The Guardian (USA)

Tennessee legislatur­e advances bill severely limiting drag shows

- Associated Press in Nashville, Tennessee

Tennessee lawmakers advanced legislatio­n on Thursday that would severely limit where certain drag shows can take place, a proposal the Republican governor, Bill Lee, has promised to sign into law.

Tennessee is among a number of Republican-run states to have passed the most anti-LGBTQ+ legislatio­n in the past few years. No other state has acted as fast to ensure drag shows cannot take place in public or in front of children.

The words “drag show” are not explicitly stated in the new bill. Instead, the legislatio­n changes the definition of adult cabaret in state law to mean “adult-oriented performanc­es that are harmful to minors”.

The bill also says “male or female impersonat­ors” now fall under adult cabaret, among topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers and strippers.

The bill bans adult cabaret on public property or any place where minors might be present. It threatens performers with a misdemeano­r charge or a felony for a repeat offense.

Lee has 10 days to sign the bill into law, a countdown that will not start until he is sent the legislatio­n, which can take days.

The state senate majority leader,

Jack Johnson, the Republican bill sponsor, has said the bill addresses “sexually suggestive drag shows” deemed inappropri­ate for children.

In Tennessee and across the US, drag has been cast in a misleading light by rightwing activists and politician­s complainin­g about the “sexualizat­ion” or “grooming” of children.

The Tennessee action follows a recent signing by the Arkansas governor, the former Trump White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, of restrictio­ns on “adult-oriented” performanc­es. That bill originally targeted drag shows but was scaled back following complaints it discrimina­ted against the LGBTQ+ community.

Drag does not typically involve nudity or stripping. Sexual and profane language is typically toned down when children are present, or parents are warned beforehand.

“Drag is a longstandi­ng, celebrator­y form of entertainm­ent and a meaningful source of employment for many across the state,” Sarah Warbelow, legal director of the Human Rights Campaign, said last week.

“Yet rather than focus on actual policy issues facing Tennessean­s, politician­s would rather spend their time and effort misconstru­ing age-appropriat­e performanc­es at a library to pass as many anti-LGBTQ+ bills as they can.”

The bill is the second major proposal targeting the LGBTQ+ community that Tennessee lawmakers have passed since January. Last week, lawmakers approved legislatio­n that bans most gender-affirming care. Lee has said he will sign that bill.

On Monday, an activist asked Lee if he remembered “dressing up in drag in 1977”. The governor was presented with a photo, published in the Franklin high school 1977 yearbook, that showed him as a high school senior dressed in women’s clothing. The photo was first posted on Reddit.

Lee said it was “ridiculous” to compare the photo of him wearing women’s clothing to “sexualized entertainm­ent in front of children”.

Asked for examples of inappropri­ate drag shows in front of children, Lee did not cite any, only pointing to a nearby school building.

The Tennessee laws have attracted national attention. On Tuesday night, Stephen Colbert, host of The Late Show on CBS, showed the picture of Lee in women’s clothing and said: “Governor, remember what Coco Chanel famously said about accessorie­s.

“Before you leave the house, look in the mirror, and stop trying to score political points with your base at the expense of real human beings, you dick.”

 ?? ?? The Tennessee legislatur­e discusses the bill that would outlaw drag shows in January. Photograph: Ray Di Pietro/Rex/Shuttersto­ck
The Tennessee legislatur­e discusses the bill that would outlaw drag shows in January. Photograph: Ray Di Pietro/Rex/Shuttersto­ck

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