Tennessee's plan to ban drag

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     February 27, 2023 The only live Shakespeare performance I've ever seen was a [nude, all-female rendition of]([The Tempest]( in broad daylight in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. I went there on a whim with a group of friends when I was in college. Admission was free. It was awesome. I thought of this performance in light of the Tennessee state legislature's [passage of a bill]( that would ban public drag performances. According to the [bill summary](: This bill creates an offense for a person who engages in an adult cabaret performance on public property or in a location where the adult cabaret performance could be viewed by a person who is not an adult. The bill defines an "adult cabaret performance" to mean a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration. That "appeals to a prurient interest" clause seems to do a lot of heavy lifting. The actresses I watched in Prospect Park were technically "topless dancers," but while I didn't find their performances "prurient," another viewer might. Semantics aside, this legislation is an obvious attempt to ban drag performances, which lawmakers say are "harmful to minors." And who gets to say what's harmful to minors, anyway? (I fondly recall my childhood trips to Provincetown, Massachusetts, where I would wave at the drag queens standing on the street advertising their shows. I don't think that those drag queens' portrayal of diverse gender expressions harmed me at all—just the opposite.) Some people, including Tennessee Republicans, have pointed out that public obscenity is [already illegal]( in the state. The purpose of the law, then, isn't to ban drag, but to frighten people—including trans people—out of expressing themselves and their gender however they choose. Meanwhile, state lawmakers are trying to [ban gender-affirming care]( for minors. Proponents of these laws say they're just trying to protect children, but it's not clear that children need protection from drag in the first place. —Abigail Weinberg Advertisement [Bloomsbury]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Do We Actually Know That Dogs Are Getting High More Often?]( Trend pieces too often openly admit that data is scarce. BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG SPONSORED CONTENT BILL PRESS PODCAST   David Corn, Washington bureau chief, Mother Jones "Bill Press is one of the sharpest political observers in the business. Having appeared on his podcast, I also know he's a great, no-nonsense interviewer and an engaging, good-humored conversationalist. If you want to be smarter about politics, listen to Bill." [Listen to the Bill Press Pod.]( [Trending] [Biden's climate spending is a big win for red-state economies]( BY OLIVER MILMAN   [Democratic attorneys general sue the FDA to drop "onerous" abortion pill restrictions]( BY MADISON PAULY   [The New York Times just dropped a shocking investigation on child labor in America]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL   [Newspapers pull "Dilbert" after Scott Adams calls Black people a "hate group"]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL Advertisement [Bloomsbury]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [The missionary positions of Nikki Haley’s idol: Pastor John Hagee]( He has said gay pride caused Hurricane Katrina and that God sent Hitler to create Israel. Haley put him center stage. BY SAM VAN PYKEREN [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755