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Hailey Welch joins a long list of online sensations that have emerged over the years due to her now-ubiquitous sound clip explaining her “Hawk Tuah” technique. Now almost universally known as the Hawk Tuah Girl, Hailey Welch is living the life of a mini-celebrity but what exactly is the craze all about?
We have content creators Tim & Dee TV for bringing Hailey Welch to the masses. In one of their videos that was filmed in Nashville, Tenn., the hosts of the channel are walking around a rather popping venue asking women what is their go-to move in the bedroom to make a man “go crazy” in their words.
It appears that many of the young women in the video were pretty proud of their, ahem, oral abilities as that seemed to be a common refrain. However, things went all the way left with the 21-year-old Welch, who appeared to be a little lit, creating the viral moment that will live forever and has sparked several zany memes.
“You gotta give ’em that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thang, you get me?” exclaimed Welch, and the trend was born.
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With all the buzz surrounding her, several outlets have scrambled to get Welch’s story and learn more about the woman behind the phrase.
What has been learned is that Welch is from the Volunteer State although she hasn’t been explicit about where her hometown but there is no denying her distinct accent. Welch also isn’t a schoolteacher as has been reported and confirmed that she worked at a spring factory in her home state before recently quitting. According to an interview she did with the Plan Bri podcast with host Brianna LaPaglia, and shared some details about her sudden rise to fame.
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Of course, Welch is having to deal with the weirdos and folks pretending to be her online. Welch explained that she long ago deleted all of her social media accounts but that hasn’t stopped the mouth breathers in some dank basement from attempting to seize on her moment for whatever odd reasons they have.
Tim & Dee TV is milking the moment for views as well and is selling merch with the phrase. We weren’t able to uncover the details of Welch’s business with the content creators but in the Plan Bri chat, Welch revealed that she’s working with Jason Poteete of Fathead Threads on merch and was clear in saying Poteete is giving her a substantial cut of the profits of the official Hawk Tuah line. However, some strange person asked Poteete to get Welch to spit in a jar for $600, a request she found revolting.
There have been debunked rumors that Welch signed with the UTA talent agency. However, she has confirmed she has a manager and team behind her now. Welch was also spotted with the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, who took photos with her during his recent DJ gig in Nashville.
It isn’t known what’s next for Hailey Welch but considering her fun energy and southern charm, she’ll be expected to land a deal somewhere for appearances and more.
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Photo: Screenshot / Tim & Dee TV
Dolly Parton is exploring and paying homage to her family legacy and her East Tennessee heritage on an upcoming album and a four-part docuseries. Parton, in collaboration with Owepar Entertainment, will release Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA – Family, Faith & Fables on Nov. 15, 2024.
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The album, which could feature up to 40 songs, will spotlight the legacy of the singer’s paternal Parton family, and her mother’s family, the Owens, by tracing the families’ journey from the United Kingdom in the 1600s to their home in East Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains. The album is produced by Parton’s cousin Richie Owens and will feature several members of Parton’s immediate and extended family, and will also include the voices of some of her beloved family members who have passed on, as well as contributions from today’s generation.
Pre-orders for the album will launch June 21, in tandem with the album’s first two instant grat tracks, as well as the revealing of the full track list. The project will be offered on vinyl, CD, digital download and streaming.
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Dolly Parton
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Also in production is a companion four-part docuseries, which will provide a deep look at the Country Music Hall of Famer’s family’s journey from the United Kingdom to East Tennessee. The docuseries will include interviews with several of Parton’s family members, with a particular focus given to Parton’s grandfather, Reverend Jake Owens, who influenced Parton’s love of music and storytelling, respect for faith and more. The docuseries also features concert performances filmed at Knoxville’s historic Bijou Theater, featuring Parton and other family members featured on the record.
“I cannot believe that it has been 60 years this month since I graduated from Sevier County High School and moved to Nashville to pursue my dreams,” Parton said in a statement. “My Uncle Bill Owens was by my side for many years helping me develop my music. I owe so much to him and all the family members past and present who have inspired me along this journey. I am honored to spotlight our families’ musical legacy that is my Smoky Mountain DNA.”
