Tennessee

In deal with DOJ and ACLU, Tennessee agrees to remove sex workers with HIV from sex offender registry

Published

2 years ago

July 17, 2024

In deal with DOJ and ACLU, Tennessee agrees to remove sex workers with HIV from sex offender registry

The Tennessee government has agreed to begin scrubbing its sex offender registry of dozens of people who were convicted of prostitution while having HIV, reversing a practice that federal lawsuits have challenged as draconian and discriminatory.

For more than three decades, Tennessee’s “aggravated prostitution” laws have made prostitution a misdemeanor for most sex workers but a felony for those who are HIV-positive. Tennessee toughened penalties in 2010 by reclassifying prostitution with HIV as a “violent sexual offense” with a lifetime registration as a sex offender — even if protection is used.

At least 83 people are believed to be on Tennessee’s sex offender registry solely because of these laws, with most living in the Memphis area, where undercover police officers and prosecutors most often invoked the statute, commonly against Black and transgender women, according to a lawsuit filed last year by the American Civil Liberties Union and four women who were convicted of aggravated prostitution. The Department of Justice challenged the law in a separate suit earlier this year.

Both lawsuits argue that Tennessee law does not account for evolving science on the transmission of HIV or precautions that prevent its spread, like use of condoms. Both lawsuits also argue that labeling a person as a sex offender because of HIV unfairly limits where they can live and work and stops them from being alone with grandchildren or minor relatives.

“Tennessee’s Aggravated Prostitution statute is the only law in the nation that treats people living with HIV who engage in any sex work, even risk-free encounters, as ‘violent sex offenders’ subjected to lifetime registration,” the ACLU lawsuit states.

“That individuals living with HIV are treated so differently can only be understood as a remnant of the profoundly prejudiced early response to the AIDS epidemic.”

In a settlement agreement signed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on July 15 and filed in both lawsuits on July 17, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said it would comb through the state’s sex offender registry to find those added solely because of aggravated prostitution convictions, then send letters alerting those people that they can make a written request to be removed. The language of the settlement suggests that people will need to request their removal from the registry, but the agency said in the agreement it will make “its best effort” to act on the requests “promptly in the order in which they are received.”

The Tennessee attorney general’s office, which represents the state in both the ACLU and DOJ lawsuits and approved the settlement agreement, said in an email statement it would “continue to defend Tennessee’s prohibition on aggravated prostitution.”

In an email statement, the ACLU celebrated the settlement as “one step toward remedying the harms by addressing the sex offender registration,” but said its work in Tennessee was not done because aggravated prostitution remained a felony charge that it would “fight to overturn.”

Molly Quinn, executive director of LGBTQ+ support organization OUTMemphis, another plaintiff in the ACLU lawsuit, said both organizations would help eligible people with the paperwork to get removed from the registry.

“We would not have agreed to settle if we did not feel like this was a process that would be extremely beneficial,” Quinn said. “But, we’re sad that the statute existed as long as it did and sad that there is any process at all that folks have to go through after living with this extraordinary burden of being on the sex offender registry for really an irrelevant reason.”

Michelle Anderson, a Memphis resident who is one of the plaintiffs in the ACLU lawsuit, said in court records that since being convicted of aggravated prostitution, the sex offender label has made it so difficult to find a home and a job that she was “unhoused for about a year” and has at times “felt she had no option but to continue to engage in sex work to survive.”

Like the other plaintiffs, Anderson said her conviction kept her minor relatives at a distance.

“Ms. Anderson has a nephew she loves, but she cannot have a close relationship with him,” the lawsuit states. “Even though Ms. Anderson’s convictions had nothing to do with children, she cannot legally be alone with her nephew.”

The Tennessee settlement comes months after state lawmakers softened the law so no one else should be added to the sex offender registry for aggravated prostitution. Lawmakers removed the registration requirement and made convictions eligible for expungement if the defendant testifies they were a victim of human trafficking.

