GOP lawmaker forces Pride event indoors & to require ID so only adults can attend

In Jackson, Tennessee this weekend, the small town’s annual Pride festival was forced to move inside after a local lawmaker up for reelection drew attention to the event and a scheduled drag performance, stoking community outrage and threats from the Proud Boys and Westboro Baptist Church.

After a year of planning, Jackson Pride was set to happen in the town’s Conger Park, where the event took place without complaint in 2019 and 2021. Then on September 17, Republican state Rep. Chris Todd posted to Facebook: “I continue to hear from Madison Countians APPALLED at the possibility of a drag queen show in Conger Park.”

“I share your shock and sentiment. If Mayor Conger or City officials have approved (allowed) this event, then they are clearly ignoring the law. I intend to see that the law is upheld!” he wrote.

In his post, Todd cited a state law that bars “adult cabarets” from being within 1,000 feet of public parks, residences, or places of worship to justify legal action against the event’s organizers.

Days later, Jackson’s mayor, Scott Conger, convened a community meeting at City Hall including Todd, Republican state Rep. Ed Jackson, attorneys for the state, members of the Jackson Pride Committee, and church officials, among others.

At the meeting, Todd claimed…

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