In 1967, Parton and her uncles Bill Owens and Louis Owens founded Owepar to administer their songwriting business. The company has published songs recorded by artists including Porter Wagoner, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris and Olivia Newton-John. In 1972, Owepar acquired two Music Row-area properties in Nashville which housed their offices and a recording facility, with Fireside Studios opening in March 1973. Owepar Entertainment was active as a publishing company until 1981 and relaunched in 2019; the company handles a collection of legacy recordings and publishes songs from artists including Parton’s cousin Richie Owens and niece Jada Star.
A bill to create a new statewide live music fund in Tennessee has passed in the state’s Senate and House. It will now head to the desk of Governor Bill Lee, who is expected to sign it into law.
SB2508/HB2712 — composed of identical companion bills carried by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson and House Majority Whip Johnny Garrett — was introduced as a collaboration between the Music Venue Alliance Nashville, the National Independent Venue Association and the Broadway Entertainment Association. The bill creates the structure of a live music fund that will one day provide grants to live music and performance venues, promoters and performers.
The legislation also defines elements of the live music industry in code for the first time, marking a fundamental step toward directing future support. The fund is set up to be administered by the Tennessee Entertainment Commission under the Department of Economic and Community Development.
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Though the bill does not allocate any government money to the fund during this fiscal year, it does allow it to receive donations and grants from individuals and the private sector. The opportunity for government-appropriated funds remains on the table for future years. Stakeholders will also soon come together to evaluate revenue streams flowing into similar funds in other states and determine if any opportunities exist that might be a good fit for the Tennessee fund.
“We are truly excited by the unanimous and bipartisan support for our independent venues,” said Chris Cobb, board president of the Music Venue Alliance Nashville, in a statement. “It has become increasingly difficult to own, operate, or grow an independent venue in today’s climate, and a fund like this will be a difference maker to ensure that independent venues across Tennessee not only survive, but thrive.”
“The Live Music & Performance Venue Fund creates a massive opportunity for us to protect and preserve Tennessee’s live music industry for years to come,” said Bob Raines, executive director of the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, in a statement. “Independent venues and performers across the great state of Tennessee are the foundation of our complex and vibrant ecosystem and we know their success is directly tied to the vibrancy and growth of our communities across the state.”
While Tennessee is only the second state in the nation to define a live music and performance venue in the state code, similar funds have been created in cities and states across the United States. Texas provided over 650 micro-grants to individual creatives in 2023 through a similar fund and also provided a grant to the historic Austin, Tex., independent venue Hole in the Wall that enabled it to secure a 20-year lease extension.
“We applaud Leader Johnson and Representative Garrett for their leadership, and thank the entire Tennessee General Assembly for their unwavering support of independent venues, promoters, and the entirelive entertainment sector in Tennessee,” Stephen Parker, executive director of the National Independent Venue Association, said in a statement. “Whether investment to bolster the fund comes from the live community, the private sector, or government, we look forward to rallying support and growing this fund in the years ahead to ensure the preservation of Tennessee’s legendary live music economy.”
Tennessee governor Bill Lee signed the ELVIS Act into law Thursday (Mar. 21), legislation designed to further protect the state’s artists from artificial intelligence deep fakes. The bill, more formally named the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act of 2024, replaces the state’s old right of publicity law, which only included explicit protections for one’s “name, photograph, or likeness,” expanding protections to include voice- and AI-specific concerns for the first time.
Gov. Lee signed the bill into law from a local honky tonk, surrounded by superstar supporters like Luke Bryan and Chris Janson. Lee joked that it was “the coolest bill signing ever.”
The ELVIS Act was introduced by Gov. Lee in January along with State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-27) and House Majority Leader William Lambert (R-44), and it has since garnered strong support from the state’s artistic class. Talents like Lindsay Ell, Michael W. Smith, Natalie Grant, Matt Maher and Evanescence‘s David Hodges have been vocal in their support for the bill.
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It also gained support from the recorded music industry and the Human Artistry Campaign, a global initiative of entertainment organizations that pushes for a responsible approach to AI. The initiative has buy-in from more than 180 organizations worldwide, including the RIAA, NMPA, BMI, ASCAP, Recording Academy and American Association of Independent Music (A2IM).
Right of publicity protections vary state-to-state in the United States, leading to a patchwork of laws that make enforcing one’s ownership over one’s name, likeness and voice more complicated. There is an even greater variation among right of publicity laws postmortem. As AI impersonation concerns have grown more prevalent over the last year, there has been a greater push by the music business to gain a federal right of publicity.
