Tennessee’s legislature passed a law making it illegal to host “an adult cabaret performance” where children are present. By a vote of 74-19, the lawmakers said that performances, such as those featuring “topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, [and] male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest” are illegal.
The bill is under the category of obscenity and pornography, describing activities as “an offense for a person who engages in an adult cabaret performance on public property or in a location where the adult cabaret performance could be viewed by a person who is not an adult.”
In addition to banning drag queen performances for children, the law bans gender conversion chemicals and procedures for minors.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill into law Thursday. The history of the bill and full description, including votes, can be found at this link.
First-time violators of the obscenity ban may be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a $2,500 fine and up to a year in prison. Repeat offenses will be considered Class E felonies in Tennessee. Most likely, the law will be violated by someone who intends to take it to court.
In some jurisdictions, such as San Francisco, it’s common for the community to hold highly sexualized parades and performances with naked men, and people dressed in sadomasochist attire, and some of these events are intended for children. But no more in Tennessee, where they want kids to have their innocence of childhood free from attack.
Alaska has no such law against sexualized performances for children. Drag queens now are commonly employed to entertain and groom children in Anchorage and Juneau, or in Soldotna, as shown in the photo at the top of the page, where drag queens from Anchorage performed for children in the park.
Sen. Scott Kawasaki, a Fairbanks Democrat, hopes no law will pass in Alaska like the the one just signed into law in the Volunteer State.
“Not in Alaska,” he said on Twitter in response to an AP news report.
The Biden White House has also weighed in to criticize Tennessee lawmakers.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Americans have more important things to worry about than drag queens performing in front of children.
“The American people are focused on so many issues. We just talked about economy, we just talked about inflation, we’re talking about safer communities and schools, and good healthcare — all of the things that you all ask me every day. And you all know that’s what the American people care about,” she said.
“That’s what – even when they went to vote in November, those were the issues that mattered the most to them. But instead of doing anything to address those real issues that are impacting American people, right now you have a governor from Tennessee that has decided to go after drag shows. What sense does that make to go after drag shows? How is that going to help people’s lives?” Jean-Pierre said during the daily White House press briefing.
