Bill > SB0468

This bill, known as the "Riley Gaines Women's Safety and Protection Act," aims to clarify the meaning of terms like "sex," "male," and "female" within Tennessee law and to provide protections for women and girls against sexual assault, harassment, and violence. These protections are specifically intended for environments where women have traditionally been afforded safety, including correctional facilities, juvenile detention centers, public higher education institutions, and domestic violence shelters, addressing concerns about acts of abuse committed by men. The bill's findings emphasize the enduring physical differences between men and women, citing Supreme Court cases to support the idea that the sexes are not interchangeable and that these differences are a cause for celebration, not for imposing artificial limitations. It also asserts that biologically based definitions of sex are consistent with the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and have been historically applied.