Tennessee Leads The Way: The Continued Fight For Our Children

In September 2022, The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh released shocking video of a doctor referring to gender transition surgeries as “huge money makers.” The footage revealed Dr. Shayne Sebold Taylor, a physician, discussing how a “gender-affirming” double mastectomy could bring in around $40,000, and a female-to-male transition could bring in more than $100,000. These revelations raised ethical questions and prompted an investigation into the Pediatric Transgender Clinic where she worked.

Alarm bells went off when we heard “Pediatric Transgender Clinic.”

As a society, we recognize that young people do not have the intellectual or emotional maturity to make big, life-altering decisions. That is why you cannot vote until you turn 18. You cannot get a tattoo until you turn 18. Your frontal lobe does not fully develop until you are 25. Yet a hospital in the state was performing irreversible gender transition treatments on vulnerable children because those procedures were lucrative.

There is no place for the exploitation of children in our state. Immediately after Walsh brought this to light, Tennesseans united in a call to action. In October 2022, responding to concerns raised by Walsh, lawmakers, and Tennesseans, all pediatric gender transitions were paused for a review while they completed a review. Thousands gathered at the capitol later that month in Nashville for a rally to end child mutilation. We stood alongside Walsh, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, and other state and national leaders to call for an end to this unethical practice.

Notably, Chloe Cole, who was 18 at the time, shared her experience de-transitioning after undergoing “gender-affirming care” as a minor. She began taking puberty blockers and underwent “top surgery” at age 13 as a part of her transition from a female to a male. Cole, now 20, draws on her personal journey to advocate against transgender procedures for minors.

In response, we filed Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1, the first bills of the 113th General Assembly in each chamber, which banned gender transition procedures on minors in Tennessee. This issue centers on children making adult decisions with lifelong consequences. The Tennessee General Assembly decisively passed the legislation in February of 2023, signifying a major step forward in protecting children in the Volunteer State.

Of course, we expected challenges to the new law from the far-Left. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and his exceptional team led a skillful defense through months of court challenges from Liberal groups.

As public servants, we have a responsibility to listen to the people we represent and legislate according to their priorities. The people of Tennessee spoke loud and clear on this issue. We believe strongly in the constitutionality of Senate Bill 1.

Now, we look ahead to Dec. 4, when the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Senate Bill 1. We pray that this case sets a national precedent for safeguarding vulnerable young people from irreversible and unproven medical procedures.

No matter what happens in Washington D.C., here in Tennessee, we will always prioritize our children’s safety and well-being first.

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Jack Johnson serves as the Tennessee Senate Majority Leader and represents Senate District 27. William Lamberth serves as the Tennessee House Majority Leader and represents House District 44. They jointly sponsored Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1 in their respective chambers.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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