Weekly Wrap-Up: March 19, 2021

The Weekly 

Wrap Up

March 19, 2021

Your MEMBER ONLY email on all things the Chamber worked on this week 

and what you need to know to get the most out of your membership.

Thank you for being a member.

During this time of national crisis, when information and connections are so important, 

the Weekly Wrap-Up will be made available to members and non-members. 

We are here for you and in this together. 

CEO Brief

I want to open with the Chamber’s stance on the shocking and tragic violence we have witnessed this week. 

The Nashville LGBT Chamber stands in solidarity with our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) members, partners, and allies.

Over the past year, our nation has seen a shocking increase of almost 150% in anti-Asian American hate crimes against our Asian neighbors, friends, colleagues, and community members. In recent weeks, harassment and physical violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has escalated, including the most recent killings in Georgia. 

The racism and xenophobia that fuels these attacks on Asians are not new if you are a member of any marginalized community, but the level of hate and boldness of attacks are. All diverse communities must stand together and fight back against these dangerous and hateful actions. We have stood with our Muslim, Black, Jewish, Hispanic, Sikh, and too many other communities when they have also been targeted and attacked, and those communities have supported the LGBTQ+ community when we are attacked. 

It is time again to stand up as one unified community to demand action and declare together that discrimination, bigotry, and violence against any fellow human being is wrong and will not be tolerated. The Nashville LGBT Chamber stands in solidarity with all who believe, as we do, that we must #StopAAPIHate.  

You can see the full press release here with more information on ways to show support, educate yourself, and take action. 

Next week will be the worst week we have seen at the State Capitol in regards to LGBT discrimination. There are 9 anti-LGBT discriminatory bills that will be heard and voted on. We will be doing everything we can to stop all of them but the road ahead is looking very rough. Read the full breakdown in the ADVOCATE section below and take action.  

We held our 12th PM Brewing Up Business Thursday. One complete year of virtual connection and networking with the program that started us off as an organization 23 years ago. Oh how our programming has developed and grown along with our membership and our community. We are where we are because of you the members and supporters and we are going to emerge stronger than ever! Hang in there and stay focused a little while longer. 

ADVOCATE

RED ALERT! 

As I mentioned, next week March 22-26 will have the highest number of anti-LGBT bills heard, ever. We have never witnessed this level of discrimination happen in the same week in the 5 years we have been advocating at the state level. Our partners at TEP and HRC pointed out that this is the highest number, and that Tennessee has the highest number of anti-LGBT bills than any other state. 70 bills have been filed in the last 6 years that have targeted and sought to harm the LGBTQ+ community. 

With that in mind, it is more important than ever to have the business community speak out and push back against discrimination. The economics and business case against these bills seems to be the only thing that elected officials are listening to. You can see that in South Dakota where the NCAA and businesses have spoken out, and the Governor is considering a veto of the anti-trans athlete bill there. 

Tech companies spoke out forcefully this week against LGBT discrimination. They understand the business ramifications and will feel the impact early of workers not wanting to live in inclusive places. 

Wednesday we heard a lawmaker call gender dysphoria a “mental illness” on his quest to take healthcare from trans teens. There was a lot of misinformation and lies that were told during the hearing over the Trans Healthcare Ban. This is what we are dealing with, misinformation and lies, and no regard to the trans community and what they are facing. 

The Human Rights Campaign held a press conference on Thursday with Tennessee parents of trans-youth and a physician that cares for trans-youth. The press conference and coverage can be found here. We thank all of them for speaking out. 

Finally, a grandparent of a trans-youth has written a great op-ed that I implore you to read. This grandmother loves her granddaughter and shows the person they are through her eyes, not the legislators that are vilifying transgender people. Humanization and education around gay and lesbians issues are how we have lessened the discrimination that we face and we need to keep this work up and amplify it around our trans siblings. 

TEP has a number of direct action items and a breakdown of the bills next week. Please take action. 

The week ahead- 

MARCH 22

• SB228/HB3, the anti-transgender student-athlete bill, is up for a vote on the House floor.

MARCH 23

• HB1027 is a caption bill that would likely carry language regulating gender-affirming care for transgender youth. It is on notice in the House Health Subcommittee.
• HB1182, the anti-transgender bathroom sign mandate, is BACK ON NOTICE after being taken off notice. It is up for a vote in the House State Government Committee.
• HB800 would ban LGBTQ content from the public school curriculum.  HB529 would require schools to let parents opt their students out of sexual orientation/gender identity curricula in public schools. Both bills are up for consideration in the House Education Instruction Subcommittee.

MARCH 24

• HB578, the bill attacking gender-affirming care is up for a vote in the House Criminal Justice Committee.
• SB126 is a caption bill that would likely carry language regulating gender-affirming care for transgender youth, is on notice in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.
• SB1229, the bill that would let parents opt their students out of sexual orientation/gender identity curricula in public schools, is up for a vote in the Senate Education Committee.  SB1367, which is an anti-transgender student bathroom bill 2.0 is up in the same committee on the same date. We will be testifying on the business impact of a bathroom bill on the state. 

EDUCATE

TAX DAY EXTENDED TO MAY 17

The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced this week that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year will be automatically extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021. Read more here.

VACCINATION ROLLOUT UPDATE

Tennessee is now offering doses to more than a million residents of all ages with serious health conditions. Learn more about who is included in Phase "1C" here.

VACCINE FINDER

Want to find a vaccine near you? Use the Vaccine Finder.

REGISTER NOW

MARCH CLASSROOM CONNECT

We are so excited for March Classroom Connect next Thursday, March 25th! Led by Brynn Plummer, VP of Inclusion & Community Relations at Nashville Entrepreneur Center, this workshop provides an overview on starting a small business. The session will cover entrepreneurship basics, including conceptualization, business planning, message testing, funding and legal considerations. Find out what you need to get your side hustle or small business started and begin building the business acumen that will make you a success. Register now!

CONNECT

WHAT WE DID

PM BREWING UP BUSINESS

Thank you to everyone who joined our PM Brewing Up Business networking event yesterday. We look forward to connecting with everyone! Don't forget to sign up for our upcoming event in the section above.

COMING SOON

PREDATORS PRIDE NIGHT 2021

Big announcement coming soon about Predators Pride Night 2021! We talked with the Predators today about a COVID-safe way to celebrate Pride together. Stay tuned for more details about this event!

Do you have time and talent to dedicate to the Nashville LGBT Chamber? Consider becoming a VOLUNTEER for one of our working committees! You can find more information here. Get connected!

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