Tennessee Governor Bill
Haslam on Wednesday signed a controversial bill into law that allows
mental health therapists and counselors to turn away LGBT clients.
“After considerable
thought and discussion with counselors both for and against the bill,
I have decided to sign Senate Bill 1556,” Haslam said in a signing
statement. “There are two key provisions of this legislation that
addressed concerns I had about clients not receiving care. First,
the bill clearly states that it ‘shall not apply to a counselor or
therapist when an individual seeking or undergoing counseling is in
imminent danger of harming themselves or others.’ Secondly, the
bill requires that any counselor or therapist who feels they cannot
serve a client due to the counselor’s sincerely held principles
must coordinate a referral of the client to another counselor or
therapist who will provide the counseling or therapy.”
“I believe it is
reasonable to allow these professionals to determine if and when an
individual would be better served by another counselor better suited
to meet his or her needs,” he added.
The bill states that
counselors can refuse to treat clients based on their “sincerely
held principles,” a change from the bill's original language of
“sincerely held religious beliefs.”
Opponents say the measure
could negatively impact young LGBT people.
Tennessee lawmakers are
also considering legislation that would outlaw transgender people
from accessing the bathroom that matches the gender they identify
with.
(Related:
Miley
Cyrus, Emmylou Harris, Chely Wright, Ty Herndon condemn Tennessee
transgender bills.)