Federal judge shuts down Tennessee’s anti-drag bill: “It missed the mark”

The Trump judge wrote a scathing critique of the bill, which he said was “vague and over-broad.”

Nina West is holding drag queen story time online until the pandemic passes. Tennessee’s bill is so vague that a kid watching the story time online at a public library could be a violation.
Photo: Instagram

A federal judge in Tennessee has temporarily blocked the state’s recently passed law which would severely restrict drag performances.

On Friday, Donald Trump-appointed Judge Thomas Parker sided with Friends of George’s, a Memphis-based LGBTQ+ theater group, issuing a temporary restraining order against the law, which would criminalize “adult cabaret entertainment” in locations where it “could be viewed by a person who is not an adult.” The law, signed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) earlier this month, is the first in the nation aimed at restricting drag performances by specifically including language that bans “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest.”

Friends of George’s filed the suit on March 27 against the state of Tennessee, Lee, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, and Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.

The suit argued that drag performance includes a wide range of styles that are unfairly targeted by the law. “Drag is not a new art form,” the suit read, “nor is it inherently – or even frequently – indecent.”

In his Friday ruling, Parker wrote, “At this point, the Court finds that the Statute is…

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