Pride
Page: 56
On a Tuesday evening opening for Betty Who at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, drag superstar Shea Couleé decided not to mince words when introducing herself. “Some of you may know me from a little show called RuPaul’s Drag Race,” she cheekily began her comments towards the cheering audience. “Have you ever heard of it?”
She steeled herself for what she knew was coming next. “Well, I’m not going to claim that anymore, because I guess technically it’s not really cool to do drag in Tennessee — according to the Governor Bill Lee,” she said, as the audience loudly booed the mere mention of their governor. “Yeah, what the f–k?”
Coulee was just one voice among a chorus of dissent regarding Tennessee’s newly passed law that prevents drag artists from performing in public spaces. While the scope of the latest in a series of laws targeting the LGBTQ community remains to be seen, queer performers, venue owners and tour promoters are already being forced to make difficult decisions about their future.
Senate Bill 3 was signed into law on March 2, 2023 by Gov. Lee and will officially take effect on April 1, 2023. The law prohibits “adult cabaret” performances from taking place “on public property or in a location where the adult cabaret performance 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.”
First offenses under this law are Class A misdemeanors, resulting in up to $2,500 in fines or jail time of up to 11 months and 29 days. Any subsequent violations are Class E felonies, carrying fines of up to $3,000 or 1-6 years of jail time.
Todd Roman, the co-owner of Nashville’s premiere drag venue Play Dance Bar, says that under the wording of the state’s new statute, his acclaimed bar is now technically categorized in the same way as a strip club. “We are not now, nor have we ever been an adult entertainment business,” an audibly exasperated Roman tells Billboard over the phone. “It’s extremely offensive to have our girls categorized in the same way that you would a stripper.”
Kate Ruane, the Sy Syms director of U.S. free expression at legal advocacy group PEN America, tells Billboard that on its face, the bill shouldn’t change much about existing obscenity laws in the state. “‘Prurient interest’ is a term often used by courts, including the Supreme Court, to describe obscene material,” she explains. “That should be an incredibly narrow category of sexually explicit performance. That should mean that most drag shows, which are not remotely sexually explicit, should arguably fall outside this statue’s scope.”
If that’s the case, then why are so many people in the LGBTQ community concerned regarding the new law’s ramifications? As Ruane explains, it comes down to interpretation. “There is a risk, given some of the recent rhetoric around drag shows that we’ve heard from these lawmakers, that these laws will be enforced more broadly than would be constitutionally permissible,” Ruane explains. “That’s the Tennessee bill in a nutshell: What does it ban? Theoretically, not much. What’s it going to impact? So very, very much.”
ACLU of Tennessee agrees with Ruane’s assessment of what’s at stake here. In an official statement released alongside the news of the law passing, legal director Stella Yarbrough said that while “the law bans obscene performances, and drag performances are not inherently obscene,” there remained significant concern “that government officials could easily abuse this law to censor people based on their own subjective viewpoints of what they deem appropriate, chilling protected free speech and sending a message to LGBTQ Tennesseans that they are not welcome in our state.”
The impact of this bill is already being felt not just in Tennessee, but across the U.S. Voss Events, the creative agency behind some of the largest drag shows in the world (like RuPaul’s Drag Race Live!), already had to make a major change to one of their most successful touring shows, Werq the World.
“It’s something that we’ve always considered to be family-friendly, and we’ve encouraged teenagers and kids who are fans of Drag Race to come to the show,” Brandon Voss, the founder of Voss Events, tells Billboard. “We’ve had to make all of our U.S. shows 18+, because we don’t want our audience to have to deal with protesters. That’s the biggest effect all of this has had on us.”
As more anti-LGBTQ laws continue to pass in Tennessee than in any other state, according to the Human Rights Campaign, queer artists and fans alike are left wondering where they are and are not allowed to perform or simply be themselves. Roman explains that even the Play Mates — Play’s rotating cast of drag performers — find themselves at a loss when it comes to what is permitted under this new law.
