Tennessee has outlawed drag shows in public. Now other American states want to follow suit.

The American political system has leaned towards extreme conservatism of late. We've seen it with their increasingly lax gun laws and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. 

Now, it's an attack on drag queens and the wider LGBTQIA+ community. 

Last week, the governor of Tennessee signed a new bill that prohibits "male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest" from performing on public property or anywhere a minor could be present. 

In the US court system the phrase "prurient interest" is material deemed as "having a tendency to excite lustful thoughts".

Rather than overtly referring to drag queens and drag shows, the bill classifies it as "adult cabaret performances". But the subtext is clear, with many advocates saying the language used in the bill is an attempt to mask anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination.

Watch: Drag queens to perform despite and in spite of new Tennessee drag laws. Post continues below. 

The definition of drag in the bill is intentionally broad, implying that any performer presenting as a gender different from the one assigned to them at birth in a non-18+ venue could be subject to a misdemeanour charge, punishable by a fine and/or up to a year in jail. 

As a result, Tennessee has become the first American state to restrict drag show performances in public. And there are plenty of other states keen to follow suit.

For context, drag does not typically involve nudity or stripping. Sexual and profane language is often a feature in 18+ shows, but it's always toned down for under-18 performances or shows.

Although the law does not specifically make all drag 'illegal' in Tennessee, its implications are profound. Not only on the future and safety of drag queens, but the trans community as well. 

As one trans woman, Nikki Orlowski, said to WTOL Television station, she fears for her personal safety. Nikki isn't a performer "presenting as a gender different from the one assigned to them at birth" like the bill outlaws. But for law enforcement officials who possess anti-trans views, they may choose not to see any difference. 

As she said: "This is our lives and our identity. This is my identity, it's not a costume. I can't take it off."

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), more than 388 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills have been introduced in just 2023 alone – including transgender bathroom bans and gender-affirming medical care bans.

Tennessee is also one of many Republican states that recently made it illegal for transgender minors to access gender-affirming medical care.

In the wake of the bill, many celebrities – both members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies – have taken a stand.

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And RuPaul, a major queer icon, pointed out that the new law is a "classic distraction technique."

"It distracts us away from the real issues that they were voted into office to focus on: jobs, healthcare, keeping our children safe from harm at their own school," they said, referencing the sheer number of school shootings.  

"They look for easy targets so they can give the impression of being effective. They think our love, our light, our laughter and our joy are signs of weakness, but they're wrong, because that is our strength. Drag queens are the marines of the queer movement."

RuPaul is the creator behind and host of RuPaul's Drag Race – a drag performance competition that has won over 26 Emmy awards and is celebrated for its LGBTQIA+ representation.

And for many of the queens who have featured on the show (which has been running since 2009) they now feel unsafe to perform or express themselves in their own home state.

"The people making these laws have no idea what we do or who we are," said one this season's drag queens, Aura Mayari. 

"These laws have nothing to do with protecting children. This is about attacking LGBTQ artists and making it more difficult for trans people to live their normal lives. It's about spreading hate."

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Even though the language used in the bill isn't overt, the sentiment is. 

Some of the figures behind the bill have even stated the anti-LGBTQIA+ nature of the new legislation. 

Republican politician for Tennessee, Jack Johnson, likened drag story time events in local libraries (designed specifically for kids and families) to "sexually suggestive drag shows". He's not the only conservative politician to do so – with many accusing drag shows designed for a young audience as 'sexualising' and 'grooming' of children. 

It's a sentiment the whole drag community has been fighting back against for years.

We've even seen it play out in Australia as well. Who could forget when a Liberal senator accused the ABC of 'grooming' kids after Courtney Act appeared on Play School to read a story about girls wearing trousers.

Wrote an opinion piece in todays @smh.

“Showing queer kids straight content won’t turn them straight. And showing straight kids queer content won’t turn them queer…It just depends on how much shame you want them to carry into their lives.”https://t.co/HCLGIGXjhN pic.twitter.com/RMXtJqp8YX

— Courtney Act (@courtneyact) November 18, 2022

Or the time a Young Liberals member protested out the front of a Brisbane library over its drag queen story time event for little kids.

In the wake of Tennessee passing this law, ACLU said they plan to challenge enforcement of this law if it is used to punish a drag performer or shut down a family-friendly LGBTQIA+ event.

"Discriminating against drag performances based on the content of their expression is a direct contradiction of a fundamental principle of our democracy: our First Amendment right to express ourselves on and off the stage," they said. "So let's call this what it is – a malicious attempt to remove LGBTQ people from public life."

The state of Tennessee ranks 36th in overall child well-being.
44th in health.
14th in infant mortality.
In 2021, it was ranked the 4th most violent state in the country.
And 1 in 5 children there live in poverty.

But sure, ban drag shows.

— Jo 🌻 (@JoJoFromJerz) March 7, 2023

There are also concerns that it won't just be law enforcement officials, but civilians, who use this bill to their advantage.

In recent months there have been numerous protests across parts of America disrupting drag shows or inciting violence. 

There was also the mass shooting at Club Q, a LGBTQIA+ nightclub in Colorado which hosts drag shows, where five people were murdered in November 2022. It happened on the eve of the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. 

Other bills focused on drag shows and performances are now in the works across America, and will likely soon be passed in states such as Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, South Carolina and West Virginia.

Many drag queens from Tennessee have said they plan to continue their shows and perform in protest.

As drag performer Bella DuBalle said to ABC News: "My question to the governor was, 'Can you produce any evidence of a child being harmed or abused at a drag show?' He can't cite one, not a single instance has this ever occurred.

"I think it's an attempt to control what their kids' worldview is. Homosexuality is not vampirism. You know, you cannot turn a kid queer. You can't do that. No one's trying to turn kids queer. We're trying to keep queer kids alive."

If you think you may be experiencing depression or another mental health problem, please contact your general practitioner. If you're based in Australia, 24-hour support is available through Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 22 4636. For LGBTQIA+ people support is available via QLife.

Feature Image: Getty.