House Bill 754 forces doctors to hand trans people’s individually identifiable medical information over to the state and then releases it to the public. It's the most dangerous anti-trans bill yet.
Why are we making a public list of people? People need to be asking this. For what means? To what end? This is something that would take place in 1940 Germany folks. Why is ANYONE ok with this? Why is it a thing? What if Tennessee was making a list of white Cis Men would you be OK with that??
You’re asking the only question that matters: what is this list for and who does it put at risk. “Public registry” is not healthcare policy — it’s state surveillance dressed up as paperwork, and it has one predictable outcome: making trans people easier to target.
Unfortunately, flight may be the only rational option to preserve lives, privacy and dignity - especially from a state so hostile to trans people that its constitution bans changes in birth certificates - and probably sooner rather than later. It's a terrible and tragic situation that likely will only get worse, like the cancer of Jim Crow after Reconstruction.
The fact that people are even talking about “flight” as the rational option tells you how extreme this is. When a state makes privacy impossible and builds a system that can be used to track and expose trans people, it’s not governance — it’s pressure and displacement by design.
Yes — it’s hard to see how this doesn’t collide with basic medical privacy. And even if they try to lawyer a loophole, the intent is still the same: collect identifiable data and make it easier to harm people, which is exactly why it needs to be challenged.
this is so vile!! these folks already are struggling with their lives and decisions they make about their own bodies. Wow! this is some handmaids tale sick shit!! so mean!
You’re not overreacting — a public registry is the point where “policy” turns into punishment. It piles surveillance on top of an already-targeted community, and it’s designed to make trans people feel unsafe for simply existing.
The key is naming it cleanly: this is government abuse of power, not governance. If lawmakers know a policy can’t survive scrutiny and push it anyway, that’s not “debate” — that’s deliberate endangerment, and it should carry consequences.
It’s blatant transphobia and discrimination. They can hide behind the “protecting Christian values” excuse all they want, but that’s nothing more than a lie used to cover up the original one. If they’re truly concerned about women being victimized by a “man” in a “ladies’” room, then why aren’t they equally concerned about—or supportive of—the many women who have been trafficked, raped, victimized, and assaulted by figures like Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein?
If their concern is genuinely about women being attacked by men, then how do they justify accepting or supporting groups like the Proud Boys, known for violence and extremism?
The reality is, it’s not about safety or protection. It’s about discrimination—about judging certain people as beneath them and undeserving of basic human rights. There are no substantiated cases of transgender individuals systematically attacking, sexually violating, or “converting” women or children. This narrative is manufactured—an exaggerated “problem” that Donald Trump and others amplify, positioning themselves as the “saviors” who can fix it.
Meanwhile, complicit and opportunistic leaders continue to perpetuate it for political gain, at the expense of the safety, dignity, and well-being of people who have done nothing to harm others.
And the MAGA people lap it up and enjoy every minute of it. While patting themselves on the back for being good “Christian's”. The epitome of hypocrisy and contradiction.
“Why aren’t they equally concerned about—or supportive of—the many women who have been trafficked, raped, victimized, and assaulted by figures like Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein?”
Epstein is dead, and there is no evidence Trump has trafficked, raped, victimized, or assaulted anyone. That is misinformation and political propaganda.
“It’s not about safety or protection. It’s about discrimination—about judging certain people as beneath them and undeserving of basic human rights.”
It is partly opposition to the dishonesty and fraud of transgender people claiming to be the opposite sex.
“There are no substantiated cases of transgender individuals systematically attacking, sexually violating, or ‘converting’ women or children.”
This law is completely anti-American, immoral, illegal and inhumane. My biggest hope is that the men who wrote this law get exactly what they are dishing out onto trans people. May karma be swift and unmerciful.
Fuck Tennessee lawmakers. Worst of the worst. I moved back to my home state for a bit of retirement time closer to my family of origin. TN has always been conservative leaning I suppose, but what is here now is disgraceful and disgusting. I’m retiring right back out of here.
