Drag Ban
In this article, Kayla Newman goes over what the Tennessee Drag Ban is and how it would affect America.
Tennessee Drag Ban
By Kayla Newman
Tennessee, the home of Nashville and the Smokies, is also the home of Tennessee Senate Bill Three, a bill that bans drag in public places. The bill was signed on Mar. 2, 2023. The drag ban is flawed and shows that Republicans feel threatened by men (and women) with glittery makeup and big wigs.
Dressing in drag is an art form. It emphasizes and exaggerates certain features through makeup, clothes, and hair-- anyone can do it. Psychiatric Times, a publication that is written for an audience involved with psychiatry, states that “drag is a creative act -- a powerful and personal form of self-expression.” People who dress in drag serve the community in a variety of different ways, such as: fundraising for various charities, reading to children, and performing.
The Tennessee Drag Ban bans all drag in a public setting. According to NPR, the reason for the ban is that drag is “harmful to minors.” If the ban is ignored, the individual can face a misdemeanor, with a fine up to $2,500 and up to a year in jail. If the ban is broken multiple times, then the individual will be charged with a felony and up to six years in jail. This Drag Ban is the first of its kind in America; no laws such as this have ever been passed. It feels like America is living in the twilight zone and is progressing backward in time, rather than forward.
The drag bill would have gone into effect July 1, 2023. However, because of amendments, the law was due to go into effect Apr. 1, 2023. Just under the wire before the ban would go into effect, Federal Judge Thomas Parker put a temporary hold on it. He stated that the law was unconstitutional and was in violation of the first amendment. For those who need a reminder, the main items the first amendment protects are: freedom of speech, freedom of press, assembly, and freedom of religion. The Supreme Court has a track record of protecting fashion choices under the first amendment. For example, this occurred with the Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky, a court case in response to Minnesota’s ban on wearing political clothing at or around polling stations. It was declared that it was unconstitutional to ban political clothing at a polling station and imposed a “speech-free zone”. Drag stemmed from political roots when it was once illegal for men to dress remotely feminine and went against the norm.
The passing of the Drag Ban would change America and how we define our freedoms-- not to mention that states such as Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia are following suit. The passing of these bans will limit Americans' freedom of speech.