The ELVIS Act replaces the Personal Rights Protection Act of 1984, which was passed, in part, to extend Elvis Presley‘s publicity rights after he passed away. (At the time, Tennessee did not recognize a postmortem right of publicity). Along with explicitly including a person’s voice as a protected right for the first time, the ELVIS Act also broadens which uses of one’s name, image, photograph and voice are barred.
Previously, the Personal Rights Protection Act only banned uses of a person’s name, photograph and likeness “for purpose of advertising,” which would not include the unauthorized use of AI voices for performance purposes. The ELVIS Act does not limit liability based on context, so it would likely bar any unauthorized use, including in a documentary, song or book, among other mediums.
The federal government is also working on solutions to address publicity rights concerns. Within hours of Gov. Lee’s introduction of the ELVIS Act in Tennessee back in January, a bipartisan group of U.S. House lawmakers revealed the No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications Act (No AI FRAUD Act), which aims to establish a framework for protecting one’s voice and likeness on a federal level and lays out First Amendment protections. It is said to complement the Senate’s Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act (NO FAKES Act), a draft bill that was introduced last October.
While most of the music business is aligned on creating a federal right of publicity, David Israelite, president/CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), warned in a speech delivered at an Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) meeting in February that “while we are 100% supportive of the record labels’ priority to get a federal right of publicity…it does not have a good chance. Within the copyright community, we don’t even agree on [it]. Guess who doesn’t want a federal right of publicity? Film and TV. Guess who’s bigger than the music industry? Film and TV.”
The subject of AI voice cloning has been a controversial topic in the music business since Ghostwriter released the so-called “Fake-Drake” song “Heart On My Sleeve,” which used the AI technology without permission. In some cases, this form of AI can present novel creative opportunities — including its use for pitch records, lyric translations, estate marketing and fan engagement — but it also poses serious threats. If an artist’s voice is cloned by AI without their permission or knowledge, it can confuse, offend, mislead or even scam fans.
Tennessee governor Bill Lee has announced a new state bill to further protect the state’s “best in class artists and songwriters” from AI deepfakes.
While the state already has laws to protect Tennesseans against the exploitation of their name, image and likeness without their consent, this new law, called the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act (ELVIS Act), is an update to the existing law to specifically address the challenges posed by new generative AI tools. The ELVIS Act also introduces protection for voices.
The announcement arrives just hours after a bipartisan group of U.S. House lawmakers revealed the No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications Act (No AI FRAUD Act), which aims to establish a framework for protecting one’s voice and likeness on a federal level and lays out First Amendment protections. It is said to be a complement to the Senate’s Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act (NO FAKES Act), a draft bill that was introduced last October.
An artist’s voice, image or likeness may be covered by “right of publicity” laws that protect them from commercial exploitation without authorization, but this is a right that varies state by state. The ELVIS Act aims to provide Tennessee-based talent with much clearer protection for their voices in particular at the state level, and the No AI FRAUD Act hopes to establish a harmonized baseline of protection on the federal level. (If one lives in a state with an even stronger right of publicity law than the No AI FRAUD Act, that state protection is still viable and may be easier to address in court.)
The subject of AI voice cloning has been a controversial topic in the music business in the past year. In some cases, it presents novel creative opportunities — including its use for pitch records, lyric translations, estate marketing and fan engagement — but it also poses serious threats. If an artist’s voice is cloned by AI without their permission or knowledge, it can confuse, offend, mislead or even scam fans.
“From Beale Street to Broadway, to Bristol and beyond, Tennessee is known for our rich artistic heritage that tells the story of our great state,” says Gov. Lee in a statement. “As the technology landscape evolves with artificial intelligence, we’re proud to lead the nation in proposing legal protection for our best-in-class artists and songwriters.”
“As AI technology continues to develop, today marks an important step towards groundbreaking state-level AI legislation,” added Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “This bipartisan, bicameral bill will protect Tennessee’s creative community against AI deepfakes and voice cloning and will serve as the standard for other states to follow. The Academy appreciates Governor Lee and bipartisan members of the Tennessee legislature for leading the way — we’re eager to collaborate with lawmakers to move this bill forward.”
“The emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) resulted in fake recordings that are not authorized by the artist and is wrong, period,” said a representative from Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). “The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) applauds Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Senate Leader Jack Johnson and House Leader William Lamberth for introducing legislation that adds the word “voice” to the existing law — making it crystal clear that unauthorized AI-generated fake recordings are subject to legal action in the State of Tennessee. This is an important step in what will be an ongoing challenge to regulate generative AI music creations.”