It kills me to see such an informative article with such a misleading headline. This is a huge deal on its own, as your article clearly lays out. However, the headline of this article, which is, unfortunately, all that some people will read, suggests that Tennessee is creating a list of trans people by name that the public can search for. Your article clearly explains why that isn't the case and why what is happening is still plenty bad, so seeing the headline saying something that ISN'T happening is disappointing. Great coverage, I just hope people will read what's actually happening instead of sharing this based on the headline alone.
Respectfully, I'd argue that it is indeed a list. I will stress that the report will make detailed data available to the public instead of just aggregate, but I'll also add more. Of the three states that have made lists of trans people so far (Indiana, Kansas, and Texas), I've discovered 2 (Indiana and Kansas). The only one I didn't report was Texas, which is coincidentally the only one that made its list with the intention of making a list.
The other 2? They had the data already. In both cases, their driver's license and vital records systems allowed them to easily filter out their systems for people who had changed their gender on their documents. This wasn't because of fancy technology, but rather because of the fact that they internally marked gender changes. They didn't do it with the intent of making a list, but they could absolutely reconstruct one when they needed it.
The same thing is happening here. Tennessee will give itself AND the public extremely specific data on trans people. It may not have their names, but in many cases that information will be more than enough to identify them. The outcome is the same: it paints a target on every trans person's back.
I respectfully agree with beryl. Simply including the word "possibly" can raise the question of "how" - and suggest the more complicated explanation is in the article. I confess the title made enough of an impression that I read half of your article thinking that I was misunderstanding what you wrote. I would suggest something more like this:
"Tennessee Passes Bill To Publish Gender Affirming Care Records, Possibly Outing Trans People"
Otherwise, your coverage of this bill - and your other reporting - is fantastic and much-needed at this time! Thanks so much for doing what you do!
like i said, i have no problem with your reporting. the reporting itself is great, and you paint a very clear picture as to why this is bad, why this could lead to people being identified, and why this is a dramatic escalation and a danger. i agree with everything you're saying here, but what people will gather from that headline if they don't read anything else -- which, unfortunately, is a not insignificant portion of people who might see this article reposted -- is that Tennessee is creating a searchable list OF TRANS PEOPLE, which isn't happening. it's a list of information that could be used to identify trans people, which is dystopian and horrible enough. but to frame it as a "public list of trans people" is, i think, inaccurate in a way that matters.
just a random trans girl's opinion, and like i said, it's good reporting on a devastating escalation against trans people in the state. but we can call it that without potentially leading people to believe it's worse than it is (which, i cannot stress enough, is already BAD)
I've been in this business just long enough to know when a title is too convoluted, and in this case, anything more nuanced absolutely would be. My goal here is for people to find out about this and what it does; I'll also note that this is not my first time making this assertion and the first time I did, it was widely accepted as fact by other sources (even grok when it was asked by someone lmao).
Look, it effectively functions as a list and honestly, I'm not willing to give them any benefit of the doubt over surveillance anymore. I've made that mistake before; for example, I let it slide for a month after Indiana outright lied to my face in a public records request, so they got away with their list for longer. I think it's reasonable for you to be a bit skeptical (you should never trust anyone blindly after all), but I still stand by my headline.
i get what you're saying, i really do, but the fact that it was widely accepted as fact by other sources is....... not good, actually? like, your whole article is a well-written explanation of why what TN is doing ISN'T the thing your headline says. the fact that grok cites to your first article about it to repeat the claim is exactly the problem i'm pointing out. clarity is important in a headline, but it's pointless if the thing being made clear isn't actually accurate. the attacks on us keep escalating, so it's important now more than ever to make sure we're staying informed on what's ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
Having worked with the multiple issues related to privacy and thz anonymization of medical data, what the author presents is a clear red flag and anyone with drive and malicious intent will be able to identify these people especially those living in less populated areas. Making detailed medical data public like this is extremely dangerous.
definitely agree it's a red flag, shouldn't be happening, is likely illegal, and is incredibly dangerous! i don't think i implied otherwise, but if i did, i want to be clear that i agree with you on all those fronts.
all that said, the thing people will take away from the headline if that's all they see shared on bsky or twitter or whatever is "they're putting your name on a list that the public can search". which is not what's happening, even if what's happening is very bad
I don't know if a headline is the place for such nuance. People can absolutely narrow down which doctor in the state did what to who with just the procedure and procedure date.
