Alderman advances ordinance setting biological‑sex eligibility for city recreation; ordinance passes first reading

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Aug. 10 approved on first reading Ordinance 16‑96, which establishes biological‑sex‑based eligibility criteria for single‑sex city recreational programs and facilities. Alderman Glick, who sponsored the measure, said the ordinance aligns city policy with state law and focuses verification only when an eligibility question is formally raised. "I brought this ordinance forward in order to protect our young women and, and this, women's sports in Tullahoma," Glick said during the meeting.

Public comment included resident Daniel Berry, who urged the board to adopt a clear standard and said legal concerns have been addressed at higher levels. "Do we want fair competition and physical safety in the girls and women's rec leagues this city runs?" Berry asked. He told the board that the ordinance "simply adopts that definition that our state already uses," and cited a June 30 U.S. Supreme Court decision as support for the ordinance's legal defensibility. The ordinance was amended on first reading to make enforcement complaint‑driven rather than permit random roster audits and to add an appeal process; the amended ordinance passed the vote 6–0.

City staff and the city attorney warned the board that enforceability will depend on changes to field‑use agreements and local policy, and that the city should avoid retaining sensitive documents; the adopted language explicitly prohibits the city from retaining digital or physical copies of birth certificates. The ordinance advances to its next scheduled reading and any further technical edits were noted for second reading.