State Sen. Page Walley (R-Savannah), who supported the original aggravated prostitution law passed in 1991 and co-sponsored the recent bill to amend it, said on the floor of the legislature that the changes do not prevent prosecutors from charging people with a felony for aggravated prostitution. Instead, he said, the amendments undo the 2010 law that put those who are convicted on the registry “along with pedophiles and rapists for a lifetime, with no recourse for removal.”

“Having stood, as I mentioned, in 1991 and passed this,” Walley said, “it is a particular gratifying moment for me to see how we continue to evolve and seek what’s just and what’s right and what’s best.”

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.

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Tennessee

Voting rights ruling echoes Tennessee’s Jim Crow past | Opinion

Published

8 hours ago

June 21, 2026

Press Room

Voting rights ruling echoes Tennessee’s Jim Crow past | Opinion

As the Supreme Court weakens voting rights protections, Tennessee’s Jim Crow history offers a stark warning about race, power and representation.

Daryl A. Carter
| Guest Columnist

The Supreme Court’s recent decision on the Voting Rights Act has raised concerns about a return to Jim Crow-era policies.
Tennessee was among the first Southern states to implement segregation laws and disenfranchise Black voters through poll taxes and literacy tests.
Civil rights advancements like the Voting Rights Act were achieved through sustained pressure from activists demanding justice and equality.

Recent developments concerning race and democracy have prompted much discussion about the American experiment and the meaning of citizenship. This series of guest essays examines major issues, such as race, slavery, Jim Crow and civil and voting rights, in the context of their collective meaning in our present.

These guest essays help us understand the importance of these topics in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The Supreme Court has nakedly attacked the most significant legislative achievement in American history: the Voting Rights Act. Justice Samuel Alito argued that Louisiana’s use of the law to support minority majority congressional districts was an unconstitutional “racial gerrymander.”

Louisiana v. Callais will be remembered as the culmination of a decades-long effort by conservative politicians and jurists to undermine one of the central underpinnings of American democracy. The brazenness of the Court’s action is as disturbing as it was predictable. Many have argued the Court’s actions will lead to a new Jim Crow.

As the nation comes to grips with a new legal paradigm regarding civil rights, imposed by an unelected and hyper-partisan Court, it is time to reexamine just what Jim Crow actually meant to Tennessee and the South, as well as what it might portend for our future.

What Jim Crow was and how it took hold

The Jim Crow era, de jure and de facto, existed from the end of Reconstruction to the late 1960s. The term is the center identifier for all the laws, rules, and customs that governed the period. It originated around 1828, when Thomas Dartmouth “Daddy” Rice originated the character of “Jim Crow” in New York. Wearing “blackface,” Rice regaled audiences with dance and song in blackface, using burnt cork makeup to give the appearance of Black skin.

By 1840, “Jim Crow” was incredibly popular because of its deeply offensive representations of Black people. The outrageous stereotypes meant to dehumanize Black America would, by the 1890s, take on an even more menacing tone.

How Tennessee built a segregated society

Tennessee was the first state to reenter the Union in June 1866. Our state had a long history of holding people in bondage. Enslaved people were chattel, meaning they were little more than property to be bought, sold and possessed. After the war, Tennessee designed laws to make Blacks into second-class citizens.

In 1875, Tennessee created one of the first frameworks for a segregated society, which allowed a variety of public-facing entities – hotels, businesses, transportation and others – to refuse service and/or admission to Black Tennesseans. This was in response to Congress passing the 1875 Civil Rights Act, which promised equal treatment for Black people in public places and the right to serve on juries.

By the start of the 20th century, Tennessee, like the rest of the South, erected all kinds of laws to trap Blacks into second-class citizenship. Everything was segregated, from housing to hospitals to cemeteries to water fountains to bathrooms to lunch counters. The Supreme Court gave its blessing to segregation in 1896 when it decided the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson decision. The federal government had given Tennessee and the rest of the South its blessing to enforce a deeply dehumanizing, two-tiered apartheid system.