Just think if someone had a unique disability or diagnosis.
Does it really make sense to make a carve out, in the headline, that will only serve to make some people dismiss it due to ableism?
Yes, the headline "Tennessee passes law that will create a database of information that could be used to identify trans patients" still gets the point across and is an accurate description of the situation that still makes the threat clear. People should be able to make informed decisions based on headlines that aren't sensational-at-worst, lacking-nuance-at-best
Why are we making a public list of people? People need to be asking this. For what means? To what end? This is something that would take place in 1940 Germany folks. Why is ANYONE ok with this? Why is it a thing? What if Tennessee was making a list of white Cis Men would you be OK with that??
You’re asking the only question that matters: what is this list for and who does it put at risk. “Public registry” is not healthcare policy — it’s state surveillance dressed up as paperwork, and it has one predictable outcome: making trans people easier to target.
Unfortunately, flight may be the only rational option to preserve lives, privacy and dignity - especially from a state so hostile to trans people that its constitution bans changes in birth certificates - and probably sooner rather than later. It's a terrible and tragic situation that likely will only get worse, like the cancer of Jim Crow after Reconstruction.
The fact that people are even talking about “flight” as the rational option tells you how extreme this is. When a state makes privacy impossible and builds a system that can be used to track and expose trans people, it’s not governance — it’s pressure and displacement by design.
This sounds like 1940 Nazi ruling.
Everyone needs to ask an anti-trans person;
“How is making a list of every Trans person any different than when the Nazi’s made a list of every Jewish person?”
Ask them to really explain that to you. Don’t let them brush you off, just keep repeating “EXPLAIN HOW IT’S DIFFERENT”.
How is any list different from the Nazis making a list.
The logic is clear to me. Kill two birds with one stone.
A) make trans lives hell the second they start GAC
B) record the symptoms of being a victim of sustained harassment/systemic violence and tie it to the date in step A.
C) release "study" that make little to no effort to account for steps A and B
Taking a page from the so-called "Finnish study," I guess
Wouldn't that violate HIPAA laws? I hope it is challenged.
Yes — it’s hard to see how this doesn’t collide with basic medical privacy. And even if they try to lawyer a loophole, the intent is still the same: collect identifiable data and make it easier to harm people, which is exactly why it needs to be challenged.
this is so vile!! these folks already are struggling with their lives and decisions they make about their own bodies. Wow! this is some handmaids tale sick shit!! so mean!
You’re not overreacting — a public registry is the point where “policy” turns into punishment. It piles surveillance on top of an already-targeted community, and it’s designed to make trans people feel unsafe for simply existing.
The interesting thing is if it passes it’s totally unconstitutional, and therefore must be labeled traitorous behavior by the politicians.
The key is naming it cleanly: this is government abuse of power, not governance. If lawmakers know a policy can’t survive scrutiny and push it anyway, that’s not “debate” — that’s deliberate endangerment, and it should carry consequences.
From your mouth to gods ears, good luck to us all.
This is abhorrent and inexcusable.
WTaF?
Please share/restack this:
They told you to be afraid.
Afraid of people who love differently.
Afraid of people who dare to live honestly.
But fear is a tool. And someone is always holding it.
Let’s be clear—no one is “turning” children into anything.
No one is plotting, recruiting, or conspiring.
What LGBTQ+ people are doing is surviving, loving, existing… often in a world that makes that far harder than it should be.
The real danger has never been authenticity.
The real danger is manipulation—loud voices selling division, dressing it up as morality, and calling it truth.
When someone tells you to hate your neighbor, pause.
Ask yourself: Who gains from that hate? Who gains power from your fear?
Because kindness doesn’t need propaganda.
Truth doesn’t need distortion.
And love—real love—doesn’t ask for enemies.
Stand for truth.
Stand for people.
Stand against the machinery of fear. Stand against Donald Trump. Stand against Christian Nationalism. Stand against homophobia and transphobia.
