鈥淚f I hadn鈥檛 been a girl, I鈥檇 have been a drag queen.鈥�
Dolly Parton has uttered those words famously and often. But if she really were a drag queen, one of Tennessee鈥檚 most famous daughters would likely be out of a job under legislation passed Thursday and soon heading to Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who has promised to sign it.
Across the country, conservative activists and politicians complain that drag contributes to the 鈥渟exualization鈥� or 鈥済rooming鈥� of children. Several states are considering restrictions, but none has acted as fast as Tennessee to ensure children are not exposed to drag. The efforts seek to extinguish popular 鈥� drag story hours 鈥� at which queens read to kids. Organizers of LGBTQ Pride events say they put a chill on their parades. And advocates note that the bills, pushed largely by Republicans, burden businesses in an un-Republican fashion.
The protestations have arisen fairly suddenly around a form of entertainment that has long had a place on the mainstream American stage.
Milton Berle, 鈥淢r. Television鈥� himself, was appearing in drag on the public airwaves as early as the 1950s on 鈥淭exaco Star Theater.鈥� 鈥淩uPaul鈥檚 Drag Race鈥� is a bona fide cultural phenomenon. Highly popular drag brunches bring revenue to restaurants. That such spectacles are now being portrayed as a danger to children boggles the minds of people who study, perform and appreciate drag.
鈥淒rag is not a threat to anyone. It makes no sense to be criminalizing or vilifying drag in 2023,鈥� said Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes, a professor of culture and gender studies at the University of Michigan and author of 鈥淭ranslocas: The Politics of Puerto Rican Drag and Trans Performance.鈥�
鈥淚t is a space where people explore their identities,鈥� said La Fountain-Stokes, who has done drag himself. 鈥淏ut it is also a place where people simply make a living. Drag is a job. Drag is a legitimate artistic expression that brings people together, that entertains, that allows certain individuals to explore who they are and allows all of us to have a very nice time. So it makes literally no sense for legislators, for people in government, to try to ban drag.鈥�
Drag does not typically involve nudity or stripping, which are 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. At shows meant for adults, venues or performers generally warn beforehand about age-inappropriate content.
The word 鈥渄rag鈥� does not appear in the Tennessee bill. Instead, it changes the definition of adult cabaret in Tennessee鈥檚 law to mean 鈥渁dult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors.鈥� It also says 鈥渕ale or female impersonators鈥� 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 a misdemeanor charge, or a felony if it鈥檚 a repeat offense.
The bill has raised concerns that it could be used to target transgender people, but sponsors say that is not the intent.
The Tennessee Pride Chamber, a business advocacy group, predicted that 鈥渟elective surveillance and enforcement鈥� will lead to court challenges and 鈥渕assive expenses鈥� as governments defend an unconstitutional law that will harm the state鈥檚 brand.
鈥淭ourism, which contributes significantly to our state鈥檚 growth and well-being, may well suffer from boycotts disproportionately affecting members of our community who work in Tennessee鈥檚 restaurants, arts, and hospitality industries,鈥� chamber President Brian Rosman wrote in an email to The Associated Press. 鈥淐orporations will not continue to expand or relocate here if their employees 鈥� and their recruits 鈥� don鈥檛 feel safe or welcomed in Tennessee.鈥�
John Camp, a Pride organizer in Knoxville, said the event in Tennessee鈥檚 third-largest city will be somber this October 鈥� describing it as 鈥渕ore of a march than a celebration.鈥� There were 100 drag performers last year, he said, but he is unsure how many can participate this year.
Several other states, including Idaho, Kentucky, North Dakota, Montana and Oklahoma, are considering similar bans. And the Arkansas governor recently signed a bill that puts new restrictions on 鈥渁dult-oriented鈥� performances. It originally targeted drag shows but was scaled back following complaints of anti-LGBTQ discrimination.
鈥淚 find it irresponsible to create a law based on a complete lack of understanding and determined willful misinterpretation of what drag actually is,鈥� Montana state Rep. Connie Keogh said in February during floor debate. 鈥淚t is part of the cultural fabric of the LGBTQ+ community and has been around for centuries.鈥�
Tennessee state Sen. Jack Johnson, the Republican sponsor, says his bill addresses 鈥渟exually suggestive drag shows鈥� 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 complaint spearheaded by a Republican state representative sought to prevent the show, but organizers reached a settlement to hold it indoors, with an age restriction.
And in Chattanooga, false allegations of child abuse spread online after far-right activists posted video of a child feeling a female performer鈥檚 sequined costume. Online commentators falsely said the performer was male, and it has gone on to be used as a rationale to ban children from drag shows.
鈥淩ather 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,鈥� Sarah Warbelow, legal director for the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement last week.
At times, the vitriol has become violence. Protesters, some of them armed, threw rocks and smoke grenades at one another outside a drag event in Oregon last year.
The Tennessee drag bill marks the second major proposal targeting LGBTQ people that lawmakers in the state have passed this year. Last week, lawmakers approved legislation that bans most gender-affirming care. Lee says he plans on signing the bill.
Lee was fielding questions Monday from reporters about the legislation and other LGBTQ bills when an activist asked him if he remembered 鈥渄ressing up in drag in 1977.鈥� He was presented with a photo that showed the governor as a high school senior dressed in women鈥檚 clothing that was published in the Franklin High School 1977 yearbook. The photo was first posted on Reddit over the weekend.
Lee said it is 鈥渞idiculous鈥� to compare the photo to 鈥渟exualized entertainment in front of children.鈥� When asked for specific examples of inappropriate drag shows taking place in front of children, Lee did not cite any, only pointing to a nearby school building and saying he was concerned about protecting children.
鈥擪imberlee Kruesi And Jeff Mcmillan, The Associated Press
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