The vast majority of Blacks were disenfranchised by a series of official acts of the Tennessee legislature in 1889. Laws regarding poll taxes and literacy tests restricted many from accessing the ballot. Lynchings served to intimidate Black Tennesseans from challenging the new laws.

At least 177 Black Tennesseans were lynched during Jim Crow. Ida B. Wells began her career in Memphis documenting the scourge of lynchings in her Free Speech newspaper. She was terrorized by angry whites, and after her press was burned by a white mob, she remained in the North, where she continued her work. The murders and mayhem undergirded Jim Crow in Tennessee.

Why change required sustained pressure

Today, it is not enough to say these laws have changed. Too often, it is noted that the country has moved past race. Brown v. Board of Education came to pass. The Civil Rights Act came to pass. The Voting Rights Act came to pass. The Fair Housing Bill came to pass. These advancements came about because of the courage of Black Americans, white and Jewish allies, and others who demanded change toward justice. Commentators point out these changes as if the country should be rewarded for finally delivering on basic rights already guaranteed by the Constitution.

Congress and the statehouses did not change because they felt morally responsible for the plight of Blacks. The changes came because people said “enough.”

How today’s disputes reflect unresolved history

In 2026, our problems remain rooted in the Jim Crow past. A great many Americans, including those in Tennessee, never accepted the racial progress of the 1950s and 1960s. Some argue our new congressional maps are simply an exercise in partisanship and power.

Poppycock! Such measures will result in the disenfranchisement of Tennesseans. If some are not able to elect representatives who are in alignment with their political and policy views, then something most vile has been reawakened in the Volunteer State.

Basic issues such as support for public schools, public works, infrastructure and investment will subside as political attention is devoted to areas of the state perceived to be more authentically Tennessean at the expense of Black and poor residents. The irony is that the supermajority has forgotten that less than 20 years ago, they were in the minority and were quite sensitive about violations of the rights of the minority.

The stakes for voting rights and representation

To argue that race no longer plays a role in American life simply does not pass the smell test. Conservatives are missing an opportunity to gain traction, followers and, most importantly, voters because many are unwilling to put down the barbed clubs of grievance and shortsightedness.

The Voting Rights Act was not a radical legislative solution. Its design was very basic and conservative in its purpose: to develop a series of mechanisms to enforce and ensure equal opportunity and access for all Americans to taste the richness of American democracy.

Daryl A. Carter, Ph.D., is associate dean, director, and professor of history at East Tennessee State University.

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Tennessee

Strong storms possible Sunday night into Monday morning for Middle Tennessee

Published

18 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Press Room

Strong storms possible Sunday night into Monday morning for Middle Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — FOX 17 News is monitoring for a few strong thunderstorms that are possible Sunday and Monday.

A few isolated storms are possible in the afternoon, but the best chance for any strong or severe storms will come Sunday night into Monday morning.

The overall threat for severe weather is low, but some of the strongest storms could bring gusty winds and heavy rainfall. The tornado threat is very low.

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Tuesday through Friday carries a 20% chance for some pop-up showers and thunderstorms.

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Tennessee

Things to do in the Chattanooga area this week include Chickapalooza, Amy Grant, Summerween | Chattanooga Times Free Press

Published

1 day ago

June 20, 2026

Press Room

Things to do in the Chattanooga area this week include Chickapalooza, Amy Grant, Summerween | Chattanooga Times Free Press

COMEDY

‘The Muslims are Coming’

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

Where: The Comedy Catch, 29 Station St.

Cost: $23 for general admission

More info: Showcase of Muslim (and non-Muslim) comedians.

thecomedycatch.com

FILM

‘Toy Story 5’

When: 6:15 p.m. Monday-Thursday

Where: Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater, 201 Chestnut St.

Cost: $15 for general admission

More info: Latest installment in the long-running Pixar franchise about the lives of childhood toys.

tnaqua.org/imax

Bobby Stone Film Series

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Sunday

Where: Walker Theatre, 399 McCallie Ave.