“I commend Governor Lee of Tennessee for this forward-thinking legislation,” said A2IM president/CEO Dr. Richard James Burgess. “Protecting the rights to an individual’s name, voice, and likeness in the digital era is not just about respecting personal identity but also about safeguarding the integrity of artistic expression. This act is a significant step towards balancing innovation with the rightful interests of creators and performers. It acknowledges the evolving landscape of technology and media, setting a precedent for responsible and ethical use of personal attributes, in the music industry.”
“The Artist Rights Alliance is grateful to Gov. Lee, State Senator Jack Johnson and Rep. William Lamberth for launching this effort to prevent an artist’s voice and likeness from being exploited without permission,” said Jen Jacobsen, executive director of the Artist Rights Alliance. “Recording artists and performers put their very selves into their art. Scraping or copying their work to replicate or clone a musician’s voice or image violates the most fundamental aspects of creative identity and artistic integrity. This important bill will help ensure that creators and their livelihoods are respected and protected in the age of AI.”
“AI deepfakes and voice cloning threaten the integrity of all music,” added David Israelite, president/CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association. “It makes sense that Tennessee state would pioneer these important policies which will bolster and protect the entire industry. Music creators face enough forces working to devalue their work – technology that steals their voice and likeness should not be one of them.”
“Responsible innovation has expanded the talents of creators — artists, songwriters, producers, engineers, and visual performers, among others — for decades, but use of generative AI that exploits an individual’s most personal attributes without consent is detrimental to our humanity and culture,” said Mitch Glazier, chairman/CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). “We applaud Governor Bill Lee, State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson and House Majority Leader William Lamberth’s foresight in launching this groundbreaking effort to defend creators’ most essential rights from AI deepfakes, unauthorized digital replicas and clones. The ELVIS Act reaffirms the State of Tennessee’s commitment to creators and complements Senator Blackburn’s bipartisan work to advance strong legislation protecting creators’ voices and images at the federal level.”
“Evolving laws to keep pace with technology is essential to protecting the creative community,” said Michael Huppe, president/CEO of SoundExchange. “As we embrace the enormous potential of artificial intelligence, Tennessee is working to ensure that music and those who make it are protected under the law from exploitation without consent, credit, and compensation. We applaud the cradle of country music and the birthplace of rock n’ roll for leading the way.”
According to a press release from the state of Tennessee, the ELVIS Act is also supported by Academy of Country Music, American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), The Americana Music Association, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), Church Music Publishers Association (CMPA), Christian Music Trade Association, Folk Alliance International, Global Music Rights, Gospel Music Association, The Living Legends Foundation, Music Artists Coalition, Nashville Musicians Association, National Music Publishers’ Association, Rhythm & Blues Foundation, Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC), Songwriters of North America (SONA) and Tennessee Entertainment Commission.
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The two Black Tennessee lawmakers who were expelled from the state House over a gun control protest have won back their seats.
On Thursday (August 3rd), Representatives Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) and Justin Jones (D-Nashville) both won their special election races handily. Jones defeated the Republican challenger Laura Nelson with 80% of the vote to again represent House District 52 covering most of eastern Nashville. Pearson beat independent Jeff Johnson with 93% of the vote. Jones celebrated with a triumphant post on Twitter late Thursday evening. “Well, Mr. Speaker, the People have spoken. The FIND OUT era of politics is just beginning. See you August 21st for special session,” he wrote.
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“I think if we keep running this race, there will be victory after victory after victory,” Pearson said after his win in a statement, thanking Black women for mobilizing voters. “I look forward to heading back to the Tennessee state capitol on Aug. 21 for the special session on gun legislation. We, the People, will march, rally and work to pass legislation.”
Jones and Pearson became nationally known after being expelled from the state House, which is under a Republican majority. The two, along with Rep. Gloria Johnson, led supporters of a protest over the massacre at The Covenant School in Nashville back in March. The lawmakers used a bullhorn as they took to the House floor while protesting for better gun control legislation. The leaders of the House called the actions “an insurrection” and made the move to vote to expel Pearson and Jones, both Black – but not Johnson.
The expulsion led to the lawmakers being dubbed “The Tennessee Three” as they gained support nationwide, with Vice President Kamala Harris vocalizing her support in a speech in Nashville shortly afterward and the White House inviting them for a visit. Jones and Pearson would be swiftly reinstated to their seats by local government officials the following month before the special elections were held. Johnson is believed to be preparing to challenge current Senator Marsha Blackburn for her seat next year.
