Attorney General Herbert Slatery has released a report on a bill which would require those who are transgender to use the restroom of the gender on their birth certificate, not the gender they identify with.
In his five page report, Slatery said the bill posed a risk of violating Title IX if passed. He also added that would mean public school districts and institutions of higher learning would be putting Title IX funding at risk.
Read the Attorney General's full report by clicking here.
Multiple groups and leaders have spoken out against the bill, including Mayor Megan Barry, saying Music City could lose more than $50 million in revenue from tourism, including conventions that may pull out of the state if the bill passes.
"This attorney general opinion should put an end to the debate and establish that this is the wrong road for Tennessee," Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Stewart said Monday.
Representative Stewart and Representative Harry Brooks requested the opinion from the Attorney General last month.
The bill has been sponsored by Republican Representative Susan Lynn
"Students have a constitutional right to use the restroom of their given sex, not the restroom of the other sex," Rep. Lynn said.
Lynn claimed the bill came after several parents complained to her that transgender students use bathrooms that match the gender they identify with. She was unable to provide a specific number of complaints when asked.
Television and movie production insiders said they are worried companies will pull the plug on productions like Nashville and Million Dollar Quartet.
Peter Kurland, President of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 492, said nearly 100 people he represents could lose their jobs.
"The people who work in my industry, this is what they do," Kurland said. This how the feed their families, pay for their houses and if that work goes away, it will be devastating to them."
The bill has passed the House Education Administration and Planning Committee by a vote of 8-4. A Senate committee will hear a version of the bill this week.
Local LGBT rights activists have called on country music artists Nashville to stand up against bills such as the "bathroom bill."
State leaders from GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) spoke at a press conference Monday to ask the music industry to stand with their cause.
Songwriter, Desmond Child and musician, Chris Carmack, both attended the event to offer their support.
I personally, am terrified that these proposals even exist in our state. This kind of unnecessary discrimination has no place in the city or the state of Tennessee. If these bills get passed, they will have a devastating impact on the well-being of so many people,” said Carmack.
GLAAD said the bathroom bill threatens the safety of all LGBT Tennesseans.
