Today, in the state of Tennessee drag shows have been banned in public settings and in the presence of children. Drag shows are prohibited from occurring 1,000 feet from schools, public parks or places of worship.
Why is there a sudden ban on drag shows?
In Tennessee in the recent past, there have been controversies surrounding drag and its meaning. These controversies brought drag into the eyes of right-winged activists and politicians. These (so-called) controversies are due to parents sending their children with money to tip the drag queens.
The issue that Republicans have is the ‘children’ tipping the drag queens. Right-wing activists and politicians who have (obviously) never been to a drag show think of it as a sexual act.
To this, iconic Drag Queen, Veronica Electronica said, “Tipping is not sexual. We tip our servers, we tip our bartenders, we tip our hair stylists and we tip our Drag Queens. It’s just a gesture of appreciation.”
To learn about this absurd ban, first, we must learn about drag.
What is drag?
Drag is a way of self-expression for many. It is a form of entertainment in which a person impersonates the other gender in their own interpretation. They wear exaggerated costumes, hair and makeup. It is a part of queer culture and art.
Is drag sexual?
As stated before drag is a way of self-expression. Drag is not congenitally sexual, it is mostly done for entertainment by lip-syncing, live singing, and dancing. On the other hand, drag could be sexual and in such cases, drag shows have an age restriction.
Do children need to be protected from Drag Queens?
Drag Queens are not a danger to kids. Period. They teach children acceptance, confidence and most importantly self-expression. Drag Queens make a difference in the youth who are struggling with their own identity. Drag shows are a place for queer kids to feel safe and accepted.
A fun fact about drag. In WW2, American soldiers dressed in drag in their past time to have fun. These soldiers serving in a war, these soldiers who could be killed the very next day chose to bring joy into their lives by drag.
If there are drag shows that are children friendly, why are they getting banned?
Republicans are using kids as a ‘political tool to propagate hate. This law will make all the conservatives and Republican voters vote for Republicans.
Looking at the Act:
“‘Adult cabaret performance’ means a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest…”
The problem with this act is not what it says but what it doesn't say. ‘The breath of the language’ used is deliberately vague to attack the queer community. This act is vague by design.
A significant word used in the bill is ‘performance’. Who is to judge what a performance is, it could mean different things to different people. For eg: a transgender person- could be viewed as a ‘male or female impersonator’ and if they were to be dancing to music in public- could we call that a ‘performance’?
Another term that stands out is ‘male and female impersonator’. Is a man wearing feminine clothes a female impersonator? Is a woman wearing masculine clothes a male impersonator? Are non-binary people female or male impersonators? Are androgynous people male or female impersonators? Is the entire transgender community male or female impersonators? This act is dangerous to everyone who could be viewed as a male or female impersonator because of their choice of clothing.
A question during the assembly was if Madonna would be viewed as a male impersonator for wearing a suit during her upcoming show in Nashville. Under the law in Tennessee, she could be put into jail for a year.
Another flaw in the act is that topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers and strippers are all meant to be erotic and ‘prurient’ acts. Drag is not meant to be sexual. Granted that some drag shows are sexual (with age restrictions) but most are not.
This innate vagueness makes the act a threat to many queer people who could be viewed as a ‘male or female impersonator’.
Different ways of viewing the act:
This act directly attacks transgender children as drag shows are their one safe place. That sadly isn’t the only anti-transgender bill passed this year. A few hours later Governor Bill Lee also signed an act that banned gender-affirming care for minors and asked transgender minors to detransition. Republicans are making transgender people feel as if they are a danger to society.
This act directly targets the lgbtqia+ community. Drag is inherently queer, this ban stigmatizes queer culture and art. Many people have called this an ‘assault on the queer community’.
Moreover, this act will essentially take money out of the pockets of drag queens who depend on performing as a livelihood.
People are asking questions and a very important one is about pride parades. If drag queens attend pride parades with a minor present in the crowd, could the police potentially arrest them?
Many also believe that the government is limiting the people's freedom of speech and expression. The government is limiting the self-expression of one's identity, mostly gender identity.
Parents are enraged as the government is now interfering in parenting. Calling this a ‘war on parents’. The government is now trying to tell parents who their kids should and shouldn't interact with.
In my opinion, this is a distraction from the real issues at hand. The real issue is gun violence. America just surpassed 125 mass shootings in the year 2023. 126th mass shooting took place in Tennessee, on 27th March, it was a school shooting in Nashville. There were six victims- three 9-year-old kids and 3 school staff members. The 127th mass shooting also took place in Tennessee with 2 men dead and 5 injured.
Republicans have banned drag because they are ’protecting kids and families and parents.’ If Republicans wanted to protect children they would work towards curbing gun violence. In recent years, Republicans have made it their priority to make guns more accessible to everyone for eg: Republicans pushed to drop the age limit for carrying a handgun. A spokesman for House Speaker Cameron Sexton didn’t respond to requests seeking comment about the Nashville shooting.
On 28th March, protestors gathered to urge the legislature to pass gun control measures.
During a White House briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre slammed Tennessee Governor's ban on drag shows saying, “So, it’s part of a larger pattern from elected officials who espouse freedom and liberty but apparently think that freedom of speech only extends to people who agree with them.”
I hope Tennessee passes gun control measures for the sake of children and parents. I hope Republicans realize that it would cause children more trauma to have to practice school shooting drills than be present at a drag show.
Drag isn't hurting anyone. In fact, it helps children learn inclusivity and self-expression. Drag is important, drag is needed. Drag is art.
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