Tennessee Affirms That Trans People Are Protected by Hate Crime Legislation

Tennessee has become the first southern US state to affirm that trans people are protected by hate crime legislation, reports the Tennessean.

Tennessee attorney general Herbert Slatery issued a statementon February 8thaffirming that legal protection.

“A defendant who targets a person for a crime because that person is transgender has targeted the person because of his or her gender within the meaning,”Slatery said.

The statement comes in response to Democratic representative Mike Stewartseeking clarification on the state’s hate crime protections after a bill was filed by Democratic senator Sara Kyle.

“Let’s see how the courts actually utilize the law in practice and let’s see how much protection it provides,” Stewart later said.

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