“At first, it was a great deal of confusion. Then it went to actual fear of not knowing whether they were going to have a job,” Roman says. “We spent a lot of time keeping them abreast of the direction everything was going to try to give them some comfort. But even now with the way this law was done, they are still in a constant state of being unsure what their future holds.” Roman adds that for the near future, “Play will continue to operate as Play has always operated,” but says that the “general sense of fear” isn’t going away any time soon.
Part of what’s driving that general sense of fear is the potential chilling effect that a law like this could have not only on queer performances, but public gender expression writ large. Ruane explains that, even if the law is not enforced as broadly as many fear it will be, it could very easily still scare touring companies, promoters, buyers and theater owners out of featuring performances that would potentially violate the law.
“Drag performers are now concerned that if they continue to do what they have the constitutional right to do and conduct drag performances, they are now exposing themselves to potential liability, even criminal charges,” Ruane explains. “So they may stop doing that. The bars and libraries and venues that host them are may also feel concern that they will experience legal liability as well. And so they will stop hosting these performances.”
It’s a question Voss has already struggled with in recent years — as threats of protests continue to rise against drag shows around the U.S., he wonders whether major players like AEG and Live Nation will still be willing to take the “risk” of putting on their shows. “Are they so inclined to buy our show when they have the Proud Boys or whoever the hell showing up to protest?” he asks. “We’ve definitely had theaters tell us, ‘Hey, this show has to be 18+’ — when it never has been before.”
AEG told Billboard in a statement that they were “disappointed” by Tennessee passing their public drag ban, adding that “our company remains committed to hosting live performances celebrating diversity and inclusion at all of our venues, and this misguided law does not change that commitment.” Live Nation did not respond to a request for comment from Billboard.
That chilling effect could also manifest in peoples’ daily lives — with no clear definition of what constitutes a “male or female impersonator,” opponents of the new law point out that trans and gender non-conforming individuals have a right to be scared about their public gender expression being at risk, regardless of whether they’re performers. “I worry about that,” Ruane says. “I worry about people feeling afraid that they cannot live their lives or get dressed and express themselves like we all do. Can this bill apply to that? It shouldn’t on its specific terms, but people are reasonably afraid.”
The question remains: Where do we go from here? Roman says he approaches this kind of discriminatory legislation with the same philosophy he urges managers at Play to use: “Don’t try to rationalize with an irrational person,” he says. “That’s where we find ourselves today; there is not a rational argument here. They’re absolutely trying to frame this as being about children, but from a logical, realistic perspective, this is nothing other than a direct attack on the LGBTQ community.”
For her part, Couleé made sure to call out the hypocrisy coming from Republican lawmakers during her Nashville performance. “I think that it’s funny that people try to use us as a scapegoat for their own agendas, when really your elected officials should be out there actually protecting you,” she said. “Statistically, the number one cause of death in adolescents is guns. Not drag queens. We are not a threat to your children.”
On the legal side, ACLU of Tennessee has already committed to “challenge enforcement of this law if it is used to punish a drag performer or shut down a family-friendly LGBTQ event,” encouraging event organizers and business owners to report undue enforcements of the new law.
Ruane says that should that challenge take place, the courts will have a responsibility to strike down Tennessee’s law. “From a free expression standpoint, we have long ago decided that you cannot do this — you cannot prohibit this sort of expression, because the First Amendment says that you can’t,” she says, taking a breath. “It is just un-American on so many different levels, I lose track of them.”
Diplo is Emily Ratajkowski’s most recent guest on her High Low podcast, and the duo delved into an open discussion about sexuality and the DJ’s hesitation to put a label on himself.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“I’m sure I’ve gotten a blowjob from a guy before. For sure,” the producer told the model. “I don’t know if it’s gay unless you like may eye contact while there’s the blowjob happening.”
He added, “Getting a blowjob’s not that gay, I think.”
