Tennessee Adult Entertainment Act
| Tennessee Senate Bill 3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tennessee General Assembly | |
| Enacted by | Tennessee Senate |
| Enacted by | Tennessee House of Representatives |
| Signed by | Bill Lee |
| Signed | March 2, 2023 |
| Legislative history | |
| First chamber: Tennessee Senate | |
| Introduced by | Jack Johnson |
| Passed | February 9, 2023 |
| Voting summary |
|
| Second chamber: Tennessee House of Representatives | |
| Member(s) in charge | Chris Todd |
| Passed | February 23, 2023 |
| Voting summary |
|
| Status: Halted | |
Tennessee Senate Bill 3, known as the Tennessee drag ban,[1] is an anti-drag bill, which bans public "adult cabaret performance" in front of children in the state of Tennessee. The bill is vague in what it considers an "adult cabaret performance" although it defines it as a "male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest."[2]
This bill was the first anti-drag bill to pass the state legislature in the United States, and was the first to be signed into law. The bill was signed on March 2, 2023, by governor Bill Lee.[3] This bill has been criticized by some people for being overly vague and authoritarian.[4][5][6]
On April 1, 2023, federal judge Tommy Parker for the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee temporarily blocked the implementation of Tennessee Senate Bill 3, citing First Amendment concerns.[7]
Bill contents
Tennessee Senate Bill 3 bans "topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators in presence of minors."[8]
Public reactions
The bill sparked outrage from the LGBT community.[9] In response to the law's signing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated, "Instead of doing anything to address the real issues that are impacting American people, right now you have a governor from Tennessee that has decided to go after drag shows. What sense does that make to go after drag shows? How is that going to help people's lives?"[10]
RuPaul called the bill a distraction, stating in an Instagram post, that it was "a classic distraction technique, distracting us away from the real issues that they were voted into office to focus on: jobs, health care, keeping our children safe from harm at their own school."[11]
See also
References
- ^ Bulbul, Nuray (March 7, 2023). "Tennessee drag ban: Why has the state banned drag performers and what does the law say?". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ Perry, Sophie (February 23, 2023). "Tennessee just banned drag shows in chilling blow for LGBTQ+ rights". Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Tennessee drag show restrictions, ban on gender-affirming care for minors signed into law". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ^ "Tennessee House passes controversial drag show bill". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Allen, Jonathan (February 23, 2023). "Tennessee takes lead in Republican effort to restrict drag shows". Reuters. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023 – via www.reuters.com.
- ^ "Human Rights Campaign Condemns Tennessee House for Passing Discriminatory Anti-Drag Bill and Gender Affirming Care Ban; Urges Governor Lee to Veto". Human Rights Campaign. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Press, Associated (April 1, 2023). "Judge blocks law restricting drag shows in Tennessee". The Guardian.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Baker-Jordan, Skylar (March 2, 2023). "Why the Tennessee ban on drag shows should terrify us all". Independent. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ Gillespie, Brandon (March 3, 2023). "Jean-Pierre lashes out over Tennessee law banning drag shows near children: 'What sense does that make?'". Fox News. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ Alfonseca, Kiara. "RuPaul speaks out against drag show ban in Tennessee: 'A classic distraction'". ABC News. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.