'Tenn bill attempts to undermine gay marriage by allowing individuals, private groups to refuse to recognize it' & other Thur/Fri news briefs

Bill to let private groups refuse to recognize same sex marriage passes Tennessee House - These continuous attempts to undermine same-sex marriage are going nowhere in a landscape where it is now normal for gay to marry. No matter how supporters of these attempts try to weaponize them as "religious liberty," they still come across as mean-spirited: 

 Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, told News 2 that while the bill likely won’t change things for large, private entities, including national bank branches or big healthcare systems, it would likely hurt those in rural areas where those organizations are smaller and often locally-owned. 

“Imagine if the Treasury Secretary were driving through the state of Tennessee and had an accident in a small, rural county, and someone refused to recognize his husband as his husband, and they had to make medical decisions or wanted to visit in the healthcare facility,” Sanders said. “That’s the kind of impact that this bill could have on anybody in a dire circumstance.” 

Trump falsely links trans people to terrorism. Now, a target is on their back. - This is not good, y'all. Folks need to know this but I didn't make this the leading story because I don't want to help cause a panic. 

4th Circuit rules against discharged service members with HIV - Awful ruling. 

Lansing school officials react after DOJ launches investigation into LGBTQ policies - Ridiculous overreach which is a reminder that the Trump Administration is targeting all of us. BUT they will not defeat us.