Tennessee’s first trans official could be forced to use men’s room, fears felony for using female driver’s license
The first transgender female elected into office in Tennessee could be forced to use the men’s restroom under a tough new state law — and fears she could face a felony for using her female driver’s license.
Operation Desert Storm veteran Olivia Hill, a 57-year-old , broke barriers earlier this mon🌌th by winning a seat on the Nashville Metro Council.
However, she fears she could not be targeted under a new state law from July that dictates that “a person’s immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth.”
Although the law does not specify which bathroom transgender citizens must use, Hill that she fears it could be used to force her to use men’s rooms — especially in the council buildings she’ll work in.
And wh🍸ile the law does not force transgender Tenne🌄sseans to change official documents back to their gender at birth, Hill fears the potential legal consequences.
“If I get pulled over for rolling through a stop sign, or som🍷ething simple, and I provide my driver’s license to a police officer, and he asks if everything on that document is correct… if I say, ‘yes,’ I’ve just provided a false ID — which is a felony,” Hill told the Beast.
The law, which went into effect on July 1, is a brief, one-page document that claims “a person’s immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and evidence of a person’s biological sex.”
Still, Hill said she’s received a warm welcome from council members, including some who have told her they would look the other way if the restroom issue came up.
The Navy veteran — who was deployed during Operation Desert Storm — said she isn’t going to let the fear of discrimination prevent her from doing the job she was elected to do.
“I’m a plumber, pipe fitter, welder, mechanic, engineering specialist. I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to this stuff, and those are the things that excite me,” Hill said.
“I ran as a qualified human to sit at the table. It just so happened that I am the first trans person.”
