Drag Queens: The Newest Political Victim

D. Jones

March 29, 2023

The LGBTQ+ community is constantly in the political spotlight, but not for reasons they deserve. They are always at the forefront of the newest bill passed, bringing their fight for equality back a couple steps. The newest group of the LGBTQ+ community to be under fire by the government is Drag Queens.

Drag Queen performances became more widely popular in 2009, with the release of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the television show that challenges Drag Queens to be their most creative self as they compete against other people in Drag. RuPaul’s Drag Race, hosted by RuPaul himself, won a multitude of awards, including 26 Emmys. But with so much love for the show and the contestants, why is the Tennessee Government putting guidelines on their work, and potentially stripping them of their rights?

According to an Entertainment Weekly article, the newest anti-drag bill was passed by Tennessee Legislation in a 77-16 vote. The bill was then moved to the Republican Governor Lee who signed it into law on March 2, 2023. According to an article by NPR, this law entails banning Drag Queens from performing within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks, or places of worship. The punishment for disobeying this law is a misdemeanor charge punishable for up to $2,500 and/or a year in jail. If this same crime is then repeated, they could face a felony charge with up to six years in jail. To make matters worse, there are nine other Republican led states pushing to add similar laws to their states.

For clarification, sex offenders are not allowed within 1,000 feet of a school. However, if the person is a level 1 or 2 offender, that barrier ends when their probation or parole does. So, Drag Queens must keep their performances away from schools, but a released sex offender may return back to the area in a couple years. But who cares, right? At least our children are away from the "dangerous" Drag Queens.

Republicans who passed this bill are denying all counts of discrimination. The politicians claim the performances are “offensive and inappropriate for children”, but public indecency is already illegal in Tennessee, so what part is inappropriate? In reality, they are trying to erase drag. Drag is an art used to entertain, the same way as a play. If the problem the Government has really is the outfits Drag Queens wear, then they should reciprocate the law and ban kids from attending WWE matches, where the wrestlers only wear small boxers.

I feel sad for the kids as well. This is unfortunate for those children who did enjoy watching drag and felt safe within that space, because it is now being taken away from them due to the condemnation from the Government.

RuPaul, shared his opinion on Instagram towards this new law saying, “Distracting us away from the real issues that they were voted into office to focus on: jobs, healthcare, keeping our children safe from harm at their own school. They look for easy targets so they can give the impression of being effective. They think our love, our light, our laughter, and our joy are signs of weakness, but they're wrong, because that is our strength. Register to vote so we can get these stunt queens out of office and put some smart people with real solutions into government.”

The community coming together to fight for their rights is what makes this movement so powerful. The strength and bravery shown to fight this issue is more than commendable.

It’s hard for me to grasp the thought of not allowing people to be free and express themselves because coincidentally, that’s what this country was built on: “The American Dream.” The George W. Bush Presidential Center, defines “The American Dream” as, “The ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success.” Funny enough, the Government is now putting guidelines on this very dream our nation is built upon.

This issue doesn’t only affect the LGBTQ+ community, it’s affecting us all. If the Government believes they have the power to limit freedoms, what will they try to ban next?

I’m once again left sad for the LGBTQ+ community as they face yet another challenge they must overcome. It feels as though politicians are now enforcing laws according to their own beliefs instead of what is best for the nation. They are abusing their power to involve themselves in lifestyle decisions that have no effect on them. And that’s why they do it. They love the control. They love the power.