USA Prides expresses dismay and alarm, stands with Tennessee community and plaintiffs
USA Prides expresses our dismay and alarm at the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision on Thursday, July 18, 2024, to dismiss the challenge to Tennessee's unconstitutional drag ban. The majority's opinion confusingly and inappropriately narrows the broad reach and vagueness of the law, one of the law's primary harms.
The Sixth Circuit's decision leaves Tennessee's LGBTQ+ community in a state of confusion, subject to a vague law unconstitutionally targeting free speech and expression rights. For LGBTQ+ Pride organizers, the law means limitations to their event planning, publicity, and marketing due to age restrictions, and the free artistic expression rights of their entertainers and attendees. Pride organizations have also been threatened with arrest and criminal prosecution. Drag is not a crime. Drag is entertainment and has existed for hundreds of years, and is part of everyday life. Drag holds a special place in LGBTQ+ history and our celebration of arts and culture.
Courts across the country have rightly recognized the constitutional harms in similar laws, preventing their use in nearly every other state attempting to enforce them. USA Prides stands with the Tennessee LGBTQ+ community and plaintiffs Friends of George's, urging the Sixth Circuit to quickly grant review by the full court.
While courts review this and similar cases, USA Prides encourages all LGBTQ+ people to:
Register to vote or update their voter registration at https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/.
Contact your elected officials and let them know you support LGBTQ+ inclusive laws and policies. You can easily find and contact your elected officials using https://resist.bot.
Support Friends of George's in their continued legal fight. Donate or purchase merch at https://www.friendsofgeorges.org/fog-fights-back/.
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