What You Need to Know About the Recent Anti-Drag Bill

On March 2nd, Tennessee became the first state in 2023 to restrict drag performances. Since then, similar bills have been introduced across the US, including in Texas, West Virginia, Nebraska, South Carolina, and North Dakota. This poses huge, potentially scary implications about personal self-expression, particularly for those who identify as a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Here’s what you need to know.

The Bill

The bill, passed by Governor Bill Lee, limits “adult cabaret” on public property or places within 1,000 feet of children, such as schools, public parks, and places of worship. It will take effect on April 1, 2023, after which the first offense will be classified as a misdemeanor and any subsequent offenses will be considered felonies. 

Implications

You might be wondering what “adult cabaret” really means, and many critics of the bill claim that it’s vague by design. While the bill states that this category includes “topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators”, it still isn’t clear who falls into the category of male or female impersonation. Some worry this is a thinly veiled attack on trans people, especially since Tennessee also recently banned gender-affirming care for minors. 

Another group that’s targeted is drag kings and queens, many of whom consider themselves male and female impersonators. The bill would also likely put events like Drag Story Hour– where drag queens read books to kids in libraries, schools, and other public spaces–  to an end. 

What’s not yet clear is if drag performers– and maybe even trans people– will still be able to attend celebrations like Pride, which occur in public, since minors will be in attendance. Another concern is whether this will apply to theater performances where actors often play characters with different gender identities. Since the terms of the bill are so loosely defined, it’s hard to predict who and what is at risk. 

Two Sides

Those in favor of the bill say they want to prevent children from seeing sexually explicit performances. Tennessee state senator Jack Johnson stated that the bill “does not ban drag shows in public”, but simply puts “age restrictions in place”. He also added that the bill aims to protect children and their families in public places.

A photo from Governor Lee’s high school yearbook recently leaked online where Lee is dressed as a cheerleader. In response to claims of hypocrisy, Lee stated that they were “ridiculous” and “conflating something like that [photo] to sexualized entertainment in front of children”. Of course, this led to questions about whether Lee believed cross-dressing was only okay when it was done by straight people. Tennessee drag performer Hella Skeleton even said in response, “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.”

As mentioned before, those against the bill think it will be used to criminalize being trans. Some even question whether it goes against the First Amendment right of freedom of expression. Many prominent drag queens and trans performers have spoken out against the bill, including BenDeLaCreme, Kerri Colby, and Jackie Cox. RuPaul even described the bill as Tennessee lawmakers looking for “easy targets so they can give the impression of being effective”.

In response to these bills, GLAAD, an LGBTQ media organization, put together a video of queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race taking a stand against the recent legislation. Additionally, the most recent episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race parodied the musical Footloose in “Wigloose”, which presents a world where drag is banned– a pretty obvious commentary on recent politics. Outside of the challenge, though, the contestants candidly discuss how drag saved their life and provided them with a family, showing the vital role drag plays in the queer community. 

To aid those being targeted by the Tennessee bill and other anti-LGBTQ legislation, the ACLU launched a Drag Defense Fund with support from RuPaul’s Drag Race, MTV, and World of Wonder. If you want to support the queer community and drag performers through these bills, consider donating.