As Tennessee, others target drag shows, many wonder: Why?

The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee’s Republican governor has signed legislation that bans drag shows from taking place in public or in front of children.

Other states are considering similar bills, but none has acted as fast as Tennessee.

Across the country, conservative activists and politicians complain that drag shows contribute to the “sexualization” or “grooming” of children.

The protestations have arisen fairly suddenly around a form of entertainment that has long had a place on the mainstream American stage.

One academic who studies drag says that it “is not a threat to anyone” and that “it makes no sense to be criminalizing or vilifying drag in 2023.”

Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill into law on Thursday.

Read the full story on AP News right here.

(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

3/2/2023 4:44:18 PM (GMT -6:00)