The drag queens of Tennessee are challenging a state bill that would prohibit their performances in the presence of children.
The bill, presented by Republican senator Jack Johnson in November, attempts to restrict where drag performances can take place so that minors are not exposed to sexually explicit material.
Senate Bill 3, according to Veronika Electronika, a drag queen at Nashville’s 5 Points Diner and Bar, which organizes a popular drag brunch, is subjective and a blow to the LGBTQ community.
Veronika told NBC News, “If that law passes, I would be committing a potential felony.” I do not know who the drag police will be to determine if my performance was adult-oriented.
The bill is a response to the revelation of film from a drag event at a local college in which children are seen paying dollar cash to performers on stage.
Veronika Electronika, a drag queen at Nashville’s 5 Points Diner & Lounge, referred to the Tennessee bill as “subjective” and a blow to the LGBTQ community.
The 5 Points Diner and Bar, where Electronika works and performs, is a popular brunch spot in Nashville.
The Senate measure refers to drag acts as “adult cabaret performances” and classifies them as “obscene and pornographic.”
If enacted, it “creates an infraction for a person who performs in an adult cabaret performance on public property or in a location where the performance could be witnessed by a minor.”
Advocates for the drag community assert that the acts are comparable to dance styles that are not deemed inappropriate for children.
The executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, Chris Saunders, compared certain drag moves and performances to cheerleading.
Chris Saunders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, asked NBC News, “What does it indicate when someone is dancing and shaking their hips?”
Evidently, cheerleaders do it. Clearly, dance companies do it. If a drag queen does something, does that make it suddenly sexual?’
As the bill refers to drag artists as’male or female impersonators,’ Saunders argued that it could pose a threat to the LGBTQ community.
Saunders stated, “This situation might rapidly deteriorate” You may be more harassed in public for being trans and nonbinary.
The Senate bill is labeled “obscenity and pornography” and refers to adult cabaret acts as “drag events.”
Advocates for drag deemed the bill subjective and a blow to the LGBTQ community.
Senator Johnson defends his proposed legislation and believes that the objective is to restrict sexual “material” near children.
The purpose of the act is to prohibit sexually explicit entertainment… in public places where children may be present, Johnson told the news site.
Senator Johnson defends his proposed legislation and believes the objective is to restrict children’s exposure to sexual ‘material’
Johnson refuted concerns that the bill will negatively impact the LGBTQ community and prohibit drag events in the state entirely.
We are defending children, families, and parents who wish to bring their children to public venues. Nobody is being attacked or targeted by us.
I’ve heard rumors that this bill will prohibit drag shows. Actually, it won’t. It simply states that you cannot engage in sexually explicit behavior. It will not prevent a drag queen from participating in a parade or appearing in public.
In September, a Tennessee institution was criticized for hosting a campus drag show that insulted Christianity as young children paid money to performers. In response, Johnson introduced the bill.
Landon Starbuck tweeted that the video made fun of Christians and was inappropriate for youngsters.
Backdoor Playhouse, a theater troupe at Tennessee Tech University, held a Christianity-themed drag show with the performer dressed as a Catholic monk before stripping to a corset and stockings.
Landon Starbuck, who advocates against human trafficking and child exploitation, remarked on Twitter about the video, “Tennessee Tech University held a drag concert in which young children handed cash to a drag queen performing a dance meant to ridicule Christians.”
The footage depicted children ages 3 to 10 attending the show.
Starbuck commented, “Every parent who pays to send their children to Tennessee Tech deserves to know that this is permitted on campus.”
The video went viral and grabbed the attention of the school’s president, Phil Oldham, who was unaware that the show had transpired.
“I am horrified and appalled by the acts seen in a video that is circulating on social media from a recent event on the campus of Tennessee Tech. I do not believe the activities seen in the video reflect Tech’s principles, and I do not condone explicit behavior in the presence of youngsters. Oldham authored a statement.
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