Members of the clergy residing in Tennessee endorse the following statement about anti-LGBTQ bills in the Tennessee General Assembly:
"As leaders of faith communities we oppose these bills in the Tennessee General Assembly. They promote discrimination rather than justice and demean the worth of LGBTQ people in our state. We call on people of good will to join us in speaking out for basic fairness."
The bills are:
SB848/HB1152 by Sen. Hensley and Rep. Ragan and SB1304/HB836 by Sen. Pody and Rep. Rudd. These bills promote state-sanctioned discrimination by private adoption agencies against prospective parents on the basis of religious and moral objection.
SB364/HB563 by Sen. Gardenhire and Rep. Zachary. The Business License to Discriminate bill. The bill casts businesses rather than the LGBTQ community as possible victims of discrimination and opens the door to taxpayer funded discrimination.
SB1297/HB1151 by Sen. Pody and Rep. Ragan. While the bill seems to be about indecent exposure, it is a devious attempt to criminalize transgender and gender nonconforming people in restrooms and locker rooms.
SB1499/HB1274 by Sen. Hensley and Rep. Holt. This bill requires the Attorney General to defend school districts that engage in anti-transgender bathroom discrimination.
SB1282/HB1369 by Sen. Pody and Rep. J. Sexton. The Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act is an attack on marriage equality.
Clergy wishing to sign should send an email with their name AND city of residence to [email protected] .
Rev. John Feldhacker, Nashville
Rev. Viki Matson, Nashville
Rev. Robert L. Early (ret.), Nashville
Rabbi Philip "Flip" Rice, Brentwood
Rev. Janet Wolf, Nashville
Pastor Greg Bullard, Madison
Rev. David E. McIntyre (ret.), Normandy
Rev. Wolf Cole, Savannah
Rev. Dr. Mary Louise McCullough, Nashville
Rev. Dr. Gordon D. Gibson, Knoxville
Rev. Jeff Briere, Johnson City
Rev. Susan Gardner (ret.), Hermitage
Rev. Cynthia Andrews-Looper, Gallatin
Rev. Brandon Gilvin, Chattanooga
Rev. William H. Berger, Franklin
Rev. Elaine Blanchard, Memphis
Rev. Tim Bath, Murfreesboro
Rev. April Baker, Nashville
Rev. Deborah Lynn, Nashville
Rev. Laura Bogle, Knoxville
Rev. Robert B. Coleman, Nashville
Rev. John Gill, Knoxville
Rev. Laura Becker, Chattanooga
Rev. Randy Shoun, Knoxville
Rev. Steve Wolf, Clarksville
Rev. Judi Hoffman, Nashville
Bishop Melvin G. Talbert (ret.), Hermitage
Rev. Theodore McKnight (ret.), Pleasant Hill
Rev. Dr. Brice Thomas, Nashville
Rev. Anne-Marie Zanzal, Nashville
Rev. Dr. Clay Thomas, Chattanooga
Rev. Paul Slentz, Nashville
Rev. RJ Powell, Knoxville
Rev. Carolyn Smith Goings, Ph.D., Dyersburg
Rev. Pamela Hawkins, Nashville
Rev. Dr. Diana L. Hynson, Nashville
Rev. Adam Kelchner, Franklin
Elder Blake Smith, Nashville
Min. Dahron Johnson, Nashville
Rabbi Joshua Kullock, Nashville
Rev. Mark C. Pafford, Smithville
Rev. James Bowman Harris, Cookeville
Rev. Ann McClure, Nashville
Rev. Beth Lefever, Memphis
Rev. Dr. Betty Dawson, Memphis
Rabbi Michael Shulman, Nashville
Rev. Michael Alford, Goodlettsville
V. Adrian Mehr, assistant clerk of the Memphis Friends Meeting (Quakers)
