Senate Leader: No Need For Tennessee Lawmakers To Wade Back Into Transgender Restroom Debate

The leader of the Tennessee Senate says he sees no need for lawmakers to debate regulations on which bathroom transgender students get to use.

That’s after President Donald Trump’s administration repealed federal guidance this week that required schools to let them use the bathroom of their choice.

Senate Speaker Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, more or less agrees with Trump: Decisions about which bathroom transgender students use should be made by school boards.

“They’re responsible to the people in that county or that city,” he says. “And I think that’s handled best at that level.”

Last year, Tennessee lawmakers agonized over the issue of transgender bathroom access.

Many Republicans were incensed at courts and at the Obama administration for saying schools had to respect students’ gender identity. On the other hand, some were reluctant to tell school administrators how to handle individual students.

Meanwhile, transgender students testified they’ve often been ill-served. Many times, principals have resolved the issue by telling them not to use facilities for either gender.

Another bathroom bill has been submitted again this year. But Chris Sanders with the Tennessee Equality Project hopes McNally’s remarks will discourage state lawmakers from pursuing it.

Instead, Sanders says, Tennesseans should reflect on how school districts can best serve transgender students.