The Tennessee House has voted overwhelmingly to bar local jurisdictions from enacting stricter anti-discrimination laws than those at the state level, an effort that would void a recently-enacted Nashville ordinance requiring city contractors to pledge not to discriminate against LGBT workers.

Critics called the effort blatantly anti-gay.  “There’s a lot that’s homophobic about this bill,” State Rep. Jeanne Richardson told WSMV-TV.

A companion bill has been introduced in the Tennesee Senate.

There are no openly LGBT state legislators in Tennessee; in fact the state only has one openly LGBT elected official serving at any level of government.  But the Victory Fund has endorsed two candidates this year for seats on Nashville’s Metropolitan Council–Nancy VanReece and David Glasgow.