The claim: Tennessee passed law banning display of pride flags in schools
A Sept. 26 Facebook post ( direct link , archive link ) shows a pride flag covered by a black diagonal stripe with white letters that read, “BANNED.”
“BREAKING: Tennessee passes law to ban Pride Flags from classrooms,” reads the post. “Thank you Tennessee for keeping that perversion away from children.”
It was shared more than 100 times in four days. A similar post on X, formerly Twitter, was reposted more than 10,000 times in five days.
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Our rating: False
A bill in Tennessee that would have banned schools from displaying any flag other than the U.S. or state flags passed the state House but failed to pass the state Senate and did not become law.
Tennessee flag ban bill didn’t pass state Senate
In November, Republican state Rep. Gino Bulso introduced a bill to prohibit public schools in the state from displaying any flag other than the U.S. or Tennessee flags, The Tennessean reported. The bill was later amended to ban the display of any flags that “represent a political viewpoint, including but not limited to, a partisan, racial, sexual orientation, gender or other ideological viewpoint.”
The legislation passed the Tennessee House on a party-line vote in late February. However, it didn’t pass in the state Senate, where it was again amended – this time to ban the display of any flag other than the U.S. flag or the Tennessee flag on school property. It failed by a vote of 13 to 6 in April, falling short of the 17 votes required for a constitutional majority that is needed for new laws to pass , according to The Tennessean.
The post's claim also isn't possible since the state legislature is not currently in session and hasn't been since April . A new state legislature will convene in January following the November elections. Tennessee law already requires all public schools to display the U.S. flag.
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While there hasn’t been a statewide ban signed into law anywhere in the U.S., more than 50 communities across the country have “banned the Rainbow Flag, the global symbol of LGBTQ+ equality,” according to the Gilbert Baker Foundation , a New York-based nonprofit named after the flag’s creator .
USA TODAY previously debunked a similar false claim that Texas made it a crime to display pride flags in classrooms .
The social media user who shared the post for comment could not be reached.
Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- Tennessee General Assembly, accessed Sept. 30, HB 1605
- The Tennessean, Dec. 19, 2023, Tennessee Republican files bill aimed to ban pride flags, trans flags in public schools
- The Tennessean, Jan. 30, Tennessee bill to ban pride flags in public schools delayed amid intense debate
- The Tennessean, Feb. 26, Tennessee House passes bill along party lines to ban pride flags in public schools
- The Tennessean, April 23, Tennessee bill to ban pride flags from public schools fails in Senate
- The Tennessean, April 26, Tennessee legislature adjourns. Here’s what lawmakers did and did not accomplish this year
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tennessee bill to ban pride flag from schools didn’t pass state Senate | Fact check
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