Tennessee First State to Place Bans on Drag Shows - Contact the Gov Now

What's the story?

• Tennessee lawmakers recently passed a bill prohibiting drag performances in front of children at public and private venues.
• The bill is sponsored by Republican Rep. Chris Todd, and it is now headed to Republican Governor Bill Lee to be signed into law. This is one of twenty such bills targeting drag performances being introduced in the U.S.
• The Tennessee House also passed a law restricting minors' access to gender-affirming health care, placing the state at the helm of a Republican-led effort across the nation to restrict LGBTQ+ rights. 

What does the bill say?

• The bill criminalizes "adult cabaret entertainment," which includes "male or female impersonators" in venues where children may be in attendance. 
• It amends existing state laws that prevent "adult-oriented businesses" from operating within 1,000 feet of schools, places of worship, and public parks. Drag shows can still take place in age-restricted venues.
• The first offense for violating the law would be a misdemeanor charge, and the second offense would be classified as a felony and carry a sentence of one to six years in prison.

Support for the bill

• Family-oriented, PG drag events like drag story hours at libraries and community centers have been the focus of intense backlash from right-wing family groups and Republican lawmakers. 
• Supporters say the laws are designed to protect children. Republican Rep. Chris Todd believes that exposing children to drag shows is "child abuse."
• Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson said:

"[I]t gives confidence to parents that they can take their kids to a public or private show and will not be blindsided by a sexualized performance."

The backlash against the bill

• LGBTQ+ activists and advocates are gravely concerned about the continuous legislation that seeks to reduce the visibility of community members in public life.
• Drag queen and activist Steve Raimo said:

"[T]heir ultimate goal is to eradicate LGBT persons and culture. And I'm sorry to tell you, but there isn't a piece of legislation that's going to stop me from being who I am."

• Performers argue that drag is not inherently sexual and that categorizing it along with adult entertainment is inaccurate, inappropriate, and offensive. They argue that it is part of a fallacious argument that drag queens and LGBTQ+ individuals are "grooming" children. 
• Civil rights groups say that the laws are unconstitutional, redundant due to existing obscenity laws, and will lead to further stigmatization and harassment of LGBTQ+ communities.  
• Raimo said:

"[W]e all want to protect children, but I want to protect children against child poverty. I want to protect children that are homeless on the street. I want to protect children that are in the foster care system. I want to protect children that are scared to go to school because of school shootings."

Do you think Tennessee's decision is unconstitutional? Contact Gov. Bill Lee and tell him to not sign the bill into law. 

—Emma Kansiz

(Photo credit: Flickr/David Geitgey Sierralupe)