Tennessee GOP Bill Targeting Trans Teachers Titles

By: Paul Goldberg — Senior Correspondent | Tennessee LGBTQ Politics News

NASHVILLE, TN — (March 19, 2026) — A controversial proposal advancing through the Tennessee legislature could soon reshape classroom interactions between students and transgender educators, as Republican lawmakers push legislation that would prevent schools from requiring students to use preferred honorifics requested by teachers.

The bill, introduced by Aron Maberry, would prohibit schools from disciplining students who refuse to address a transgender teacher using a requested title such as “Mx.” or other gender-neutral honorifics.

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Supporters say the legislation protects students and parents from being compelled to use language that conflicts with their beliefs. Critics, however, warn the measure could open the door to intentional misgendering, harassment, and a more hostile environment for transgender educators working in public schools.

During debate before a House committee, Maberry said he introduced the proposal after hearing complaints about a transgender instructor in his district who asked students to use the title “Mx.” instead of traditional gendered honorifics.

“The reason I brought it up is there is a teacher in our district that is wanting to become called by the wrong honorific,” Maberry told lawmakers during the hearing.

“I think it’s important that in our education system that we teach objective truth, and your biological sex is important is part of that objective truth. So to confuse a child in a classroom or to ask someone in authority to ask a child to call them something that they are not is problematic to me.”

Bill Expands Tennessee’s Existing Pronoun Law

The proposal builds on a law signed in 2024 by Bill Lee, which allows parents and students to take legal action against teachers or school districts if they believe their rights were violated by policies related to pronoun usage.

Supporters of the new legislation say it clarifies that students cannot be penalized for refusing to use gender-neutral titles or preferred pronouns requested by teachers.

However, LGBTQ advocates say the policy sends a dangerous signal that disrespect toward transgender educators could be legally protected.

Transgender Advocates Warn of Harassment Risks

Civil rights advocates testified before lawmakers that the bill would effectively encourage misgendering and discrimination inside classrooms.

Trans rights advocate Dahron Anneliese Johnson warned the measure could undermine the principle of mutual respect in schools.

“It is a matter of human rights that this legislation expand the number of ways the faculty and staff of these institutions could have opted to be rude to him or dismissive of us,” Johnson testified during the hearing.

Johnson also told lawmakers that the proposal sends a troubling message to young people about how they should treat others.

Teachers Say Students Already Show Respect

Some transgender educators in Tennessee say the legislation is unnecessary because most classroom interactions already operate respectfully.

Maxwell Jasper Bearden, a transgender educator in Clarksville, told WKRN-TV that they simply ask students to call them “Teacher B” rather than using a traditional title.

“My students have never had a problem with that,” Bearden said. “I have a whole folder of art made by my students that all refer to me as Teacher B. It’s got my little crutches or my little cane in it, and it says ‘Teacher B’ or ‘Techer B,’ whatever their spelling. None of my students have ever had a problem with it. It’s only ever been the adults.”

Legislative Path Remains Uncertain

The House version of the bill has been tabled three times in the House State and Local Government Committee as lawmakers continue debating its implications.

However, a companion measure in the Tennessee Senate has already passed its chamber, meaning the proposal could still move forward if House leadership chooses to advance it.

If enacted, the bill would add Tennessee to a growing list of states where disputes over transgender rights, education policy, and classroom speech are becoming a central political battleground.

For transgender educators and LGBTQ advocates, the outcome could help determine how schools balance student rights, teacher protections, and evolving cultural debates about gender identity in America’s classrooms.

Stay with JRL CHARTS – LGBTQ Politics News Division for continuing coverage of legislation, legal battles, and policy decisions shaping the rights of LGBTQ Americans across the United States.