TN governor signs bill protecting teachers' constitutional rights
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Matt Sharp, director of the ADF Center for Legislative Advocacy, regarding Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s signing Wednesday of SB 466, a bill that protects freedom of conscience for teachers:
“No one should be forced to contradict their core beliefs just to keep a job, yet we continue to see growing instances of teachers being confronted with that ultimatum. Many teachers can’t in good conscience speak messages that they do not believe to be true, and that includes addressing students by pronouns inconsistent with a student’s sex. Senate Bill 466 ensures that Tennessee’s teachers need not fear losing their jobs for declining to support gender ideology in the classroom. Thanks to Gov. Lee and the Tennessee Legislature, the state’s teachers can be assured that their fundamental freedoms will be protected.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT Matt Sharp
Matt Sharp serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is the director of the Center for Public Policy. In this role, he leads ADF's team of policy experts as they craft legislation and advise government officials on policies that promote free speech, religious freedom, parental rights, and the sanctity of human life. Since joining ADF in 2010, Sharp has authored federal and state legislation, regularly provides testimony and legal analysis on how proposed legislation will impact constitutional freedoms, and advises governors, legislators, and state and national policy organizations on the importance of laws and policies that protect First Amendment rights. He has twice testified before the U.S. Congress on the importance of protecting free speech and religious liberty in federal law. Sharp also authored an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of nearly 9,000 students, parents, and community members asking the court to uphold students’ right to privacy against government intrusion. Sharp earned his J.D. in 2006 from the Vanderbilt University School of Law. A member of the bar in Georgia and Tennessee, he is also admitted to practice in several federal courts.