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Rep. Justin Pearson and his colleague Rep. Justin Jones were famously ousted from the Tennessee House by the GOP supermajority due to their involvement in a gun violence protest. After Rep. Jones was formerly reinstated, Rep. Justin Pearson regained his House position on Thursday (April 13).
By now, the story of Rep. Justin Pearson and Rep. Justin Jones being shown the door for what some observers viewed as politically and even racially driven motivations have spread far and wide. Both men have ties to the respective communities they represent in the state and ran for office on the heels of their activism work.
Pearson, 28, has also emerged as a stirring orator, using a speaking style that some have compared to late civil rights activist and Black History icon in Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In a statement republished by local news outlet WREG, Pearson expressed gratitude for returning to the House to do the work and represent the will of the people.
From Pearson’s statement:
I’m so humbled and grateful to once again represent District 86. Thank you to those who rallied, marched, wrote letters, posted on social media and prayed for this moment. I thank the members of the Shelby County Commission for their courage to do what is right, to protect the representation that voters in District 86 went to the polls twice to earn.
An ugly byproduct of the brouhaha in Tennessee is the comments of conservative pundits and detractors who failed to call out the fact that Pearson and Jones were unlikely targeted under illegal circumstances.
Instead, talking heads like Tucker Carlson is currently under fire for saying that Pearson is using the voice of a “sharecropper” which prompted some chatter.
As it stands, the reinstatement of Rep. Justin Pearson and Rep. Justin Jones is, as many in the state and abroad have said, a win for democracy.
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Photo: Getty
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Justin Jones, one of the two Black Democrat representatives expelled by Republicans last week from the Tennessee House, was sworn back in.
On Monday (April 10th), members of the Nashville city council held a special session to return Jones to the legislature. After a prayer by council member Zulfat Suara for the six lives lost in the Covenant school shooting as well as those lost in a mass shooting in Kentucky that day, the vote was unanimously in favor of Jones, 36-0. An hour later, he returned to the state capitol surrounded by hundreds of supporters and took his oath on the steps.
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“I want to welcome democracy back to the people’s house,” he said after returning to his old desk. “No expulsion, no attempt to silence us will stop us, but it will only galvanize and strengthen our movement,” he said, concluding with: “Power to the people!” The move by the Nashville city council members was done so swiftly that Jones hadn’t missed a floor session of the Tennessee House.
House majority leader William Lamberth & House Republican caucus chairman Jeremy Faison issued a statement before the vote saying that “should any expelled member be reappointed, we will welcome them.” A vote to reinstate Rep. Pearson was scheduled to be held by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners in Memphis on Wednesday (April 12th). Both lawmakers have expressed that they will run in special elections to be held later this year to permanently obtain their seats.
Jones, along with Pearson and Rep. Gloria Johnson, were targeted by the Republican majority of the legislative body for expulsion last Thursday (April 6th). The vote took place a week after the three lawmakers had taken to the House floor and interrupted a session by demanding action be taken on gun violence, using megaphones to lead protesters. Jones and Pearson would be expelled through a vote, while Johnson (who is white) was spared, prompting her to cite racism as the reason her fellow Democrats were kicked out.
The move by the Republican majority of the House, something that had only been done twice since the Civil War, sparked local and nationwide outrage all the way to the White House, as President Joe Biden expressed his anger and Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise trip to Nashville to speak at Fisk University in support of the lawmakers. Lawyers for Jones and Pearson, including former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, sent a letter warning against retaliation to House Speaker Cameron Sexton.
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In a shocking display, the Republican-led House in Tennessee’s state legislature voted to expel two Black Democrat lawmakers over their support of gun control reform.
On Thursday (April 6th), the House chamber led by members of the Republican Party voted 72-25 to expel Rep. Justin Jones, who represents a district in Nashville. They went on to vote 69-26 to oust Rep. Justin Pearson of Memphis. Their effort to expel Rep. Gloria Johnson failed by a single vote with the count being 65 – 30. When questioned by the press about the differences in the voting outcomes between her and Pearson and Jones, she replied: “I’ll answer your question; it might have to do with the color of our skin.”
