April 13, 2008 - This week there are new numbers to remember for Birth Certificate bills. While Rep. Jeanne Richardson moved HB 3907 out of House Public Health and Family Assistance Subcommittee to House Health Committee, the Senate companion legislation has not been rescheduled. So it appears the bill will not move again this Session.

Another bill, sponsored by Senator Beverly Marrero (D-Memphis) and Rep. Mike Kernell (D-Memphis) will become the bill that moves forward. The legislation will allow individuals to have their birth certificate changed to reflect the person’s appropriate gender.

Rep. Kernell’s bill is scheduled for House Health Committee, Tuesday, April 15 at 10:35 AM, CDT, in Legislative Plaza Room 16. Sen. Marrero will present the companion bill that afternoon, at 3:30 PM CDT, in Senate Judiciary Committee, Legislative Plaza Room 12.

March 25, 2008 - TEP has started a new blog called Grand Divisions. Its name is a play on the three grand divisions of Tennessee and speaks to the factors that unite and divide our state.

I hope you will become a reader and a commenter as we all learn more about state and local politics together. Beefing up our knowledge will make us better advocates for equality, and if we succeed in producing a good blog, we might advance our cause with new audiences around the state. We ask that everyone be civil in your criticism of other commenters and those mentioned in blog posts. We hope for a critical assessment of political arguments, not the trashing of our fellow Tennesseans.

Check it out at grand-divisions.blogspot.com.