Ratajkowski went on to mention an off-air conversation they had, before Diplo officially set the record straight on his sexuality. “I think the best answer I have is I’m not not gay,” the 44-year-old musician explained, adding that he is attracted to “vibe” more than a specific gender. “There are a couple guys… I could date, life partner-wise.”
Listen to the full podcast conversation here.
Throughout his career, Diplo has been romantically linked primarily to women, including Katy Perry, whom he dated briefly in 2014. In 2020, the DJ also went on a PDA-filled vacation with model and fellow producer Chantel Jeffries, though the two never made any public claims about their relationship.
Diplo also has three children. He shares sons — 13-year-old Lockett and nine-year-old Lazer — with his ex Kathryn Lockhart and also announced that he welcomed a baby boy named Pace in 2020 with former Miss Universe pageant contestant Jevon King.
While Lil Nas X is well-known for being a comedic firebrand on social media, even the “Montero” rapper is ready to admit that a recent joke went a bit too far.
In a tweet posted on Wednesday (March 14), Lil Nas X offered an apology to the trans community after the rapper made a joke that he had transitioned. “apologies to the trans community i def handled that situation with anger instead of considering why it was not cool,” he wrote. “much love to you guys. sorry.”
The “That’s What I Want” singer was responding to critics of a since-deleted tweet, in which the rapper posted a photo of a woman bearing a slight resemblance to him. Captioning the post, Lil Nas appeared to claim that he had transitioned, writing, “The surgery was a success” next to a heart emoji. Many of the rapper’s followers quickly called out his post for being insensitive to a community that is currently being attacked by state legislatures around the U.S. with over 400 anti-trans bills currently in circulation.
While Lil Nas X officially apologized, he had choice words for one fan who asked him to do more. When told over Twitter that his apology was “fake as hell” and that he needed to show support for the community “in material ways that include money, sharing your platform to raise a [sic] awareness,” Lil Nas X quote tweeted the user, simply writing, “girl eat my a–.”
Representatives for Lil Nas X have not yet respond to Billboard‘s request for further comment.
The latest tweets come after a series of teasers from the star back in February, where he claimed that the follow-up to his debut album Montero could arrive as early as this summer. “it’s mostly planning now,” he wrote at the time. “i could easily just release music but i have to build moments around this s–t. i have to go bigger than before!”
Check out Lil Nas X’s apology tweet below:
apologies to the trans community i def handled that situation with anger instead of considering why it was not cool. much love to you guys. sorry— i am reading all that (@LilNasX) March 14, 2023
With each new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race comes the main challenge that some queens have been waiting all season for and that others have been dreading — the stand-up comedy routine.
On last week’s episode (aired Friday, March 10), the seven remaining contestants were tasked with performing in a Just For Laughs-style comedy festival. Grouped off into pairs (and one solo act), the girls came up with as many gut-busting bits as they could to wow the panel of judges and live to slay another day.
After expressing their respective desires to earn their second challenge wins of the season, Loosey LaDuca and Luxx Noir London rose to the occasion and put on a dueling comedy act to remember, taking home the top honor for this week’s challenge. Meanwhile, Anetra and Marcia Marcia Marcia found themselves flatlining on stage, landing them both in the bottom.
Performing in one of the most competitive lip syncs of the season, Anetra and Marcia (or “Anarcia” as the fans like to call them) pulled out every stunt they had for this high-octane performance to Doja Cat’s “Boss Bitch.” In the end, though, Anetra lived to walk that duck another day, sending Marcia packing.
Billboard caught up with Marcia following her elimination to talk about the queen earning the most consecutive “safe” placements in a single season, her reaction to the judges’ critiques about her makeup, and how she approached this episode’s climactic lip sync battle.
Before we get into it all, we have to talk about the near-constant critiques regarding your makeup — what did you think of the judges’ fixation on your face, which then led to a fixation from the fanbase?
