Why Tennessee’s anti-Drag Queen Story Hour law goes too far
In the Tennessee House of Representatives, it went by the name of Bill 9; in the Tennessee Senate, Bill 3. And the Volunteer State’s governor, whose first name is also Bill — that would be Republican Bill Lee, in office since 2019 — signed it last Friday. The new law makes it illegal for “male or female impersonators” to “provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest” in a location where minors might be present. A first violation would be a misdemeanor; a second, a felony. The law, as you may already be aware, comes in response to a bizarre and unpalatable recent development known as Drag Queen Story Hour.