Cost: $13.50 for general admission

More info: Screenings include: “Resurrection” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, “Rear Window” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and “The Sparks Brothers” at 4 p.m. Sunday.

tivolichattanooga.com

–––

‘Supergirl’

When: 5 and 7:15 p.m. Friday-Sunday

Where: Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater, 201 Chestnut St.

Cost: $15 for general admission

More info: Summer blockbuster about Superman’s cousin, Supergirl.

tnaqua.org/imax

–––

Movie night

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: Chester Frost Park, 7872 Causeway Road

Cost: Free

More info: Hamilton County Parks and Recreation hosts a free movie night screening of “Finding Nemo.” Includes games, vendors and more.

facebook.com

MUSIC

Ramsey & Broemel

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Songbirds, 206 W. Main St.

Cost: $30 in advance

More info: Musicians Tyler Ramsey and Carl Broemel from Of My Morning Jacket performs.

venue.songbirds.org

–––

Fielder

When: 6 p.m. Thursday

Where: The Woodshop, 5500 St. Elmo Ave.

Cost: $13 for general admission

More info: Nashville-based duo Fielder performs.

thewoodshoplisteningroom.com

–––

Chris Knight

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: Songbirds, 206 W. Main St.

Cost: $30 in advance

More info: Kentucky native Chris Knight performs.

venue.songbirds.org

–––

Barkley Cove

When: 6 p.m. Friday

Where: The Woodshop, 5500 St. Elmo Ave.

Cost: $10 for general admission

More info: Folk ensemble Barkley Cove performs.

thewoodshoplisteningroom.com

–––

Nightfall

When: 6 p.m. Friday

Where: Miller Plaza, 850 Market St.

Cost: Free admission

More info: Free summer concert series Nightfall continues, with The 42 as opener and Zach Person as headliner. Also features food trucks and market vendors.

nightfallchattanooga.com

–––

Chelsea Drugstore

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Songbirds, 206 W. Main St.

Cost: $15 in advance

More info: Chelsea Drugstore, a tribute to the Rolling Stones, performs.

venue.songbirds.org

–––

R&B vs. Hip Hop

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: Barrelhouse Ballroom, 1501 Long St.

Cost: $15 in advance, $20 day of show

More info: DJ experience, pitting R&B against Hip Hop.

barrelhouseballroom.com

–––

Struggle Jennings

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: The Parlour at The Signal, 21 Choo Choo Ave.

Cost: $24.50 for general admission

More info: Grandson of Waylon Jennings, Struggle Jennings, performs.

thesignaltn.com

–––

KPop Demon Hunters

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Where: The Parlour at The Signal, 21 Choo Choo Ave.

Cost: $25 for general admission

More info: Family friendly DJ experience, featuring the music of the hit Netflix animated film.

thesignaltn.com

–––

Riverfront Nights

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Ross’s Landing, 201 Riverfront Parkway

Cost: Free

More info: Free summer concert series Riverfront Nights continues for the 2026 season. Sloppy Street Tacos opens, and Jump, a tribute to Van Halen, headlines.

riverfrontnights.com

–––

Paul McDonald

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Songbirds, 206 W. Main St.

Cost: $20 in advance

More info: Paul McDonald and the Mourning Doves performs.

venue.songbirds.org

–––

Amy Grant

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Walker Theatre, 399 McCallie Ave.

Cost: $61+

More info: Singer-songwriter Amy Grant performs.

tivolichattanooga.com

OUT & ABOUT

Nooga Splash

When: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays

Where: Chester Frost Park, 2389 Gold Point Circle N.

Cost: $14+

More info: Floating water park Nooga Splash continues for the summer season. Main season operating hours continue through Aug. 4.

noogasplash.com

–––

Family Potluck

When: 4-9 p.m. Monday

Where: Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave.

Cost: Free

More info: Post Nuclear Family Potluck, an all-ages chosen family potluck. Features games, dinner and a movie.

barkinglegs.org

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Battle of Badges

When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday

Where: Walker County Sheriff’s Office, 105 S. Duke St., LaFayette

Cost: Free

More info: Walker and Catoosa county Sheriff’s Offices host a blood donation drive.

donor.bloodassurance.org

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Farmers market

When: 3-6 p.m. Thursday

Where: Chattanooga Choo Choo, 1400 Market St.

