Tennessee Congressional Hopeful Says He’d Fight For Nationwide Trans Ban If Elected

A Tennessee state lawmaker running for Congress said one of the first thing he does if elected would be to push for a nationwide law to protect children from transgender procedures if elected. 

State Rep. Johnny Garrett, a Republican, told The Daily Wire in an interview announcing his run for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District that one of the first bills he hoped to introduce would mirror Tennessee’s law shielding kids from transgender procedures. Garrett, a seventh-generation Tennessean from Goodlettsville, said that even one surgery on a gender-confused child was unacceptable, and that the issue would be one of his top priorities. 

“If indeed the good people of the 6th District want me to be their congressman, I want that to be the first bill that I file, to make sure that’s a nationwide ban that you cannot mutilate children,” he told The Daily Wire. “We have to protect our children, and that should be a priority. There should be a federal law filed tomorrow to make that a nationwide law, just like Tennessee.”

Garrett’s first campaign ad, shared with The Daily Wire, features him in a baseball uniform as president of the Goodlettsville Little League Baseball program. 

“Washington’s been throwing curveballs at Tennessee for years: open borders, out of control spending, boys in girls sports, and zero accountability,” he says in the ad. “I’m not going to Washington to play nice, I’m going to help President Trump fight and win.” 

He says that he will fight to finish the border wall, deport all illegal immigrants, and stop China from buying American land. 

Last month, the Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law banning the practice of giving kids puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and performing surgeries like removing the breasts of a girl who identified as a boy. 

“That was a great win for children. A great win for the kids of Tennessee,” Garrett, who was part of the legislature when that bill passed, said. “We didn’t even realize that was taking place.”

Garrett, the current Tennessee House Majority Whip, is running for a seat currently occupied by Rep. John Rose. Rose announced earlier this year that he is running for governor to replace outgoing Governor Bill Lee, in a race that is also expected to include Senator Marsha Blackburn. 

The 6th District stretches from Middle Tennessee to the edge of Eastern Tennessee and includes parts of Nashville, and cities like Cookeville and Crossville. The area is solid red, and swung for President Donald Trump by over 65%. 

Garrett said he supported Trump’s America First agenda and was “inspired” with what the president has done since returning to the White House. He praised the passage of Trump’s signature “big, beautiful bill,” saying that the tax cuts provisions would benefit Tennessee and also lauded the dramatic decrease in illegal border crossings since Trump’s inauguration.

The lawmaker said he would like to see Congress adopt the Volunteers State’s approach to spending, as state law mandates a balanced budget.  

“Two things that I do when a piece of legislation is presented to me is I say, ‘One, how much does it cost and does it grow government? And if it costs a lot of money and it grows government, I can’t support it,” he said. “That has boded me well throughout my time in the legislature.”