Tennessee Senate passes bill requiring reporting on gender transition, detransition care

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A controversial bill involving gender transition and detransition care is now one step closer to becoming law in Tennessee.

The Tennessee Senate passed the measure Monday in a 24-7 vote after hours of debate. The bill would require certain health care providers and insurers to report information to the state related to gender transition procedures and detransition care.

Lawmakers also added a last-minute amendment aimed at protecting privacy. That change would prevent county-level information from appearing on any public-facing website tied to the reporting.

Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, said he pushed for the amendment after hearing concerns that people could be identified in smaller communities.

“The health care industry only prioritizes one way transitioning and they do not assist those wishing to transition back to their birth gender,” Taylor said during the Senate debate.

Supporters say the bill would help the state better understand how often these services are happening and where resources may be needed.

But Democrats argue the bill still goes too far.

“Creating punitive measures for health care providers, forcing insurance providers to do certain things and using resources in this way shouldn’t be a priority,” Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, said.

The debate comes as some Tennesseans are speaking out about their own experiences navigating transition and detransition care.

JD Hood said he began transition-related care sometime in 2017 after first seeking services in Nashville. During the pandemic, he moved to Los Angeles hoping to find more support.

Instead, Hood said he experienced unstable living conditions and violence while trying to navigate his care.

When he decided to detransition in 2022, he said finding help was difficult.

“I didn’t have resources to facilitate a detransition, so I did it pretty much on my own,” Hood said.

Hood said he struggled to find clear answers about treatment options and later had trouble finding providers familiar with detransition care.

He said he hopes the bill could lead to better data and improved care for people in similar situations.

“We don’t really have adequate data for gender detransitioners,” Hood said. “I would want it neutral as possible with the government, to get good data so that people in my situation don’t have to resort like I did, to doing it on my own”

At the same time, Hood said he does not view his stance as being against transgender people.

“I don’t really consider myself anti-transgender in the slightest,” he said. “I’m doing it because I want health care.”

Opponents of the bill say it still raises concerns about privacy and government overreach, even with the amendment removing county-level data.

Supporters, however, say the reporting requirements are necessary to better understand how these services are being used across the state.

The bill has already passed the House and now heads to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk.