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The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Blount Pride has been unsuccessful in finding a venue for their annual festival in light of the state’s law that bans all-age drag shows.
After Blount Pride was denied access for their annual gay pride celebration at Maryville College this year, they have struggled to find a venue. The group will instead host a variety of events at different locations throughout the rest of August and into September.
Organizers for Blount Pride said they were denied access to Maryville College because they refused to cancel drag performances as part of the festival, but a statement from the college cited legal issues, safety concerns, and also the public’s reaction to last year’s event as the reason for the denial.
The LGBTQ group was also unsuccessful in their bid with the city to secure Jack Greene Park, the location of the festival in 2022.
Blount Pride advocates for “all-ages drag” calling drag performances a vital part of pride celebrations.
In 2023, Maryville College allowed the Pride event to be held on their campus in September in their Clayton Center for the Arts. A letter was sent to event organizers and city officials from 5th Judicial District Attorney General Ryan Desmond saying that he was prepared to enforce state law. A lawsuit filed on behalf of Blount Pride followed.
During the event, protestors flooded the campus, holding signs promoting Tennessee’s Adult Entertainment Act, prompting many students to leave campus. Sources stated that this fiasco cost the college tens of thousands of dollars in legal expenses.
In July, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s ruling in a separate lawsuit filed in Shelby County by a drag troop in Memphis, finding that they did not have standing to sue.
With the injunction against the law lifted, public venues will have to weigh whether to allow drag performances that do not have an age restriction as their venues could be exposed to possible legal issues should the drag performance provide entertainment that appeals to a “prurient interest.”
This is defined in Tennessee statute as “a performance of actual or simulated specified sexual activities, including removal of articles of clothing, or appearing unclothed, regardless of whether a fee is charged or accepted for the performance and regardless of whether the performance is provided as an employee or an independent contractor.”
LGBTQ groups continue to call the law an attack on free speech but Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has said that the entertainment act has been misrepresented since it became law.
“As a state overflowing with world-class artists and musicians, Tennessee respects the right to free expression,” said Skrmetti. “But as the [6th Circuit Court of Appeals] noted, Tennessee’s ‘harmful to minors’ standard is constitutionally sound and Tennessee can absolutely prohibit the exhibition of obscene material to children.”
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
9 Responses
Thank God for common sense laws that protect our children!
And thanks to Attorney General Skrmetti for standing up to defend the laws viability.
Thank the Good Lord for some good news! The gay/drag queen agenda has been PUSHED on our Nation since Obama entered office. This is a great indication that we are beginning to reclaim our Soul and the Soul of this Nation!
So grateful that they can’t find a place where children are exposed drag queens. It’s inappropriate. Stop preying on children!
Thanks to your local DA, Ryan D
Serious question > Why do they make such a big deal out of having Drag Queens? Do Drag Queens represent them? I know gay people and NONE of them are Drag Queens or go to performances of Drag Queens. Drag Queens seem to be female impersonators. Is that who the Gay people want to represent them? Isn’t that like having strippers represent straight people? I think they are making a mistake. I certainly would want my kids to go to see Drag Queens or strippers or sex performers.
My question is, why do they have such priority for celebrations the whole month of June, special days during the year, events during the school year, parades or sexual exposure events, flags on government buildings, painting on streets(where people are fined or threatened with jail time if they leave a mark on the “art work “.. for Pete’s sake it’s a street! This is only one group and they have taken over everything! And worse yet, adults want to expose their children to this!
Why does any adult or parent want to take their kids to a show where grown transvestite men, not gays, dress like women strippers and want to grind in front of children? They don’t fight to go to nursing homes, or handicap centers, or Rotary clubs… no, they want to stick their groin in front of kids! They are bent wrong, perverts, and the people who enjoy it are twisted. Do it in adult secluded areas with cover charges and age limits.