy Grant. The event was to occur on September 2, 2023 at Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee. On August, 29, 2023, four days before the event, District Attorney for Tennessee’s Fifth Judicial District, Ryan Desmond, issued a letter to Blount Pride saying that he would enforce the anti-drag law that had been passed in 2022. In an effort to protect the free speech rights of drag performers, ACLU-TN and attorneys Brice Timmons, Melissa Stewart, Daniel Horwitz, Melissa Dix, and Justin Gilbert filed a complaint and emergency motion for a temporary restraining order on August 30, 2023 on behalf of Blount Pride and Christian artist and drag performer Flamy Grant. United States District Court Judge Ronnie Greer, in the Eastern District of Tennessee, granted the temporary restraining order and the Pride event proceeded as planned. Defendants then agreed to a preliminary injunction while a previously filed challenge to the anti-drag law, Friends of George’s v. Mulroy, continued on appeal in the Sixth Circuit.

Samantha and Brian Williams of Nashville and their 15-year-old daughter, as well as two other anonymous families and Dr. Susan N. Lacy challenged a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for transgender people under 18.

Luc Esquivel is a 14-year-old freshman at Farragut High School in Knoxville, TN who has been looking forward to trying out for the boys’ golf team, but his plans were derailed when Gov. Bill Lee signed SB 228 into law. This law banned students from participating in school sports.

Sumner County Schools has a policy which prohibits transgender students from using the restroom or locker room facilities that correspond to their gender identity.