Tennessee governor designates 'Nuclear Family Month,' critics decry Pride shift

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on 9 April signed a resolution designating June as “Nuclear Family Month,” a move critics say shifts focus away from Pride Month and has drawn backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates.

The measure describes what it calls an “attack” on nuclear families and links the absence of fathers to negative outcomes for children.

"The nuclear family, consisting of one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children, is God's design for familial structure and has been the bedrock of society since the creation of the world," the resolution states.

It claims children without a father are four times more likely to live in poverty, 10 times more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol, and more likely to experience mental health and behavioral issues. It also says 60% of youth suicides involve children from fatherless homes. The resolution does not cite sources for those figures.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Tennessee recorded about seven marriages per 1,000 people in 2023 and nearly three divorces per 1,000.

Nationally, the marriage rate declined from 8.2 per 1,000 people in 2000 to 6.2 in 2022, while the divorce rate fell from 4.0 to 2.4 per 1,000 over the same period, according to the CDC.

The resolution also links fatherless households to school shootings.

“In a 2016 study by Peter Langman on the psychology behind 56 school shooters, 82 percent of the shooters were raised in an unstable family environment or without both biological parents together," the resolution states.

It also criticizes the World Health Organization and the United Nations for “promoting sterilization and abortion practices,” and asserts the nuclear family is under attack.

LGBTQ+ advocates condemned the measure. A spokesperson for GLAAD said such resolutions ignore the diversity of family structures.

“The strongest families are grounded by love. Lawmakers trying to exclude and intentionally harm some families should be recognized as actively harming all by not focusing their time working for an inclusive Tennessee where all are welcome and can succeed,” the spokesperson said.