Tennessee
Tennessee city must pay $500K in settlement with ACLU over drag ban
A Tennessee city settled with the ACLU on Wednesday, agreeing to pay $500,000 for the harm caused by its anti-drag ordinance and policy. The city of Murfreesboro agreed to repeal the ordinance, which was designed to ban drag performances on public property, and end the policy that denied all special event permit requests from the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Tennessee Equality Project (TEP).
The city implemented its ban in June, claiming that drag performances during TEP’s Pride event in 2022 resulted in the “illegal sexualization of kids.” The ACLU, along with the ACLU of Tennessee, Ballard Spahr, and Burr & Forman, filed suit in federal court last October, alleging the ordinance and policy violated the US Constitution’s First Amendment right to free speech and expression. The lawsuit also alleged the ordinance was unconstitutionally broad and vague, and that it discriminated against the LGBTQ+ community and therefore violated the Fourteenth Amendment.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the city from enforcing the ordinance in October, and the city responded by amending the ordinance to no longer include “homosexuality” as prohibited “sexual conduct.” The plaintiffs, however, stated that the amendment was not enough. In response, the plaintiffs said, “[W]e will continue to challenge the remaining portions of this anti-LGBTQ+ ordinance until it is permanently defeated, and all residents of Murfreesboro know that their government officials have no right to censor LGBTQ+ people and our expression.”
The parties are now filing a dismissal of the case due to Wednesday’s settlement, bringing the lawsuit to a close. “We celebrate the resolution of this case because it has guaranteed the rollback of a discriminatory policy and affirmed our right to host BoroPride,” said TEP Executive Director Chris Sanders. “Now we can turn our attention to preparing for the 2024 BoroPride festival and defending the rights of LGBTQ+ Tennesseans at the state legislature.”
According to the Human Rights Campaign, Tennessee has enacted more anti-LGBTQ+ laws than any other state in the country since 2015, making the state “increasingly hostile and unlivable for LGBTQ+ Tennesseans.” The state has seen several challenges to LGBTQ+ rights in the past year, including a law that protects public school employees’ choice to not use a student’s preferred pronouns. In September, a federal judge prohibited Blount County from banning drag performances at a pride festival, and a federal appeals court upheld a state law banning gender-affirming care for minors the same month. The ACLU is currently tracking twenty-nine anti-LGBTQ+ bills in Tennessee for this legislative session.
Tennessee football and coach Josh Heupel picked up a commitment from Brentwood Academy four-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman on March 28 while he was visiting the school.
Bowman narrowed his list to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Alabama and Miami on March 2. All five schools were among his top 10 he acknowledged on Oct. 30. Texas, LSU, USC, Texas A&M and Oregon were among the schools left off his list.
The 6-foot, 174-pound Bowman is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the state for the 2027 class. He is the No. 6 wide receiver nationally, according to 247Sports Composite. He has more than 35 other offers. He decommitted from Oregon last September, more than two months after committing to the Ducks.
Bowman was a Division II-AAA Mr. Football semifinalist, who caught 49 passes for 665 yards and 11 TDs, during BA’s 2025 state runner-up season. He also had a rushing TD and was named the DII-AAA West Region Offensive MVP. He was named to The Tennessean’s 2025 All Midstate Large Class football team and is a Middle Tennessee Sports Awards offensive football player of the year nominee.
Bowman helped BA finish 11-1 in 2025, losing to Baylor in the DII-AAA state championship game.
Tennessee and Heupel have also offered Brentwood Academy offensive tackle Rance Brown, a 6-6, 290-pound lineman who transferred from Southside (Alabama). The Vols are pursuing BA junior four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II as well.
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also contributes to The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
The Tennessee Titans have made some improvements throughout the offseason and appear better positioned heading into the draft than they were in 2024, with added depth on both sides of the ball.
Yet, even with the added talent, they still have multiple needs they must continue to address to help both now and in the future, and another solid draft would go a long way in finding a sustainable path forward. Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated looked at the roster and saw some of the same things as he broke down their remaining needs heading into the draft.
Tennessee Titans
Draft needs: RB, WR, edge, S
The running back duo of Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears hasn’t been a productive one. Cam Ward desperately needs a game-changer at one of the skill positions. Newcomer wideout Wan’Dale Robinson doesn’t exactly fit that bill, but he’ll make life easier for the second-year quarterback.
With Robert Saleh now the head coach in Tennessee, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Titans used the No. 4 pick on one of the top edge rushers.
There is no doubt that the Titans should add some playmakers in this draft class, and they shouldn’t bank on hitting a dynamic playmaker in the fourth round again. Tennessee could definitely use a premium pick on at least one or possibly two offensive weapons.
Tennessee also must invest in the interior of the offensive line to help Cam Ward and the offense. While it’s true that Pollard and Spears did not blow the doors off the running game, they were also hampered by subpar play along the offensive line for the past two seasons, after line guru Bill Callahan failed to transform the Titans’ line into a consistent unit. It wasn’t until after he and his son Brian Callahan left that the play-calling for the running game took off.
CHICAGO − Iowa State’s star forward Joshua Jefferson is questionable against Tennessee basketball according to the NCAA player availability report released at 6:32 p.m.
The No. 6 Vols (24-11) and No. 2 Cyclones (29-7) play in the Men’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at the United Center on March 27 (10:10 p.m. ET, TBS).
Jefferson sprained his ankle in the opening minutes of Iowa State’s first-round game against Tennessee State. He sat for the remainder of the game and missed the Cyclones’ win over Kentucky on March 22. Iowa State didn’t need the All-Big 12 forward as it generated 20 Wildcat turnovers in its 19-point victory.
Senior Nate Heise started in place of the 6-foot-9 Jefferson. He had 12 points against Kentucky, but senior Tamin Lipsey stepped up with a season-high 26 points and 10 assists.
Jefferson averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals and shot 47.1% from the field.
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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