2 detained protesting ANTI-LGBTQ legislation at Lee’s YMCA speech

Two people protesting Lgbtq-related legislation at an appearance by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee at a grand opening for the Whitehaven YMCA on Wednesday were briefly detained.

John Wilbanks and Salamander Pride were both detained and issued misdemeanor citations in lieu of a physical arrest. Wilbanks is charged with disorderly conduct and Pride is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting official detention. Memphis police confirmed that both were detained at the event.

In a video posted to social media, Wilbanks described Pride’s arrest as violent. An ambulance was called to the scene is relation to Pride’s arrest, Wilbanks said. It is unclear if Pride sustained any injuries in relation to her arrest.

Lee’s Memphis appearance comes after he announced he would sign two bills described by LGBTQ advocates as dangerous and chilling: one bill will ban gender-affirming healthcare for minors and the other would ban any public performances from “male or female impersonators.”

The latter bill would have a direct impact on pride celebrations throughout Tennessee. Opponents have also warned the bill has a chilling effect on free speech and freedom of expression.

Wilbanks, who goes by the stage name Moth Moth Moth, is a career drag performer who organizes several showcases for performers in the Midsouth. He came to Lee’s YMCA appearance equipped with a sparkly bullhorn, and shouted, “Bill Lee is a fascist,” several times before being detained.

Lee’s appearance in Memphis also comes after he was confronted by a reporter with the Tennessee Holler in Nashville, who showed Lee a picture of what appears to be him dressed as a woman in an old Williamson County yearbook.

Lee said the comparison to him dressing as a woman in public to the ban on public drag shows was “ridiculous.”