Well, I am a theater kid — and in the theater industry, your entire job is basically being critiqued. Even when you have the job, you’re getting notes after every performance about what you could have done better. So, at the time, I was like, “This is just something for me to work on.” I always appreciated that, honestly, I’m always trying to improve myself. Even since we’ve wrapped, my drag and my makeup has changed so much. In the end, it helped me develop a more meaningful relationship with makeup. Before, it was always something where I was like, “Oh, whatever.” But now I see that it can make people very upset!
I don’t know if you know this, but you also broke a Drag Race record this season with the most consecutive “safe” placements in the show’s history. How do you feel about having that honor?
It’s like … the funniest award you could ever get for this show [laughs]. I will say, when you look at my track record with more detail, while I was safe the entire time, I excelled in a lot of the challenges, which is important to recognize. In a lot of ways, some of my accomplishments have been sort of eclipsed by my critiques. So while I am the “safe queen” of season 15, I think I had a lot of great high points. And hey, if I’m safe, I’m not in the bottom!
Yes, especially during a season where there have been a lot of on-air arguments about who got “second place” in a challenge, it’s worth pointing out that being safe is good.
Especially out of 16 people, it’s an exhale that you get to have. And, our cast is truly one of the most well-rounded, gifted groups that the show has had in a very long time.
Getting into this episode, you said in a confessional that this was the challenge you were dreading. What is it about the stand-up challenge that felt intimidating to you?
Well, I came into the competition being a gifted, comfortable seamstress. I also act, sing, dance, write, choreograph, and I’ve been doing that forever. This was sort of the one thing that I’ve kind of never done before. You hear comedians talk about their stand-up, or you watch shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and you learn that you usually bomb at least a few times before you can get your “tight 10.” I was apprehensive, because I was like, “I don’t know how this is going to go.”
Add onto that the fact that this is a duos challenge … in which you were the only solo performer.
Yeah … in a comedy challenge based on famous comedy pairs, to be alone is not the best starting point.
I love your runways, because I love a them, and you constantly bring out this sort of “injury chic” vibe with every look. How did that sort of “pretty-but-in-pain” idea become the staple of Marcia Marcia Marcia looks?
So, for Drag Race specifically, when I was approaching the looks, I made pretty much everything myself. I wanted to have a clear story, I wanted to do things that people weren’t going to think of and to approach it in a different way. I don’t know, I am personally very clumsy, and I think there’s something so funny about a really beautiful person with something like a cast on their arm. It’s just hilarious to me when people are really involved in their appearance and then have something go horribly wrong where they’re stuck with it for a long time. I just think it’s fun. So yes, I was always asking myself, “What’s the story? What are people not going to think of? How do I take something that may be simple or boring and twist it to make it a little weirder and funnier?”
I know it was controversial, but I was obsessed with your tie-dye look.
Thank you! I thought it was great — again, another thing that people simply did not agree with.
We get to this lip-sync — first of all, after watching all of these wild lip syncs she’s performed in, what was going through your mind when you found out it would be you against Anetra?
When it was me and Anetra, first of all, I was like, “Great, another thing we can do together, Anarcia to the end.” I love Anetra, and I knew that she was absolutely going to give everything. They call it a “Lip Sync For Your Life,” and in the moment, I was like, “Oh, I’m going to lip sync for my actual life, because I know she’s going to do the same thing.” And I knew at the end of the day it was going to be a great show, so it was mostly like, “Work, let’s just do it and have fun — if I’m going out, I’m gonna do a great job and push for the only double save of the season.”
I know that when you’re lip syncing, you’re completely focused on yourself and are largely unaware of what the other girl is doing — but you had to notice when Anetra literally leapt over your back-bent body, right?
I did not know that happened!
You didn’t? How?!
No, someone told me afterwards that she did that! I was like “What? You’re joking.” But it’s like you said, when you’re in there, it feels like you have horse blinders on — you are so focused on doing what you’ve been able to think of in the last however many minutes before actually standing on the stage that you kind of block out the other person.
That’s wild, but it goes to show what an excellent lip sync this was, you both absolutely turned it out.
