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The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
With the signature of Gov. Bill Lee, a bill designating June 2026 as “Nuclear Family Month” in Tennessee has officially become law, sparking outrage from the LGBTQ community which has long held the month as their own celebration of “Pride”.
HJR0182 by Rep. Bud Hulsey (R-Kingsport-District 2) recognizes that “the nuclear family is God’s perfect design for humanity and is aligned with the long-held tradition values of Tennessee” and that it is “under attack in our beloved state and nation, and it is our responsibility to uplift, protect, and support values that help Tennessee prosper.”
It further defines the nuclear family as that consisting of one husband, one wife, and any biological, fostered, or adopted children, and finds that fatherless families encounter challenges and risk factors a traditional nuclear family does not, including higher rates of suicide and adverse behavior.
“Fatherless families are four times more likely to live in poverty than married couple families; children without fathers are ten times more likely to abuse chemical substances; children from fatherless homes are more likely to have mental health and behavioral issues; sixty percent of youth suicides are from fatherless homes; seventy-one percent of high school dropouts are from fatherless homes; fatherless youths are twenty times more likely to be incarcerated; eighty-five percent of youths in prison come from fatherless homes; and in a 2016 study by Peter Langman on the psychology behind fifty-six school shooters, eighty-two percent of the shooters were raised in an unstable family environment or without both biological parents together,” the resolution reads.
The House passed HJR0182 at the end of the 2025 legislative session along party lines, but the resolution did not pass out of the Senate until March of this year, also along party lines. With both chambers adopting the resolution, it made its way to the Governor, who signed it into law on April 9, 2026.
But while champions of traditional family values are cheering, advocates in the LGBTQ community appear infuriated by the legislation, saying it targets and unfairly criticizes LGBT households.
“Resolutions like this do more to reveal the cluelessness of elected officials whose own families and those of their constituents have various family dynamics and 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,” said a spokesperson for GLAAD, a non-profit focused on LGBT advocacy and cultural change.
“The resolution excludes households headed by same-sex couples and is a rebuke of LGBTQ+ visibility, since June is also Pride Month,” reads an article from LGBTQ Nation. “Conservatives have been trying to create an anti-LGBTQ+ awareness month in June to show their hostility towards LGBTQ+ people. Conservatives have complained for years about June being Pride Month, to the point that the current president has stopped issuing Pride Month declarations, a practice President Bill Clinton began in the 1990s.”
House Joint Resolutions such as HJR0182 do not create enforceable law, allocate funding, or impose requirements, but they do serve to express the legislature’s overall views or recognize certain causes and observances.
This one signifies an official governmental recognition of the advancement in the conservative movement to push back against what many consider to be an oversaturation of LGBT rights, culture, and entitlement in Tennessee.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
