A bill aiming to ban Pride flags from public schools died on the Senate floor on Tuesday — but its prime sponsor, Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood), vowed to bring the legislation back to the Capitol in 2025.
House Bill 1605 passed in the House in February, but the Senate version earned just 13 aye votes — four short of the 17 needed in order to pass. Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) sponsored the legislation in the upper chamber.
Bulso tells the Scene he found the bill’s defeat “disappointing,” adding, “I'm confident that we'll be able to get it through next year.”
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge), who voted against the bill, tells WKRN’s Chris O’Brien he’s “tired of giving money to the ACLU,” referencing a slew of lawsuits the state has faced after passing other anti-LGBTQ legislation.
Bulso says if the bill were to pass, it would indeed likely be challenged in court, but that “the challenge will be unsuccessful.” He also told reporters Wednesday that the legislation is “entirely constitutional” and that Pride flags in schools are being used to “indoctrinate kids” and not present for any historical value.
Meanwhile, bills allowing charter school access to vacant school buildings and lawsuits over books advance
Students, parents and educators have argued that the presence of Pride flags in schools communicates to vulnerable students that there are accepting and supportive teachers and staff who provide safe spaces for LGBTQ students.
Representatives of the Tennessee Equality Project, who earlier this year included the bill in its “2024 Slate of Hate,” have been advocating against the legislation, staging demonstrations at the Capitol.
“The Senate vote is a great result for the Bill of Rights and for the people of Tennessee who never really embraced these flag restrictions,” TEP says in a statement. “Advocates throughout the state worked hard for weeks against the bill. Their hard work paid off. We will continue to be watchful for the remainder of the session with renewed energy.”
