IT WASN’T A TYPICAL DAY—JULY 1, 2023, was the day Ordinance 23-0-22, better known as the “Decency Ordinance,” was set to go into effect in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
It gave Police Chief Michael Bowen and City Manager Craig Tindall the power to penalize anyone, anywhere in public, for anything they deemed indecent. No two men should have this much power.
When questioned on what would qualify as indecent during public discussions before Murfreesboro City Council voted to pass the ordinance, the response was: I can tell you when I see it.
I believe that this was an absurd and dangerous attempt to criminalize being LGBTQ+ in our town, a discriminatory effort that coincided with a similar attempt