Thank you so much! It was just so much fun, and I truly love Anetra, as you’ve seen me sob about in Untucked before. I love her so much, and it was one of those things where it was like, if I’m going to be in the bottom with anyone and get sent home by anyone, I’m glad it was Anetra.
Conservative politicians have been targeting trans people, drag queens and queer culture left and right in recent weeks, and artists such as Paramore‘s Hayley Williams, Lizzo and Ariana Grande aren’t letting it slide.
The three singers are just a few of the many musicians speaking out against a recent surge in anti-LGBTQ bills surging through Republican-led legislatures, particularly in Tennessee. In early March, for example, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed controversial laws banning minors from receiving gender-affirming care and preventing drag queens from performing in certain public spaces.
Why is this dangerous? RuPaul said it best in a March 8 Instagram video about the situation: Other than the life-threatening consequences of persecuting people based on sexuality and gender identity, the lawmakers passing such legislation are “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.”
Many musicians aren’t just speaking out against the uptick in discriminatory laws — they’re also singing out. Williams, along with Maren Morris, Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires and several others, are gathering on March 20 in Nashville to stage Love Rising, a benefit concert supporting Tennessee-based LGBTQ organizations.
Even the Music Business Association, which is based in Tennessee, has issued a statement condemning the state’s legislation. “These bigoted actions are especially concerning as we believe the intentional use of vague, inflammatory language will act as a gateway to encouraging acts of violence against the LGBTQ+ community,” it read.
“The music industry is built upon the work of artists, many of whom identify as trans, non-binary, genderqueer, and LGBTQ+,” it continued. “Legislation like this threatens the safety of artists and others, and will force businesses to reconsider holding events in this state. The safety of our conference attendees is central to our Association and will be of paramount concern in planning future events under the Music Biz banner.”
Keep reading to see some of the biggest musicians who are making their voices heard.
Hayley Williams
“Once again our state has passed two regressive and unfathomably harmful bills,” Williams wrote on her Instagram Story in late February, after the Tennessee House passed legislation that would ban drag performances and gender-affirming care. “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,” the Tennessee native added ahead of the governor signing the bills into law. “Gender-affirming healthcare for all, including our youth, is a necessity.”
Cyndi Lauper
“I believe you don’t stop the fight,” noted LGBTQ ally Cyndi Lauper said of the Tennessee bills in a March interview, which was captured on video. “Equality for everybody, or nobody’s really equal. This is how Hitler started … just weeding everybody out.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea what they’re doing but, you know, you just have to keep fighting for civil rights,” she continued. “I guess that’s the way it is in this country. Started out like that, didn’t it?”
The B-52s
The B-52s shared a lengthy, passionate statement on Twitter March 8 to “strongly denounce” bills promoting transphobia. “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,” wrote bandmates Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider and Cindy Wilson.
Lizzo
Lizzo took the discourse surrounding transphobia one step further by explaining how it intersects with racism and fatphobia on Twitter a few days after Gov. Lee signed the restrictive bills.
“I’ve never heard a person say why they’re racist… Or fatphobic.. I’ve never heard a reason why someone is transphobic..,” the “About Damn Time” singer wrote. “I think if we knew ‘why’ these people felt this way there would way less support for these ideals. Because the ‘why’ is more insidious than we realize.”
Jason Isbell
In the Love Rising lineup announcement, Isbell expressed his support more clearly. “Senate Bill 3 and House Bill 9 are clearly targeted attacks on Tennesseans who haven’t done anything wrong,” the former Drive-By Truckers musician said in the press release. “These bills add up to an attempt to eradicate a valuable part of our community and force good people to live in fear. We can’t in good conscience just stand by and let that happen.”
Isbell also tweeted in disagreement of the drag ban specifically, calling it a “completely unnecessary law aimed at people who don’t tend to vote GOP.”
