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