The Tennessee Titans have made a statement about impending legislation in the Volunteer State and seem to take a position against anti-LGBTQ discrimination.
It was in the midst of hosting the NFL Draft this weekend that the Titans released a statement to the Nashville LGBT Chamber in response to what has been called a “slate of hate” — 12 anti-LGBTQ bills that would wreck havoc on the local community.
The Titans are not impressed:
The Tennessee Titans oppose discrimination in any form. We are long-standing supporters of Tennessee Thrives. Discriminatory legislation hurts all of us. It also impacts our ability to secure events like the 2019 NFL Draft, major conventions, major athletic contests and other events that benefit our local and state economy. It also weakens our ability to recruit new business and industry to Nashville and to Tennessee. We would encourage our elected officials to keep us on a path that protects all our citizens, our growth and our economy.
The Titans’ argument about attracting business and industry are based on simple observation. North Carolina’s “bathroom bill” cost the state an estimate of almost $4 billion. Various corporations have declared their opposition to these new Tennessee bills. When Outsports was considering the location of its 2018 Outsports Pride event, we eliminated Nashville after learning of another pending list of anti-LGBTQ bills.
The 2019 “slate of hate” attempts to roll back marriage equality and punish transgender athletes, among other proposals. It is nothing more than a blatant attempt to use the rights of the LGBTQ community as a political weapon.
To be sure, the Titans’ statement could have been stronger if it called out this current legislation by name and specifically mentioned the support of LGBTQ people. Instead, it relied on broad statements against discrimination while clearly eluding to
Still, it’s clear the Titans have no time for this nonsense from the Tennessee State Legislature. No one should be surprised. Professional sports and many of the leagues’ teams have made it clear in recent years that attacking the LGBTQ community is of no interest. And any business person can see it’s bad for image and for business.
That the Titans released this statement while also hosting the NFL Draft heightens the power of the team’s message. Kudos to them.
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