Joy Oladokun
Joy Oladokun, another Love Rising performer, denounced Tennessee’s new laws on Twitter. “For a while now spineless representatives of a hateful minority have been stripping away the rights and care of LGBTQIA+ people in the state,” the “Someone Like You” musician wrote on March 7.
Maren Morris
As one of country music’s most outspoken social activists, Maren Morris signed on to perform at Love Rising and challenged her followers to “show these politicians that they do not speak for all of Tennessee.” “Love will prevail,” the “Circles Around This Town” artist added.
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande shared a post slamming Tennessee’s drag show ban with her 360 million followers on Instagram Stories. “Tennessee just banned Drag Shows,” the post read. “However Nazi’s [sic] and the KKK can still hold protests and meetings there. Take a long moment and let that sink in very deeply.”
The “Positions” pop star’s brother, reality star Frankie Grande, also didn’t hold back about his feelings regarding the ban. Posting a nine-part Twitter thread on the ban’s potentially dangerous consequences, he wrote, “This is political theatre designed to encourage vigilante violence against a group of people that’s already incredibly vulnerable.”
Thread: The Tennessee Drag Ban (1/9)This bill is not just a one off from a rogue legislator. This is a continuation of a concerted effort by Republicans to criminalize, harass, and endanger LGBTQ+ people. More than 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were either introduced or passed in 2022 pic.twitter.com/j8m67BKAAS— Frankie James Grande (@FrankieJGrande) March 6, 2023https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
RuPaul
The Queen of Drag got right down to business in a March 8 Instagram video outlining the urgency of the situation in Tennessee. “Bullies are incompetent at solving real issues,” Ru said. “They look for easy targets so they can give the impression of being effective. They think our love, our light, our laughter and our joy are signs of weakness. But they’re wrong — because that is our strength.”
Calling drag queens “the Marines of the queer movement,” the Drag Race creator added, “Register to vote so we can get these stunt queens out of office and put some smart people with real solutions into government. And by the way — a social media post has never been as powerful as a registered vote.”
While many of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities were at Sunday night’s Academy Awards at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theater (March 12), Elton John was busy putting his star status to good use across town.
The annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards viewing party took place on Sunday at West Hollywood Park in Los Angeles. Hosted by John and his husband David Furnish, with special guests Eric McCormack and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, the event reportedly raised over $9 million for the “Rocket Man” singer’s charity organization.
The event was well-attended by plenty of A-list artists, including stars like Maren Morris, Wiz Khalifa, Dove Cameron, Hilary Duff, Kesha, Saweetie, Tyga, Sharon Osbourne, Maggie Rogers and Smokey Robinson. Rina Sawayama served as the event’s headline performer, where she took to the stage and performed a number of tracks, including “This Hell” and “Catch Me In The Air” off her latest album Hold the Girl.
“I’m delighted to have reunited with all of my friends tonight after such a long time apart and better yet, to have raised over $9 million for the fight against AIDS,” John said of the event in a statement. “We mustn’t forget that HIV is still causing needless suffering around the world and we must protect those most vulnerable to this disease with testing and compassionate care. We can see an end to AIDS in our lifetimes, but first we must break down stigma and discrimination and provide equal access to healthcare to finally end the epidemic for everyone, everywhere.”
The Elton John AIDS Foundation was founded in 1992 with the stated goal of bringing an end to the AIDS epidemic. The annual Oscars viewing party, which began the same year as the organization’s inception, regularly raises millions of dollars for the foundation — in 2022, the event raised $8.6 million for AIDS research.
As Waymond Wang famously says in Everything Everywhere All At Once, “Please, be kind. Especially when we don’t know what’s going on.”
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka “The Daniels”) certainly took that advice from their character when they accepted the award for best directing at the 2023 Oscars on Sunday (March 12). Dedicating the award to “all the mommies of the world,” Scheinert especially thanked his parents for supporting his passion throughout his life. “Thank you for not squashing my creativity when I was making really disturbing horror films, or really perverted comedy films, or dressing in drag as a kid, which is a threat to nobody.”
