The war on drag shows is raging across the country and Tennessee is the frontline

Dolly Parton famously and often uttered these words. But if she really were a drag queen, one of Tennessee’s most famous daughters would likely be out of a job when Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed law into law on Thursday.

Lee signed the law into law without issuing a statement or public ceremony. The bill will go into effect on July 1.

Across the country, conservative activists and politicians complain that drag contributes to the “sexualization” or “grooming” of children. Several states are considering restrictions, but none has acted as quickly as Tennessee to ensure children don’t face drag. Efforts are aimed at wiping out popular “drag story hours” where queens read to children. Organizers of LGBTQ pride events say they keep their parades cool. And proponents are finding the bills, pushed largely by Republicans, weigh on corporations in an anti-Republican way.

The protests have sprung up rather suddenly around a form of entertainment that has long held a place on the American mainstream stage.

Milton Berle, “Mr. Television” itself, appeared in drag on the public airwaves as early as the 1950s at the “Texaco Star Theater”. RuPaul’s Drag Race is a true cultural phenomenon. Very popular drag brunches bring revenue to restaurants. That such spectacles are now portrayed as dangerous to children confuses those who study, portray and appreciate drag.

“Drag is not a threat to anyone. There is no point in criminalizing or denigrating drag in 2023,” said Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes, professor of culture and gender studies at the University of Michigan and author of Translocas: The Politics of Puerto Rican Drag and Trans Performance. .

“It’s a space where people explore their identities,” said La Fountain-Stokes, who drew himself. “But it’s also a place where people just make a living. Towing is a job. Drag is a legitimate artistic expression that brings people together, entertains, allows certain people to find out who they are, and allows us all to have a very good time. So it literally makes no sense for legislators, for people in government, to try to ban drag.”

Drag does not typically involve nudity or stripping, which is more common in the separate art of burlesque. Explicitly sexual and profane language is common in drag performances, but such content is avoided when children are the target audience. For shows intended for adults, venues or performers usually warn in advance about age-appropriate content.

The word “drag” does not appear in the Tennessee bill. Instead, it changes the Tennessee statute’s definition of adult cabaret to “adult-oriented performances harmful to minors.” It also states that “male or female impersonators” now fall under adult cabaret among topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers and strippers.

The bill then bans adult cabaret from public property or anywhere minors might be present. It threatens performers with misdemeanor charges or a felony if it is a repeat offence.

The bill has raised concerns it could be used to target transgender people, but sponsors say that’s not the intent.

The Tennessee Pride Chamber, a business representative, predicted that “selective surveillance and enforcement” will lead to lawsuits and “massive costs” as governments defend an unconstitutional law that will damage the state’s brand.

“Tourism, a major contributor to our state’s growth and prosperity, may well suffer from boycotts that disproportionately affect members of our community who work in Tennessee’s restaurants, arts and hospitality businesses,” Chamber President Brian Rosman wrote in an email The Associated Press. “Companies will not continue to expand or move here if their employees — and their recruits — don’t feel safe or welcome in Tennessee.”

John Camp, a Knoxville-based Pride organizer, said the event in Tennessee’s third-largest city will be somber this October, describing it as “more of a march than a celebration.” Last year there were 100 drag performers, he said, but he’s not sure how many can attend this year.

Several other states, including Idaho, Kentucky, North Dakota, Montana and Oklahoma, are considering similar bans. And the Arkansas governor recently signed legislation introducing new restrictions on “adult-oriented” performances. It originally targeted drag shows but was scaled back after complaints of anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

“I find it irresponsible to create legislation based on a complete lack of understanding and a determined willful misinterpretation of what drag actually is,” Montana State Assemblyman Connie Keogh said during a plenary debate in February. “It’s part of the cultural fabric of the LGBTQ+ community and has existed for centuries.”

Tennessee State Senator Jack Johnson, the Republican sponsor, says his bill covers “sexually suggestive drag shows” that are inappropriate for children.

Months ago, organizers of a Pride festival in Jackson, west of Nashville, came under fire for hosting a drag show in a park. A legal appeal, led by a Republican state official, tried to stop the show, but organizers agreed to hold it indoors with an age restriction.

And in Chattanooga, false allegations of child molestation went viral after far-right activists posted a video of a child feeling a performer’s sequined costume. Online commentators incorrectly said the performer was male, and this was later used as justification for banning children from drag shows.

“Rather than focus on actual political issues facing the people of Tennessee, politicians would rather spend their time and effort misinterpreting age-appropriate performances in a library in order to pass as many anti-LGBTQ+ laws as possible ‘ Sarah Warbelow, legal director of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement last week.

Sometimes the vitriol has turned into violence. Protesters, some armed, threw rocks and smoke grenades at each other before a drag event in Oregon last year.

The Tennessee Drag Bill is the second major LGBTQ proposal passed by the legislature this year. Last week lawmakers passed legislation banning most gender-affirming grooming practices. Lee also enacted that law on Thursday.

Lee was answering reporters’ questions about the legislation and other LGBTQ laws on Monday when an activist asked him if he remembered “dressing in drag in 1977.” He was presented with a photograph of the governor as a senior in women’s clothing that was published in the 1977 Franklin High School yearbook. The photo was first posted on Reddit over the weekend.

Lee said it was “ridiculous” to compare the photo to “sexualized entertainment in front of children.” When asked about specific examples of inappropriate drag shows happening in front of children, Lee didn’t give any, just pointed to a nearby school building and said he was concerned about child protection.