Tennessee became the
first state in the country to restrict
drag show performances.
The bill signed yesterday
limits performances on public property
considered
harmful to minors
to shield children
from seeing the performances.
Violators could be charged
with a misdemeanor
and repeat offenders a felony
in addition to the drag law.
The governor banned gender
affirming medical care for minors,
even if the child's parent approves.
Story VanNess is a drag performer
and she's the assistant director
for Knox Pride
and the program director
for Trans, Non-binary Support Services.
Story. Thank you for your time.
So this legislation
and I'm talking about the drag bill.
First
the sponsor says that it's not targeting
drag performers.
It's not banning public drag
performances instead.
And I wrote this down,
making sure that children
are not present
at sexually explicit performances.
Sexually explicit has a legal definition
from the Department of Justice.
But do you interpret this as
banning public drag performances?
Absolutely.
And thank you for having me, Victor.
But absolutely.
This is
this is just another bill
in a long line of bills that are,
you know,
just this assault on the queer
community here in Tennessee.
But this bill absolutely is intended to
to, you know,
criminalize drag in public spaces.
This this is not about children.
Yeah.
Some people
may know about drag brunches,
people going out to them, bravely
bringing their friends and family.
How will this law change
the drag community in Tennessee?
So the thing about drag,
it's typically it typically is held
at an adult venue,
at a nightclub or a bar.
So typically, you know, this shows
we may have adult content, but nothing's
nothing. Crossing the line into sexual.
We have laws in place already
that prevent that sort of
from it
going into that sexual realm.
What this is going to do
is it's going to take
it's it's going to take money
out of the pockets of drag performers,
many of whom used many of whom
this is their only job.
This is their only source of income.
It's it's stigmatizing queer art.
And queer culture, which is the purpose.
But it's
because they want
they want people to think sexual.
They want people to think that queer
people are nothing but sexual.
And that's their hang-up.
Which is interesting
because one of the things
that and I read the law
that I have a question
about the interpretation of the word
performance, because the law groups,
what they call
male and female impersonators
with topless dancers, Go-Go dancers,
exotic dancers and strippers.
Now, all of the rest of those
those are actions
and designed to be erotic drag very often
and usually is not.
But to characterize drag
just being in drag as their performance
does simply appearing in public
in drag, then count as a performance.
Do you see what I'm asking here?
What's your interpretation? I do.
And we do.
Have and many drag performers
have that concern.
But even past that, I'm a trans person
depending on who is reading that law.
I they may
they may determine that
I am a female impersonator.
You know, I have
I have trans
Part of
my job is working with trans people.
And I'm answering these emails
with all this anxiety of, you know,
I am a dancer, I'm a dance instructor,
you know, does what I do count
and am I going to be arrested for,
you know, dancing in public?
Because I am not because I'm seen as a
you know, female impersonator,
but if I've got my AirPods
in like I frequently do
and I'm just jamming out
as I'm going through
you know, the grocery store.
Does that count as a performance?
Am I?
So it's just.
Yeah, yeah. Trans.
But here are you
at my
worst scared
that not only is this going
to limit our access to art, but also to
life.
And I think that's the point.
They're trying to legislate us
out of existence.
They're trying to make it
so we can't leave our homes.
Well, let me ask you this.
As the governor,
Governor Lee
there was preparing to sign this bill,
someone asked him about a photo
from the yearbook in 1977.
This is Governor Bill Lee.
He's the one in the pearls.
He calls this lighthearted.
He is there at some high school event.
His office elaborated in a statement
to The Daily Beast
saying the bill
specifically protects
children from obscene
and sexualized entertainment.
And any attempt
to conflate this serious issue
with lighthearted school
tradition is dishonest and disrespectful
to Tennessee families.
Your thoughts
I would argue that conflating drag
with with
you know, hearing
it interest is is ridiculous.
I don't know when the last.
Well, I mean, obviously, you know,
Governor
Lee's been to some sort of drag event.
But I don't know the last time he's
been to a drag show
and seen what a drag show really is.
And what they're doing
is they're just taking these
these examples that they're finding
and they're blowing everything
out of proportion.
It's it's just another attack.
But it's it's also a distraction.
Like all of this is distracting,
distracting from all these other
really important things
that the Tennessee
legislator and Governor Lee
honestly should be paying attention to.
But instead, we're worried
about drag queens.
Yeah.
Also that other bill,
the gender
affirming health care for trans kids,
no homework,
hormone therapy, no surgeries,
no puberty blockers.
And we know from a study published
in the National Institutes of Health.
82% of trans
individuals have considered
suicide 40% have attempted it.
And the rates are highest
among trans youth.
Story Van Ness.
Thank you so much for your time.
Thank you.