' It cites claims linking fatherless households to higher rates of poverty, substance abuse, incarceration, and school shootings to argue for the superiority of the traditional family. ' The bill was sponsored by Republican state Representative Bud Hulsey and backed by 15 GOP co-sponsors. It originally passed the Tennessee House 72-18 in April 2025 and cleared the Senate 26-4 last month, then returned to the House for final concurrence in a Senate amendment changing the designation from June 2025 to June 2026.
There is no enforcement mechanism for the resolution, leaving Tennessee residents free to celebrate Pride Month if they so choose. LGBTQ groups denounced the resolution. Studies have shown that once factors such as income and household stability are accounted for, the independent effects of father absence are significantly smaller, questioning the resolution's claims.