Politics

Nashville Wants to Be the Next Austin, But Tennessee Won’t Make It Easy

Business interests in the state capital have held off a slew of anti-LGBT bills that seemed poised to become law.

Illustration: Tomi Um for Bloomberg Businessweek
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Three hours into an otherwise sleepy meeting of Tennessee’s Senate Judiciary Committee in late April, state Senator Paul Rose made his case for a bill that would allow faith-based adoption agencies to reject same-sex couples as potential parents.

“I realize there will be consequences for voting ‘yes,’ ” said Rose, who represents a suburban district northeast of Memphis. “But I also encourage you to think about the consequences of voting against the bill, as you face your God.”