Owners of a popular East Nashville gay bar have sent a letter to Governor Haslam urging him to veto a controversial piece of legislation that LGBT groups say is targeting their rights.
The bill, sponsored by state Senator John Stevens, states that undefined words should be defined by their natural definition.
Originally, the bill included specific words such as 'mother' and 'father,' but that language has since been pulled from the legislation which passed through the House last week. LGBT groups say that if applied in court, the legislation could prove to be devastating for same sex couples and families.
"It’s time for somebody to take a stand and say “this is wrong," said Christa Suppan, owner of Lipstick Lounge in East Nashville.
On Monday, Suppan and her business partner Jonda Valentine sent a letter to Governor Haslam inviting him to visit the popular bar before making a decision on HB 1111.
“Governor, before you make a decision on HB 1111 that could negatively impact thousands of us in Tennessee, please accept our invitation to come by and visit with us at Lipstick Lounge. We want you to hear from our customers and be able to put a face to the people that this bill will impact and treat as second class citizens,” the letter read in part.
Click here to read the full letter.
Suppan bought Lipstick Lounge 15 years ago and says she has tried to keep the bar's name out of politics but changed her mind late last week.
"You don’t go back, you don’t lessen people’s rights, that’s not the way it works," she added.
On Tuesday, state Senator John Stevens responded to concerns about the bill, calling it 'unfortunate,' that certain groups have tried to use the bill as a means of discrimination.
"There are groups out there trying to take this in a direction that is not my intent. My intent is simply that words having meaning and if we don’t define what they are, they mean what you think they mean," Stevens said.
NewsChannel 5 requested a response from Governor Haslam's office on the bill and letter but did not receive a response.
