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Nashville, TENN. — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed a bill banning drag shows in public spaces, a measure that will likely force drag shows underground in Tennessee.
Lee gave his signature just hours after the measure passed in the Senate Thursday afternoon. In the same sitting, he signed a ban on gender-affirming health care for youth in the state.
The announcement comes as a yearbook photo of the Republican governor in drag recently surfaced on Reddit.
Lee says there’s a big difference between wearing a dress at a high school football game and drag queens wearing a dress on stage.
Hella Skeleton, a drag performer in rural Middle Tennessee, says the line is not clear.
«For Bill Lee to say, ‘You know, that was lighthearted when I did it,’ that is absolutely absurd when a lot of drag is extremely lighthearted,» Skeleton says. «Apparently when straight men dress up badly in drag, that’s OK. But when gay and queer and trans people do it, that’s not OK.»
Republican State Rep. Jack Johnson co-sponsored the bill. He says, «We’re protecting kids and families and parents who want to be able to take their kids to public places. We’re not attacking anyone or targeting anyone.»Broad language worries advocates
The language of the bill has also drawn concern from the larger LGBTQ community. Drag performers are defined as «male or female impersonators.» The ACLU of Tennessee’s Henry Seaton says that could impact queer Tennesseans across the board, not just drag performers.
