Member-only story
Don’t Boycott Tennessee — Support the Communities Under Attack
There are amazing people here fighting for justice. Come visit, connect with them, and make a difference
First, let me say: I get it.
The impulse of many progressive-minded folks to “Boycott Tennessee” is understandable, given the vicious assaults on democracy and dignity that have become the hallmarks of the state’s GOP-dominated legislature.
From their bigoted efforts against drag performance and gender-affirming care to their short-lived attempt to rename part of John Lewis Way for Donald Trump to the latest outrage — expelling two Black lawmakers for vocally supporting a youth-led gun reform protest after a horrific school shooting in Nashville — reactionaries are undoubtedly worthy of the vitriol aimed their way.
But a boycott, especially by potential tourists or conventioneers, would not only fail to help the fight against these far-right forces. It would make that fight infinitely more difficult.
Those (mostly) exurban and rural GOP reps who voted to expel Justin Jones and Justin Pearson for demonstrating solidarity with the students calling for new gun laws won’t be moved by a boycott. Nobody comes to Tennessee to visit the places they’re from anyway…