Rev. Becky Yates, Nashville
Rev. Carolyn Coleman, Nashville
Rev. Elliott Prigmore Lewis, Joelton
Rev. Phildora J. Prigmore Lewis, Joelton
Rev. Mark Miller-McLemore, Brentwood
Rev. Denise Gyauch, Nashville
Rev. Dr. Amy Mears, Nashville
Rabbi Katie Bauman, Memphis
Rabbi Micah Greenstein, Memphis
Rabbi Bess Wohlner, Memphis
Rabbi Sarit Horwitz, Memphis
Rev. Rob Van Ess, Memphis
Rev. Cheryl Cornish, Memphis
Rev. Gary White, Nashville
Rev. Dr. Jack Seymour, Nashville
Rev. Rebekah Gienapp, Memphis
Rev. Dr. Jonathan L. Jeffords, Memphis
Rev. Dr. LeNoir Culbertson,
Rev. Dr. Richard H. Gentzler, Jr., Gallatin
Rabbi Shana Goldstein Mackler, Nashville
Rev. Brandon Berg, Bristol
Rev. Mimi White, Memphis
Pastor Scott Wilks, Mountain City
Rev. Heather Harriss, Nashville
Rev. John Hill, Franklin
Rev. Carol Howard Merritt, Spring City
Rev. Brenda Carroll
Rev. Dr. Teresa Smallwood, Nashville
Dr. Joerg Rieger, Nashville
Rev. Billy Vaughan, Memphis
Rev. Darren Wright, Nashville
Rev. Paul R. Purdue, Nashville
Rev. Valerie Ohle, Knoxville
Rev. Dr. Herbert Lester, Jr., Nashville
Rev'd Timothy Holder, Elizabethton
Sandy Benson, Clerk, Memphis Friends Meeting
Rev. George R. Pasley, Martin
Rev. Amy C. Howe, Memphis
Rev. Brad Whitaker, Chattanooga
Rev. Jacob William Wood, Brentwood
Rev. April Berends, Chattanooga
Rev. Claire Brown, Chattanooga
Rev. J.W. Calhoun, Knoxville
Rev. Brian Davis, Chattanooga
Rev. Joe Woodfin, Chattanooga
Rev. J. Peter van Eys, Nashville
Rev. Ingrid McIntyre, Nashville
Rev. Cherie Parker, Nashville
Rev. Brandon Baxter, Nashville
Rev. Linda C. Parker, Nashville
Rev. Meredith Jane Day, Memphis
Minister Kaki Friskics-Warren, Nashville
Minister Bill Friskics-Warren, Nashville
Rev. Robert Galloway (ret.), Corryton
Rev. Dave McNeely, Jefferson City
Rev. Stephanie Dodge, Nashville
Rev. Susan Hay, Nashville
Rev. Dr. Sandy Shawhan, Bellevue
Rev. Vernon Denney (ret.), Nashville
Rev. Erin Racine, Nashville
Rev. Dr. Brian C. Wyatt, Elizabethton
Rev. Hope Hodnett, Nashville
Rev. Andrew B. Ward, Goodlettsville
Rev. Alaina Cobb, Chattanooga
Rev. Alison Lutz, Nashville
Rev. John M. McLean, Nashville
Rev. Catherine Clark Nance, Maryville
Rev. Jimmy Sherrod, Knoxille
Rev. William C. Stooksbury (ret.), Nashville
Rev. Edward Colf, Hendersonville
Deacon Ron Deal, Nashville
Rev. Allison Gossett, Nolensville
Rev. Ashley McFaul-Erwin, Nashville
Rev. Christy Jo Harber, Nashville
Min. Wesley King, Nashville
Rev. George Cunningham, Murfreesboro
Rev. Kristi Shay Moore, Nashville
Rev. Jeannie Alexander, Old Hickory
Rev. Joe Pfeiffer, Memphis
Rev. Victoria Rebeck, Nashville
Elder Matthew Paris Stewart, White Pine
Rev. Dr. Peggy L. Meade, Kingsport
Rev. Dr. Harry Lawrence (ret.), Chattanooga
Congregations endorsing the statement
Memphis Friends Meeting (Quakers)
RISE UP Community Church, Murfreesboro
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The closest signer I found was the minister at Trinity Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), a congregation I remember fondly from my time as a student at UT Martin. I’m glad to hear they’re still a welcoming place.