Image Credit: knoxvilletheater.com / memphis-theater.com / ticketsonsale.com
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Tennesseans’ tax dollars are once again helping fund Holiday Drag Queen extravaganzas from one end of the state to the other.
This year, “A Drag Queen Christmas” which is in its tenth consecutive year, will make appearances at two publicly funded venues, Knoxville’s historic Tennessee Theatre and also the Orpheum Theater in Memphis.
Two years ago, the show also made a stop in Nashville at the James K. Polk Theater. Watch a clip of that show here.
When the show came to Nashville, there were no age restrictions on the tickets. The show had been advertised in other states as for “all ages.”
The same year in Knoxville, residents held a candlelight vigil to pray and grieve on the opposite side of the street from the theater with approximately five hundred protestors in attendance. Clips of the show had been widely distributed on the internet showing children interacting with performers and handing them tips.
Two days before the show in Knoxville, Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville-District 14) spoke to constituents on Twitter (now X) to relay that city officials had spoken with the show’s promoter in order to ensure the safety of any children that might attend the show with their parents.
As a result of that conversation, an expectation was set that the drag queens would not interact with children at the Tennessee Theatre as they had in other cities where the show had already toured. Local law enforcement also attended to monitor the performance.
These instances, as well as vulgar Drag Queen shows all over the state at various Pride festivals where minors were present, ultimately prompted lawmakers to take action during the 2023 legislative session to amend the state’s laws with regard to “adult cabaret performances.”
While the newly amended law faced a challenge in Shelby County almost immediately, in July, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s ruling in that lawsuit, finding that the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue.
With that injunction lifted, public venues have had to weigh whether to allow drag performances that do not have age restrictions or risk being exposed to lawsuits should the performance provide entertainment that appeals to a “prurient interest.”
In Tennessee statute, this is defined 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 have called the law an attack on free speech but Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has said that the entertainment act has been misrepresented.
“As a state overflowing with world-class artists and musicians, Tennessee respects the right to free expression,” Skrmetti has said. “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.”
It seems that venues are finally getting the message.
“A Drag Queen Christmas” is an 18+ only show this year, in both Knoxville and Memphis, featuring contestants from RuPaul’s Drag Race television show.
Last year, with the Shelby County lawsuit in the midst of litigation, RuPaul’s Night of the Living Drag was hosted in all three grand divisions of the state with no age restriction on attendance, including the Grand Ole Opry House, known the world over for family-friendly and wholesome entertainment.
For an idea of the kind of content that show included, watch here.
Be advised: The content is very sexual in nature with representations of nudity, BDSM, cannibalism, violence, and various sex acts.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
2 Responses
Yup, lucifer’s dimmercrap/RINO cities.
Sounds like a lot of holiday fun! Stop being a grinch. No one’s forcing you to go.