Cost: Free admission

More info: Farmer and farmer-adjacent vendors at the Chattanooga Choo Choo.

facebook.com

–––

River market

When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays

Where: Tennessee Aquarium Plaza, 1 Broad St.

Cost: Free admission

More info: Chattanooga River Market continues, featuring various vendors. Market open Saturdays only from April-October.

chattanoogamarket.com

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Staff file photo / Jan Fowler, left, and Curtis Fowler shop items at the Chickamauga Art and Folk Festival on Aug. 16, 2025. This year, the festival, now called Chickapalooza, is set for 10 a.m.-sunset Saturday around the Gordon Lee Mansion, 217 Cove Road, Chickamauga.

Chickapalooza

When: 10 a.m.-sunset Saturday

Where: Gordon Lee Mansion, 217 Cove Road, Chickamauga

Cost: Free admission

More info: Chickapalooza Art and Music Festival, featuring a lineup of live music, artists, food and more.

facebook.com

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Staff file photo / From Point Park atop Lookout Mountain, a viewer can see the Tennessee River curve around Moccasin Bend on May 21, 2025. The Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park has a program set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Point Park, 110 Point Park Road, Lookout Mountain, Tenn., focusing on the forces that created the mountains and ridges of the Tennessee River Valley.

History program

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

Where: Point Park, 110 Point Park Road, Lookout Mountain, Tenn.

Cost: $10 park entrance fee

More info: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park hosts program about the forces that created the mountains and ridges of the Tennessee River Valley.

nps.gov/chch

–––

Radio Field Day

When: 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

Where: Chattanooga Valley Lions Club, 265 South Ave., Flintstone

Cost: Free

More info: Tri-States Amateur Radio Club hosts an amateur radio field day, showcasing how the technology works.

ag4dw@arrl.org

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Summerween

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Patten Square, 818 Georgia Ave.

Cost: Free

More info: Celebrate Halloween in the Summer at Summerween, featuring costume contests, a watermelon-carving contest, live music and more.

rivercitycompany.com

SPORTS

Lady Red Wolves

When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: CHI Memorial Stadium, 1 Stadium Way

Cost: $10+

More info: Chattanooga Lady Red Wolves take on the Southern Soccer Academy.

chattanoogaredwolves-sc.com

–––

Lookouts

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday

Where: Erlanger Park, 2658 Pipe Way

Cost: $7+

More info: Chattanooga Lookouts take on the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Promotions include: World Soccer Night and Las Montanas de Chattanooga on Tuesday, a blanket giveaway on Wednesday, a cell phone bag giveaway, drink specials and Never Text and Drive Night on Thursday, Unum Night and fireworks on Friday, Dino Weekend and a pre-game concert on Saturday and Dino Weekend and a canned food drive on Sunday.

mlb.com/milb/chattanooga

–––

Football Club

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Finley Stadium, 1826 Reggie White Blvd.

Cost: $8+

More info: Chattanooga Football Club takes on the Chicago Fire Football Club.

chattanoogafc.com

THEATER & ARTS

Dungeons and Drag-ons

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave.

Cost: $15 for general admission

More info: Dungeons and Dragons-inspired drag showcase for ages 13 and older.

barkinglegs.org

______

Have an upcoming event? Email calendar@timesfreepress.com to be considered for one of our listings or go to timesfreepress.com/calendar for immediate posting online.

Sam Still

sstill@timesfreepress.com

Sam Still is the outdoors reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. In this role, Sam focuses on stories about people and their relationship to the regional environment. Sam began his journalism career as an intern for the Times Free Press, writing for the lifestyle publication Chatter Magazine. He joined the newspaper full-time in summer 2023. He received a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he was a staff writer and assistant news editor for the university’s student newspaper, The Echo. He is originally from Cleveland, Tennessee.

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