An LGBT Tennessean’s Perspective: HB1840 Is the Worst of the Latest Crop of “Religious Liberty” Bills

Gov. Bill Haslam and the Tennessee legislature are legalizing emotional abuse

On Wednesday, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam (R, obviously) signed into law a bill that allows mental health providers — therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, etc. — to deny service to people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity by citing a “deeply-held religious belief.” This is the first bill of its kind to be passed anywhere in the United States, and it is one of the most insidious and potentially harmful laws disguised as a “protection for religious liberty” in the United States, even amongst the myriad detestable bills that are working their way through state legislatures all around the country.

This bill is a product of the radical conservative movement that is pushing for “religious liberty” in states across the country, all at the expense of the LGBT population. Here’s a little ditty I wrote about that phenomenon, which, spoiler alert, has nothing to do with protecting rights, but rather with denying reality.

I was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, a place I love, and a place that shaped me into the person I am today. This law is not who Tennessee is. This is not a value of the Volunteer State — so named because of the extraordinary lengths that Tennesseans historically have gone to in order to help our neighbors. Tennessee is about open arms, not closed doors. We’re about southern hospitality, not evangelical bigotry.

This law is not only a “license to discriminate;” it demonstrably will make life harder for individuals who are seeking help.

Unfortunately, LGBT people face disproportionately high rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental illness — including addiction issues — not because of any inherent neurological difference, but because of higher rates of discrimination and alienation. LGBT people often face bigots and abandonment after coming out, and have to endure omnipresent fear and stress while in the closet. In fact, LGBT individuals are three times more likely to experience depression or anxiety, due to what professionals call “minority stress,” which the National Alliance on Mental Illness describes as “a variety of factors including social stigma, discrimination, prejudice, denial of civil and human rights, abuse, harassment, victimization, social exclusion and family rejection.”

Society at large has already made it hard enough for LGBT individuals, now the State of Tennessee is aiming to make it harder.

To sum it up, the Tennessee legislature and Gov. Haslam have made it legal to deny mental health care to people who are three times more likely to face mental health challenges.

Imagine for a moment that a young gay or transgender person finally musters up the courage to walk into a therapist’s office to talk about their gender identity or sexual orientation, their mental health issues, or a combination of all these factors, only to be turned away by the person who is supposed to help them. Imagine that the therapist tells this person that they cannot help them because of who they are. Imagine the emotions that person would feel, walking away from someone they saw as a way to deal with their pain, but instead finding another obstacle, another closed door.

The thought of this scenario playing out across the state I love completely and utterly breaks my heart. And if — God forbid — an LGBT individual is turned away from a mental health professional and later turns to self-harm or violence, I hope the Tennessee legislature and Governor Haslam understand that they created an environment where that person felt they had no other option.

Tennessee is the Volunteer State — we are helpers by nature. This new law is not about helping anyone; it is about denying care to a vulnerable population. It is insidious, it is unconscionable, and it is wrong. I will never say that I am embarrassed to be from Tennessee, but to the legislators who backed this bill, and to Governor Haslam: I am embarrassed that you are.