Pearson told reporters before taking the floor for the vote: “This is a first in American history. And we are losing our democracy to white supremacy. We are losing our democracy to patriarchy.” He and Jones would lambast the GOP membership in their remarks before the vote. “The world is watching Tennessee,” Jones said. “What is happening here today is a farce of democracy.” He would go on to call the Republican members a “lynch mob” and point out their hypocrisy. ‘For years, one of your colleagues, an admitted child molester, sat in this chamber – no expulsion’, he said in his speech that has gone viral.
The three lawmakers were singled out for their participation in a protest led by students and parents at the state capitol a week earlier, days after a horrific school shooting in Nashville that claimed the lives of six people including three 9-year-olds. Jones, Pearson, and Johnson used megaphones to lead the chants of protesters that called out GOP lawmakers for obstructing efforts to reform gun control laws.
The resolutions to expel “The Tennessee Three” were practically identical, and claimed their protests “reflects adversely upon the integrity and dignity” of the House. Biographical information for Jones and Pearson was wiped from the legislative body’s website and both seats were listed as vacant. The expulsion votes have only occurred three times in Tennessee House history according to a report – for contempt, bribery, and sexual misconduct. Despite the alarming situation, there is hope – the empty roles would normally be filled by special election, and Pearson and Jones can run again in their districts and be appointed to fill the slots. If both regain their seats, state law prevents them from being expelled for the same offense.
A federal judge on Friday (March 31) temporarily blocked Tennessee’s first-in-the-nation law placing strict limits on drag shows just hours before it was set to go into effect, siding with a group that filed a lawsuit claiming the statute violates the First Amendment.
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The decision comes after Memphis-based Friends of George’s, an LGBTQ+ theater company, filed the federal lawsuit Monday against Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy and the state.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker issued the temporary injunction after hearing arguments on both sides Thursday.
Parker wrote that the state has failed to make a compelling argument as to why Tennessee needed the new law, adding that the court also agrees the statute is likely vague and overly broad.
The word “drag” doesn’t appear in the new law, which instead changed the definition of adult cabaret in Tennessee to mean “adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors.” Furthermore, “male or female impersonators” are now classified as a form of adult cabaret, akin to strippers and topless, go-go and exotic dancers.
The law banned adult cabaret performances from public property or anywhere minors might be present. Performers who break the law risk being charged with a misdemeanor or a felony for a repeat offense.
“The law prohibits a drag performer wearing a crop top and mini skirt from dancing where minors might see it, but does not prohibit a Tennessee Titans cheerleader wearing an identical outfit from performing the exact same dance in front of children,” the initial complaint contends.
Parker also listed concerns aligning with the group’s argument that the law was overly broad, questioning the location specifications of a cabaret entertainment venue that might be viewed by a minor.
“Does a citizen’s private residence count? How about a camping ground at a national park?” Parker wrote. “Ultimately, the Statute’s broad language clashes with the First Amendment’s tight constraints.”
The complaint also details the efforts last year to block a drag show at a park in Jackson, west of Nashville, as part of a Pride festival. A legal complaint spearheaded by Republican state Rep. Chris Todd and Republican state Sen. Ed Jackson sought to prevent the show, forcing organizers to reach a settlement to hold the event indoors with an age restriction.
“After abusing the state courts to violate the First Amendment rights of Jackson Pride, Rep. Todd ‘was asked to come up with legislation that would make this much more clear’ — that drag performances in front of children are a violation of Tennessee law,” the complaint argues.
Parker referenced Todd’s actions in his Friday decision, saying the state attorney general’s office failed to give a clear answer on the purpose of the new law given Tennessee’s current obscenity laws.
During Thursday’s hearing, Mulroy told the judge that he didn’t object to a temporary restraining order.
“There has been much concern and confusion about the law from the community,” Mulroy said in a statement to The Associated Press. “This will allow the court to clarify the scope, application, and constitutionality of the statute. It’s important to understand the scope of this law so that it doesn’t have a harmful effect on constitutionally protected expression.”
A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Friday.
The Tennessee drag law marks the second major proposal targeting LGBTQ+ people passed by state lawmakers this year. Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed into law GOP-backed legislation banning most gender-affirming care.
Lee has faced criticism for approving the anti-drag show law, particularly since a photo surfaced of him as a high school senior dressed in women’s clothing in 1977.
Lee called comparing the two issues “ridiculous.” When asked for specific examples of inappropriate drag shows taking place in front of children, Lee did not cite any, but said he was concerned about protecting children.