Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
In a vote split almost exclusively along party lines, a bill to ban drag shows in public spaces passed the House yesterday 74 to 19.
Representative Brock Martin (D-Huntingdon-District 79) was the lone Democrat who joined the supermajority of Republicans in voting for House Bill 0009, a bill that sponsor Representative Chris Todd (R-Madison County-District 73) called a “commonsense child-safety bill.”
The bill creates 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 minor. A first violation of this offense is a Class A misdemeanor, and a second or subsequent violation of this offense is a Class E felony.
Democrats argued that HB 0009 is a “hateful” bill aimed at erasing trans men and women, harms businesses in Nashville, and threatens high profile entertainers such as Beyoncé with arrest.
Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville-District 52) stated that if Republican lawmakers were serious about protecting children, that they would be going after “Bible camps” run by Southern Baptists where children have allegedly been victims of sexual abuse.
More than one Democratic lawmaker took issue with the language in the bill, accusing Todd of making it “overly broad.” Representative John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville-District 55) insisted that the bill will not stand up in court and doesn’t pass constitutional muster. Todd pointed out that the law uses language that has been part of Tennessee code for decades, and that multiple attorneys have already looked it over.
More than once, Todd had to point lawmakers back to the language in the bill that shows that it aims to protect children from entertainment of a “sexual nature” – those Democrats who insisted that the Drag Show brunches and similar events in their districts were “family friendly” have no reason to protest the bill as it does not outright ban Drag in all forms. According to Todd, it is not the intent of the bill to classify people who identify as trans as “male or female impersonators,” as Representative Bob Freeman (D-Nashville-District 56) argued.
Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville-District 14) addressed the House to give them some backstory for the bill, reminding them of the Drag Queen Christmas Show that came to Knoxville’s historic Tennessee Theatre on December 22nd, 2022. Video of the show in a different city and state was widely circulated on social media before its stop in Knoxville and Tennesseans were outraged that children in attendance were subjected to overtly sexual content.
Two days before the show in Knoxville, city officials spoke with the show’s promoter in an attempt to ensure the safety of children who would be attending. An expectation was set at that time that performers would not interact with Tennessee children as they had in previous cities where the show had already toured. Local law enforcement monitored the performance.
With the bill having received more than 50% of the votes in the House, it will now make its way to Governor Lee’s desk to be signed into law.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
