Culture

Cyndi Lauper and The B-52s have joined a rising chorus of voices speaking out against new laws being passed by Republicans targeting the trans community and seeking to ban drag artists.
“Equality for everybody, or nobody’s really equal,” longtime LGBTQ alley Lauper told ITK according to The Hill. “This is how Hitler started. just weeding everybody out.” Hitler’s Nazi Germany tagged gay people as “enemies of the state” and many were jailed or killed in concentration camps and Lauper said it’s imperative that we keep “fighting for civil rights.”

In a sharply worded statement issued on Wednesday (March 8), the B-52’s — also longtime advocates for LBGTQ causes — wrote, “We, The B-52’s, are deeply concerned about the numerous new bills that promote transphobia and discrimination against transgender individuals and drag artists, which have been introduced in the United States. We strongly denounce these bills and stand in solidarity with out LGBTQ+ community.”

The band went on to say that it is, “unacceptable that in the 21st century, we are witnessing such blatant attempts to undermine the rights of individuals based on their gender identity and sexual orientation. These bills not only violate the fundamental human rights of the affected individuals but also perpetuate a toxic culture of hate and intolerance that has no place in our society.”

The statement from Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider and Cindy Wilson came a week after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed two controversial laws — one banning gender-affirming care from being performed on minors, another aiming to prevent drag queens from performing in public spaces where the “adult cabaret performances could be viewed by a person who is not an adult.”

The legislation defines these displays as any performance 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.” Critics of the legislation have called this statue a violation of the performers’ First Amendment rights, claiming the law is an unwarranted attack on LGBTQ performers who pose no threat to children. 

According to the Human Rights Campaign, Tennessee has passed more anti-LGBTQ laws than any other state in the U.S.

MSNBC reported that just months into the year almost 300 bills aimed at discriminating against transgender people have been introduced in statehouses across the country. At last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), speaker Michael Knowles of the Daily Wire told the crowd, “for the good of the poor people who have fallen prey to this confusion, transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely.”

The comments came during a week in which numerous speakers at the conference lashed out at the LGBTQ and trans community at a time when governors in Utah, South Dakota, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas and Tennessee have banned gender-affirming care for minors, with 18 states passing laws banning trans students from playing sports on teams that align with their gender identities. The actions targeting the community also include a bill approved by the Oklahoma House last week that would prohibit insurance companies from covering any gender-affirming care for citizens of any age.

The B-52s then asked their followers to join them in denouncing the bills and supporting the LGBTQ+ community. “Together, let us work towards building a society that reflects our shared being and is truly just, inclusive, and welcoming for all.”

Their statement came after drag icon RuPaul called Tennessee’s new law banning drag artists from performing in public a “distraction technique” being employed by Republican lawmakers. “[It’s] distracting us away from the real issues that they were voted into office to focus on — jobs, healthcare, keeping our children safe from harm at their own school,” he said.

Calling drag queens “the Marines of the queer movement,” Ru urged viewers to take action rather than watching what happens next. “Register to vote so we can get these stunt queens out of office and put some smart people with real solutions into government,” he said. “And by the way — a social media post has never been as powerful as a registered vote.”

Paramore singer Hayley Williams, a native of Tennessee, criticized her state’s governor in an Instagram story this week, writing, “Once again our state has passed two regressive and unfathomably harmful bills. We stand in solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ family and local LGBTQIA+ orgs in this fight, not only for inclusion for our friends and family in the queer community, but for radical acceptance and empowerment for each of them. Drag is not a crime. Gender-affirming healthcare for all, including our youth, is a necessity.”

Williams will perform at the March 20 Love Rising benefit show supporting Tennessee-based LGBTQ organizations that will also feature Maren Morris, Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell, Brittany Howard, Julien Baker and many more.

Check out the B-52s’ statement below.

Dear fellow citizens,We, The B-52’s, are deeply concerned about the numerous new bills that promote transphobia and discrimination against transgender individuals and drag artists, which have been introduced in the United States. We strongly denounce these bills and stand in pic.twitter.com/mzMROe4pxE— The B-52s (@TheB52s) March 8, 2023