Republican Gov. Bill Haslam just signed House Bill 1111 into law. The measure, also known as the LGBT erasure bill, requires the state to interpret all undefined words such as “mother,” “father,” “husband” and “wife,” by their “natural and ordinary meaning.”
According to the state’s Republican attorney general, the law runs afoul of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that found same-sex couples have the constitutional right to marriage equality.
Kasey Suffredini, chief program officer for Freedom for All Americans, released the following statement regarding Haslam’s discriminatory action:
“We are deeply disappointed that Gov. Haslam signed this discriminatory measure into law. House Bill 1111 is a blatant and unconstitutional attempt by Gov. Haslam and Tennessee lawmakers to rescind the rights of same-sex couples and parents. Thankfully, the vast majority of Americans strongly support the right of same-sex couples to marry, raise their families and live free of the discrimination perpetuated by this law.”