Tennessee tourism, TV leaders: Bathroom bill could cost jobs, revenue

Major players in Tennessee’s burgeoning tourism and television production industries are sounding the alarm about potential lost jobs over state legislation regulating where transgender people can use the bathroom in schools.

Nashville's top tourism executive said the bill, slated for consideration Wednesday by a legislative committee, could lead to lost conventions and the revenue they generate.

The legislation proposes to require students to use the bathroom for the gender assigned to them on their birth certificate. The current state law allows school districts to carve out their own policies and make accommodations for students

The bill damages the image of Tennessee as a welcoming place, contended Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. President and CEO Butch Spyridon. He said two groups have said Nashville won’t be considered as an option for future conventions if the law passes. A CVC spokeswoman said those unspecified conventions would bring more than 10,800 combined hotel room nights.

“When the state starts introducing legislation that affects our ability to do business, it is not helpful and needs to be rethought,” Spyridon said. “Our success in the hospitality industry is predicated on a welcoming and friendly environment. We don’t need to do anything to diminish or hinder the success that is driving the state’s economy.”

In addition to tourism concerns, stakeholders in the entertainment industry are worried about lost jobs. Peter Kurland, the business agent for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 492 in Nashville, said the legislation could have a chilling effect in a sector that has been bringing more productions and creating jobs in Tennessee.

“Nashville” is wrapping up its fourth season filming here. When that show is in production, the union has said it employs about 500 full-time workers. Kurland said the new CMT comedy “Still the King,” which filmed in Nashville, created a similar number of jobs. And the state has recently allocated incentives for the Memphis-based production of the drama “Million Dollar Quartet.”

Kurland pointed to controversial bills passed recently in North Carolina and Georgia to argue the transgender bathroom bill here could scare off productions. In Georgia, entertainment companies joined the list of businesses that criticized legislation that was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Nathan Deal.

North Carolina recently passed a law that has also received pushback from the entertainment industry. In response, production company Lionsgate — which leads the production of Nashville — moved 100 jobs out of North Carolina.

“Because it is so similar in concept to North Carolina and Georgia, it looks very much like the kind of thing the entertainment industry would find offensive or discriminatory,” Kurland said. “I think it would have an impact on their willingness to be in this state.”

Viacom, the parent company for CMT, issued a statement on Tuesday in opposition to the bill. Located in Nashville, CMT is home to country music videos and country lifestyle programming.

“Viacom and CMT have a deep commitment to tolerance, diversity and inclusion, and discriminatory laws like HB2414 and SB2387 are inconsistent with our values,” Viacom spokesman TJ Ducklo said. “As proud members of Tennessee’s welcoming and vibrant business community, we implore state lawmakers to reject these proposals.”

Tennessee bathroom bill gets new life in House, advances in Senate

As the legislative session hurries toward its conclusion, the bills are scheduled to be considered in legislative committees in the coming days. Lawmakers sponsoring the bill say they are trying to protect the privacy of students. The bill is sponsored in the House by Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet and in the Senate by Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville.

The legislation also has support from the Family Action Council and the Alliance for Defending Freedom, a nonprofit organization that describes itself as an advocate for the right of people to freely live out their faith.

Lynn said it is not fair for schools to have bathroom policies that violate the privacy of young ladies and young men. She also expressed concern about the current system that lets individual schools make their own accommodations for transgender students on a case-by-case basis.

An attorney with the Alliance for Defending Freedom said allowing transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice could put students at risk of “bodily exposure” to members of the “opposite sex,” and could be demeaning, humiliating and harmful. Transgender students and their families have expressed opposition to the bill and said the current system is working fine.

A fiscal note of $1 billion has been attached to the bill because of concerns that federal Title IX funding could be in jeopardy if the bill becomes law. Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has expressed concerns about the legislation citing the Title IX funding.

'Nashville' gets $10M incentive deal to film locally

The CVC also contributes funds to the incentive package for “Nashville” to film locally, and Spyridon said the show has had a positive impact on bringing leisure tourists to Music City.

“Letting this be the reason we lose the ‘Nashville’ show would be a huge blow,” Spyridon said. “The past four seasons that have filmed here have generated significant marketing and economic activity for the city. We are talking about keeping people working and driving sales tax revenue for the state.”

The House Education Administration and Planning Committee has listed the bill on its Wednesday afternoon agenda.  A proposed amendment to the bill says local school boards can make “accommodations” with respect to students using bathrooms and locker rooms.

Staff writer Joel Ebert contributed to this story. 

Reach Nate Rau at 615-259-8094 and on Twitter @tnnaterau.