The Tennessee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit in Blount County over a letter written by 5th Judicial District Attorney General Ryan Desmond to Blount Pride organizers.
In that letter, Desmond said that he intended to enforce the Adult Entertainment Act (AEA), which was signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee (R) and bans drag shows from occurring in spaces that could be occupied by children.
According to Desmond, such an event is scheduled to be held Saturday.
A federal court held that the law was “an unconstitutional restriction on the freedom of speech,” the ACLU wants to stop local officials like Desmond from enforcing it.
Along with a plaintiff and drag performer, Flamy Grant, the ACLU filed suit to stop Desmond from enforcing the law.
“Drag is an ancient art form, and I have seen how it can help build community, hold space, and connect people,” Grant said, according to the ACLU. “I joined this lawsuit to ensure that I can continue performing in Tennessee, because I have seen how drag speaks to people who simply want to belong and be loved, making them feel safe and supported. That’s all I want my art to do.”
Legally speaking, the ACLU said drag queens have a First Amendment right to dance for children.
“Threatening to enforce this unconstitutional law amounts to a harmful attempt to remove LGBTQ people from public life, which is simply unacceptable,” said ACLU-TN legal director Stella Yarbrough. “The court has made it abundantly clear that drag performance is constitutionally-protected expression under the First Amendment, regardless of where in the state it is performed.”
Blount Pride Board President Ari Baker also weighed in.
“Our goal with Blount Pride has always been simply to provide a safe place for LGBTQ people to connect, celebrate, and share resources,” Baker said. “We’ve worked hard to create a supportive Pride celebration, but now we are worried that law enforcement wrongly thinks this anti-drag law applies to our event. We are filing this lawsuit to protect that space and our entertainers’ ability to perform. We appreciate community members’ support and we encourage families to attend and celebrate with us on Saturday.”
The Tennessee Star reached out to ACLU spokeswoman Lindsay Kee to ask why, in the eyes of the ACLU, it is imperative that drag queens be allowed to dance for children.
Kee did not return the comment request.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Where was the ACLU during Covid? They have lost all respect in my eyes.
The Blount Pride event is being held at Maryville College, they say that because it`s a private school it is not open to the public, by”invitation only”. I have to ask if the College receives any Local, State, or Federal funds, that would negate their claim. If they do receive these funds, they need to lose them pronto!
past time to put the aclu to bed for good.
defending grooming. they should be real proud of themselves.