That final comment seemed to come as a shot at Tennessee lawmakers, who earlier this month passed a law banning drag performances from taking place on public property, claiming drag posed a threat to children. While Tennessee became the first state to enact such a ban, a number of other states — including North Dakota, Texas, West Virigina, Nebraska and South Carolina — are currently advancing similar legislation.
The Daniels were the big winners at Sunday night’s telecast, as Everything Everywhere All At Once took home a whopping seven awards out of the 11 it was nominated for, including best picture, best direction, best original screenplay, best film editing, and three of the four major acting awards (best actress for Michele Yeoh, best supporting actor for Ke Huy Quan and best supporting actress for Jamie Lee Curtis).
Check out the Daniels’ full speech following their best directing win at the 2023 Oscars above.
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
There’s a reason drag performers call RuPaul “mother” — if you mess with her kids, she’s going to come right back at you.
In a video posted to his Instagram on Wednesday (March 8), 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.
The new law, signed by Gov. Bill Lee on March 3, prohibits “adult cabaret” performances from taking place “on public property or in a location where the adult cabaret performance 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. The Tennessee chapter of the ACLU added that government officials could “easily abuse this law to censor people based on their own subjective viewpoints of what they deem appropriate.”
In his video, RuPaul called out the governor and legislators responsible for pushing this bill through. “Bullies are incompetent at solving real issues,” he said. They look for easy targets so they can give the impression of being effective. They think our love, our light, our laughter and our joy are signs of weakness. But they’re wrong — because that is our strength.”
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.”
Check out RuPaul’s full video statement below:
As a continued wave of anti-LGBTQ bills are being passed in Tennessee, a number of artists are saying enough is enough with a new benefit concert.
On Tuesday (March 7), Maren Morris, Sheryl Crow and may other artists announced their participation in Love Rising, an upcoming benefit concert taking place in Nashville to support Tennessee-based LGBTQ organizations including Tennessee Equality Project, inclusion tennessee, OUTMemphis and The Tennessee Pride Chamber.
The show, which will take place at Bridgestone Arena on March 20, is set to feature performances from Morris, Crow, Jason Isbell, Hayley Williams, Brittany Howard, Julien Baker, Allison Russell, Brothers Osbourne, Amanda Shires, Joy Oladokun, Yola, Jake Wesley Rogers, Mya Byrne and the Rainbow Coalition Band.
Last week, Tennessee passed two controversial anti-LGBTQ laws — one banning gender-affirming care from being performed on minors, another aiming to prevent drag queens from performing in public spaces. According to the Human Rights Campaign, Tennessee has passed more anti-LGBTQ laws than any other state in the U.S.
In a statement released alongside the concert’s announcement, singer-songwriter Allison Russell wrote that as “a queer, intersectional artist and mother raising my child in Nashville,” she knows how valuable organizations like the ones being supported through the concert are. “LGBTQIA+ contributions and creativity are foundational to every genre of modern song and arts performance,” she said. “I think it speaks volumes that so many in our community are feeling the same call to support, celebrate and uplift!”
Meanwhile, Isbell used his statement to condemn the latest bills signed into law in Tennessee. “SB3/HB9 and SB1/HB1 are clearly targeted attacks on Tennesseans who haven’t done anything wrong,” he said. “These bills add up to an attempt to eradicate a valuable part of our community and force good people to live in fear. We can’t in good conscience just stand by and let that happen.”
Throughout her career, Morris has been an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ community. Just last year, the singer called out Brittany Aldean (the wife of country star Jason Aldean) for posting misinformation about gender-affirming care on Instagram. Morris went on to raise more than $100,000 for transgender organizations fighting against this kind of misinformation by selling T-shirts bearing the words “Lunatic Country Music Person,” in reference to Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson referring to her as a “lunatic” on his show.
Tickets for Love Rising officially go on sale Wednesday, March 8, at 10 a.m. local time, with net proceeds benefiting the organizations listed above. Get your tickets here.