Always remember this: politicians and predators have hidden agendas, they indoctrinate, they groom, and they conspire against others.
#TruthMatters #LGBTQ #ChooseKindness #StopTheHate #Share #HumanityFirst:
Discuss:
It’s blatant transphobia and discrimination. They can hide behind the “protecting Christian values” excuse all they want, but that’s nothing more than a lie used to cover up the original one. If they’re truly concerned about women being victimized by a “man” in a “ladies’” room, then why aren’t they equally concerned about—or supportive of—the many women who have been trafficked, raped, victimized, and assaulted by figures like Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein?
If their concern is genuinely about women being attacked by men, then how do they justify accepting or supporting groups like the Proud Boys, known for violence and extremism?
The reality is, it’s not about safety or protection. It’s about discrimination—about judging certain people as beneath them and undeserving of basic human rights. There are no substantiated cases of transgender individuals systematically attacking, sexually violating, or “converting” women or children. This narrative is manufactured—an exaggerated “problem” that Donald Trump and others amplify, positioning themselves as the “saviors” who can fix it.
Meanwhile, complicit and opportunistic leaders continue to perpetuate it for political gain, at the expense of the safety, dignity, and well-being of people who have done nothing to harm others.
And the MAGA people lap it up and enjoy every minute of it. While patting themselves on the back for being good “Christian's”. The epitome of hypocrisy and contradiction.
“Why aren’t they equally concerned about—or supportive of—the many women who have been trafficked, raped, victimized, and assaulted by figures like Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein?”
Epstein is dead, and there is no evidence Trump has trafficked, raped, victimized, or assaulted anyone. That is misinformation and political propaganda.
“It’s not about safety or protection. It’s about discrimination—about judging certain people as beneath them and undeserving of basic human rights.”
It is partly opposition to the dishonesty and fraud of transgender people claiming to be the opposite sex.
“There are no substantiated cases of transgender individuals systematically attacking, sexually violating, or ‘converting’ women or children.”
A significant number of transgender people pester heterosexuals for unwanted homosexual sex and pester homosexuals for unwanted heterosexual sex, trying to demonize both heterosexuality and homosexuality. That is a form of predation. See here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTK-RYjdqnfWLmtBmw5JWpZyP8k-xrnOiq7T3V5Y2Ym1s90cFpet6jTVsjadulxc5Cg_Eqbj2gQH84y/pub.
A substantial number of transgender people coercively deceive heterosexuals into unwanted homosexual contact, which is sexual assault/rape. See here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YgAbt3leasiuLVa3rYQIKPuTh4Z6xyQH/view?usp=sharing
“the safety, dignity, and well-being of people who have done nothing to harm others.”
Harm done by transgender advocacy is documented here: https://biard.substack.com/p/transgender-advocacyideology?r=2g7znn
This law is completely anti-American, immoral, illegal and inhumane. My biggest hope is that the men who wrote this law get exactly what they are dishing out onto trans people. May karma be swift and unmerciful.
Litigation to follow. And any medical provider who complies should face sanctions.
Fuck Tennessee lawmakers. Worst of the worst. I moved back to my home state for a bit of retirement time closer to my family of origin. TN has always been conservative leaning I suppose, but what is here now is disgraceful and disgusting. I’m retiring right back out of here.
Who else wants to see the pic of drag performer Gov. Bill Lee on billboards throughout Tennessee? Just tell me how to contribute.
Oh my God, this will put targets on all of their backs.
It kills me to see such an informative article with such a misleading headline. This is a huge deal on its own, as your article clearly lays out. However, the headline of this article, which is, unfortunately, all that some people will read, suggests that Tennessee is creating a list of trans people by name that the public can search for. Your article clearly explains why that isn't the case and why what is happening is still plenty bad, so seeing the headline saying something that ISN'T happening is disappointing. Great coverage, I just hope people will read what's actually happening instead of sharing this based on the headline alone.
Respectfully, I'd argue that it is indeed a list. I will stress that the report will make detailed data available to the public instead of just aggregate, but I'll also add more. Of the three states that have made lists of trans people so far (Indiana, Kansas, and Texas), I've discovered 2 (Indiana and Kansas). The only one I didn't report was Texas, which is coincidentally the only one that made its list with the intention of making a list.
The other 2? They had the data already. In both cases, their driver's license and vital records systems allowed them to easily filter out their systems for people who had changed their gender on their documents. This wasn't because of fancy technology, but rather because of the fact that they internally marked gender changes. They didn't do it with the intent of making a list, but they could absolutely reconstruct one when they needed it.
The same thing is happening here. Tennessee will give itself AND the public extremely specific data on trans people. It may not have their names, but in many cases that information will be more than enough to identify them. The outcome is the same: it paints a target on every trans person's back.
I respectfully agree with beryl. Simply including the word "possibly" can raise the question of "how" - and suggest the more complicated explanation is in the article. I confess the title made enough of an impression that I read half of your article thinking that I was misunderstanding what you wrote. I would suggest something more like this:
"Tennessee Passes Bill To Publish Gender Affirming Care Records, Possibly Outing Trans People"
Otherwise, your coverage of this bill - and your other reporting - is fantastic and much-needed at this time! Thanks so much for doing what you do!
like i said, i have no problem with your reporting. the reporting itself is great, and you paint a very clear picture as to why this is bad, why this could lead to people being identified, and why this is a dramatic escalation and a danger. i agree with everything you're saying here, but what people will gather from that headline if they don't read anything else -- which, unfortunately, is a not insignificant portion of people who might see this article reposted -- is that Tennessee is creating a searchable list OF TRANS PEOPLE, which isn't happening. it's a list of information that could be used to identify trans people, which is dystopian and horrible enough. but to frame it as a "public list of trans people" is, i think, inaccurate in a way that matters.
just a random trans girl's opinion, and like i said, it's good reporting on a devastating escalation against trans people in the state. but we can call it that without potentially leading people to believe it's worse than it is (which, i cannot stress enough, is already BAD)
I've been in this business just long enough to know when a title is too convoluted, and in this case, anything more nuanced absolutely would be. My goal here is for people to find out about this and what it does; I'll also note that this is not my first time making this assertion and the first time I did, it was widely accepted as fact by other sources (even grok when it was asked by someone lmao).
Look, it effectively functions as a list and honestly, I'm not willing to give them any benefit of the doubt over surveillance anymore. I've made that mistake before; for example, I let it slide for a month after Indiana outright lied to my face in a public records request, so they got away with their list for longer. I think it's reasonable for you to be a bit skeptical (you should never trust anyone blindly after all), but I still stand by my headline.
i get what you're saying, i really do, but the fact that it was widely accepted as fact by other sources is....... not good, actually? like, your whole article is a well-written explanation of why what TN is doing ISN'T the thing your headline says. the fact that grok cites to your first article about it to repeat the claim is exactly the problem i'm pointing out. clarity is important in a headline, but it's pointless if the thing being made clear isn't actually accurate. the attacks on us keep escalating, so it's important now more than ever to make sure we're staying informed on what's ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
Having worked with the multiple issues related to privacy and thz anonymization of medical data, what the author presents is a clear red flag and anyone with drive and malicious intent will be able to identify these people especially those living in less populated areas. Making detailed medical data public like this is extremely dangerous.
definitely agree it's a red flag, shouldn't be happening, is likely illegal, and is incredibly dangerous! i don't think i implied otherwise, but if i did, i want to be clear that i agree with you on all those fronts.
all that said, the thing people will take away from the headline if that's all they see shared on bsky or twitter or whatever is "they're putting your name on a list that the public can search". which is not what's happening, even if what's happening is very bad
I don't know if a headline is the place for such nuance. People can absolutely narrow down which doctor in the state did what to who with just the procedure and procedure date.
Just think if someone had a unique disability or diagnosis.
Does it really make sense to make a carve out, in the headline, that will only serve to make some people dismiss it due to ableism?
Yes, the headline "Tennessee passes law that will create a database of information that could be used to identify trans patients" still gets the point across and is an accurate description of the situation that still makes the threat clear. People should be able to make informed decisions based on headlines that aren't sensational-at-worst, lacking-nuance-at-best