Just 24 hours after signing the counselor protection bill into law, Governor Bill Haslam has received backlash, and city leaders said there could be even more backlash for the city itself.
The American Counseling Association is now considering moving its annual conference from Music City Center to another location due to concerns the bill is discriminatory. The group was set to visit Nashville in April and bring thousands of people and possibly millions of dollars to the local economy.
A statement on the group’s website said, “Important: in light of recent legislative actions in Tennessee, ACA is currently weighing options regarding the location of the 2017 Conference and Expo. More information coming soon.”
A spokesperson for the group said they are currently weighing their options. It was unclear when a final decision would be made.
Mayor Megan Barry said Thursday she hoped the group would reconsider.
“Our message continues to be that we are a warm and welcoming place, and we are open for business,” said Mayor Barry.
Butch Spyridon, President and CEO of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. said in a statement, “We are disappointed, but we respect Gov. Haslam’s decision. We had several clients who expressed their concerns over this bill, and how it may affect their decisions to meet in our city. It’s too early to know how they will respond, but we will work directly with them to minimize the impact.”
After signing the bill into law Wednesday, Governor Haslam said it did not target a specific group. The bill allows counselors who are licensed in Tennessee to turn away clients based on the counselor’s sincerely held principles or beliefs. Governor Haslam said a counselor has to accept the client if there is a life threatening issue, and if they do not accept the client they have to refer them to someone else.
“I think it’s dangerous when anyone starts to lump a lot of bills together,” said Gov. Haslam. “These are entirely different issues. That’s why I worked so hard to have so many discussions on the counseling bill.”
The issue comes as other states have passed laws some view as discriminatory. In North Carolina, there have been protests, and canceled conventions and concerts.
The NCAA also announced this week, it has implemented an anti-discrimination process for championship bids. The organization has now adopted new requirements for sites to host or bid for major NCAA events.
