The Republican majority in the Tennessee Legislature passed a bill that would restrict drag performances, with penalties of up to six years in prison. The state thus takes the lead in the Republican-led effort to limit drag in at least fifteen states.
The Republicans are responding to the increased visibility of drag, in which entertainers pose as someone of the opposite sex. The phenomenon grew from an underground performance art in the gay scene to mainstream entertainment, including the popular television show RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Drag performers and civil rights groups call the drag ban unconstitutional and unnecessary. They see the measure as part of the Republican push to pass laws restricting the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people across the country.