November 19, 2023
Under Legal Pressure, Tennessee Town Reverses Ban on Public Homosexuality
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
"The city of Murfreesboro has changed its ban on public homosexuality," reports Nashville outlet News Channel 5.
As reported by LGBTQ Nation earlier this week, the Tennessee town of Murfreesboro earlier this summer banned public displays of sexual behavior, including "behaviors, materials or events that are patently offensive to the adult community." "Sexual conduct" barred under the city ordinance includes "homosexuality."
In response to the ordinance, News Channel 5 reports: "The ACLU of Tennessee filed a lawsuit in early October against the city in response. It was filed on behalf of the Tennessee Equality Project – the group that hosts the BoroPride Festival."
The festival went on as scheduled on October 28, despite city officials enacting policies that would have kept the group from obtaining event permits. A federal judge stepped in and signed an order for the festival to go on last month despite this.
Then on November 2," the city agreed on November 2, following a court order, to remove the mention of homosexuality from the city code," reports the New Republic. The change was to go in effect on Friday, November 17.
"Of course, they only did that after the judge slapped them down," BoroPride volunteer Matt Ferry told the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal. "The problem is that the mayor and the city manager keep equating LGBTQ+ with actual sex predators, which couldn't be further from the truth."
"It's hurting our LGBTQ+ community," Ferry said. "It's intimidating them. They were already afraid to come out in the open in Murfreesboro. This is going to make it worse."
"While the indecency ordinance does not specifically mention LGBTQ people, it is similar to the many drag bans passed across the country, all of which were ultimately blocked in court," adds the New Republic. "The ordinance relies on overly vague language to frighten people into self-policing, and it hides behind the justification of 'public decency' and protecting children. And the way it has been implemented makes it clear that the ordinance's intended target is LGBTQ people."
