B次元官网网址淚f I hadnB次元官网网址檛 been a girl, IB次元官网网址檇 have been a drag queen.B次元官网网址�

Dolly Parton has uttered those words famously and often. But if she really were a drag queen, one of TennesseeB次元官网网址檚 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 B次元官网网址渟exualizationB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址済roomingB次元官网网址� 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 B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� 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 that has long had a place on the mainstream American stage.

Milton Berle, B次元官网网址淢r. TelevisionB次元官网网址� himself, was on the public airwaves as early as the 1950s on B次元官网网址淭exaco Star Theater.B次元官网网址� 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.

B次元官网网址淒rag is not a threat to anyone. It makes no sense to be criminalizing or vilifying drag in 2023,B次元官网网址� said Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes, a professor of culture and gender studies at the University of Michigan and author of B次元官网网址淭ranslocas: The Politics of Puerto Rican Drag and Trans Performance.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚t is a space where people explore their identities,B次元官网网址� said La Fountain-Stokes, who has done drag himself. B次元官网网址淏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.B次元官网网址�

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 B次元官网网址渄ragB次元官网网址� does not appear in the Tennessee bill. Instead, it changes the definition of adult cabaret in TennesseeB次元官网网址檚 law to mean B次元官网网址渁dult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors.B次元官网网址� It also says B次元官网网址渕ale or female impersonatorsB次元官网网址� 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 itB次元官网网址檚 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 B次元官网网址渟elective surveillance and enforcementB次元官网网址� will lead to court challenges and B次元官网网址渕assive expensesB次元官网网址� as governments defend an unconstitutional law that will harm the stateB次元官网网址檚 brand.

B次元官网网址淭ourism, which contributes significantly to our stateB次元官网网址檚 growth and well-being, may well suffer from boycotts disproportionately affecting members of our community who work in TennesseeB次元官网网址檚 restaurants, arts, and hospitality industries,B次元官网网址� chamber President Brian Rosman wrote in an email to The Associated Press. B次元官网网址淐orporations will not continue to expand or relocate here if their employees B次元官网网址� and their recruits B次元官网网址� donB次元官网网址檛 feel safe or welcomed in Tennessee.B次元官网网址�

John Camp, a Pride organizer in Knoxville, said the event in TennesseeB次元官网网址檚 third-largest city will be somber this October B次元官网网址� describing it as B次元官网网址渕ore of a march than a celebration.B次元官网网址� There were 100 drag performers last year, he said, but he is unsure how many can participate this year.

Several other states, including Idaho, , , Montana and Oklahoma, are considering similar bans. And the Arkansas governor recently signed a on B次元官网网址渁dult-orientedB次元官网网址� performances. It originally targeted drag shows but was scaled back following complaints of anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

B次元官网网址淚 find it irresponsible to create a law based on a complete lack of understanding and determined willful misinterpretation of what drag actually is,B次元官网网址� Montana state Rep. Connie Keogh said in February during floor debate. B次元官网网址淚t is part of the cultural fabric of the LGBTQ+ community and has been around for centuries.B次元官网网址�

Tennessee state Sen. Jack Johnson, the Republican sponsor, says his bill addresses B次元官网网址渟exually suggestive drag showsB次元官网网址� 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 with an age restriction.

And in Chattanooga, spread online after far-right activists posted video of a child feeling a female performerB次元官网网址檚 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.

B次元官网网址淩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,B次元官网网址� 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 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 . 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 B次元官网网址渄ressing up in drag in 1977.B次元官网网址� He was presented with a photo that showed the governor as a high school senior dressed in womenB次元官网网址檚 clothing that was published in the Franklin High School 1977 yearbook. The photo was first posted on Reddit over the weekend.

to compare the photo to B次元官网网址渟exualized entertainment in front of children.B次元官网网址� 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.

B次元官网网址擪imberlee Kruesi And Jeff Mcmillan, The Associated Press