DID STATE BAN DRAG SHOWS?

What do the following have in common?

› Tennessee has banned abortions.

› Tennessee has banned teaching Black history.

› Tennessee has banned books.

› Tennessee has banned drag shows.

If you said the common bond among them is that none of them are true, go to the head of the class.

Yet, news sources in Tennessee have stated unequivocally or intimated that all of the above are, in fact, steps that have been taken in the Volunteer State.

Doubt us? Have a look:

› “Tennessee on Thursday became the latest state in the nation to ban abortion.” — Tennessee Lookout, July 25, 2022

› “How Tennessee law now makes it illegal to teach Black history” — internet headline, Nashville Tennessean, Oct. 5, 2021

› “Most Tennesseans are opposed to banning books, despite lawmakers recent efforts …” — Nashville Tennessean, May 11, 2022

› “Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee quietly signs ban on drag shows …” — internet headline, The Week, March 3, 2023 Those, of course, are but a few of the many examples. The truth:

› Abortions are severely restricted in Tennessee, but they may be performed, though doctors performing them could be asked to defend themselves in court.

› Black history is taught in Tennessee schools; indeed, it is mandated to be taught and is part of the public schools curriculum. What cannot be taught is critical race theory (and, officially, hasn’t been taught), which is a collection of ideas and theories about systemic bias and privilege.

› Tennesseans can read whatever they choose. A law put on the books in 2022 creates a statewide process in which parents, school employees, or other complainants can appeal the decisions of locally elected officials on books challenged as being “inappropriate for the age or maturity levels” of students who can access them.

› Drag shows for adults can continue as they have been in Tennessee, but new legislation which goes into effect July 1 adds restrictions on “adult cabaret entertainment” — such as performances that feature topless or exotic dancers or “male or female impersonators” that provide entertainment appealing “to a prurient interest” — on public property where it can be viewed by minors.

The latter law, signed earlier this week by Gov. Bill Lee, seeks to protect children from drag shows where, according to an Associated Press article in this newspaper Friday, “explicitly sexual and profane language is common.”

However, supporters of such entertainment say drag shows do not typically involve nudity or stripping and that such shows for children do not feature the “sexual and profane language” common in adult shows.

Last fall, we wrote that seeking to ban drag shows completely was wrong but that a community standard of not allowing children in such venues was the way to go. Essentially, that is what the state’s amended law has done.

However, we hope lawmakers thought through the wording in the law, especially given instances in which a man dressed as a woman — or vice versa — might be viewed. For instance, in each of the last two shows of the Tivoli Foundation’s Broadway Series, “My Fair Lady” and the just departed “Chicago,” both vintage musicals, at least one male was dressed as a female character.

Theater companies for centuries have had actors dressed in the clothing of the opposite sex for a variety of reasons, including the availability of actors for shows and the cost of carrying additional people in a traveling troupe.

Thus, we believe the critical word in the law is “prurient,” which is defined as “having or encouraging an excessive interest in sexual matters.” Neither character in “My Fair Lady” or “Chicago” could be said to be dressed in the clothing of the opposite sex for prurient interest.

In supporting the recently signed law, as a page that espouses smaller government, we do not take lightly another law in which the state takes decision-making out of the hands of an individual, or, in this case, a parent.

But legislators over the years have felt inclined to make decisions for all citizens because they believe such decisions would make them safer. Tennesseans under 21 (unless a member or retired member of the armed forces) can’t buy a gun. Motorcycle riders and passengers in Tennessee must wear a helmet. Automobile drivers and front-seat passengers in the Volunteer State must wear seat belts while operating their vehicle.

In this case, legislators believe exposure to formerly adults-only drag shows (said to be modified for children) could be harmful.

As we wrote in September, the secularization of the country and the attempted sexualization of younger and younger children have advanced, especially with what’s openly available online for free and for pay, but we need limits, especially where our most vulnerable citizens are concerned. And if parents won’t enforce those limits, the community — or the state in this case — should, and did.

Now, with the law already signed by the governor, we would ask those who oppose the change to at least be truthful about it. The state did not ban drag shows. It did take steps to keep children from being exposed to them.