NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The uncertainty for performers continues after a U.S. appeals court upheld Tennessee’s drag show ban. The court ruled that the Memphis-based LGBTQ+ theater company that filed the complaint last year challenging the law lacked the legal right to sue. Advocates say this ruling puts them back at square one.
I sat down with two drag performers — hear them speak their stories in the player above.
Mychal Word, who performs as Sapphire Mylan, loves entertaining people.
"My whole purpose of being in the art form is to leave a legacy," Word said.
However, when Governor Bill Lee signed the Tennessee Adult Entertainment Act into law, it began to affect the livelihoods of drag performers, Word noted. "
A lot of businesses started scaling back on hosting shows," he said.
"They put up a poster and somebody will put a hate message under it," Word explained. "So instead of saying, you know, we're gonna do this because this is what we've always done and we're gonna stand our ground, they're pulling back because of one hate message."
The first-in-the-nation law places strict limits on drag shows in public spaces.
Last year, the Memphis theater group Friends of George’s filed suit against the state, claiming the ban on cabaret performances and drag shows violated its First Amendment rights. The district court sided with them, but this week the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that lower court’s ruling. The court found the theater group failed to show standing in its challenge of the state law.
Steven Raimo, a drag performer known as Veronika Electronica, expressed disappointment in the court’s ruling. "The words they use are vague," Raimo said. "They could apply to actors, wrestlers, drag performers, dancers—all sorts of people in the public eye."
Raimo and other performers in Tennessee now wonder if they'll be charged with a crime for performing. "Can I be arrested for singing 'Jolene' in the middle of a drag brunch on a Saturday afternoon wearing full dress?" Raimo questioned.
Word says they're not going to let it hold them back. "It's time for our community to band together and stand up because that's just one right that we have in jeopardy," Word stated. "So if they can ban drag that easily, what's gonna happen to marriage equality and the rest of our rights?"
Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement that the entertainment act has been “misrepresented” since it became law. In contrast, Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn of Nashville criticized the ruling, calling it a “misguided attack” on the LGBTQ community.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at aaron.cantrell@newschannel5.com
It's truly the small things that add up to a great day - and Warrick in Lebanon is having a big impact. His familiar face is becoming a staple in one part of the community and inspiring closer connection in the simplest way. Enjoy his warm personality! You may even feel inclined to wave to a stranger today, too.
-Rebecca Schleicher
