To stimulate sales for Pride Month (June), Target stores around the country put up displays of LGBTQ-centric clothing. Customers in some stores were offended and showed their displeasure by knocking down the Pride merchandise, angrily confronting sales clerks, and posting threatening videos on social media. Target’s response to the vandalism and intimidation was to remove entirely some of its Pride merchandise, and move other items from displays at the front of the store to less-prominent areas.
“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target said in a statement last week. “Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.” In other words, Target gave in to the wishes of a loud minority of bigots and bullies who created those “volatile circumstances.”
And we let them.
There were no major counter-protests of Target’s actions from LGBTQ activists. There were no cries of outrage from those of us with LGBTQ friends, co-workers, and family members (which is all of us). We just let it happen. Oh well, who needs a rainbow T-shirt, anyway, right?
This is how fascists take over a country: one small victory at a time. They are the would-be thought police, the Christian Nationalist Taliban, afraid of anything that challenges their tiny-minded view of the world. They are easily manipulated by leaders who stoke their fears and bigotry.
Sadly, there are now plenty of would-be autocrats in this country eager to lead the charge — one small victory at a time: They ban books about Black history, even about heroes like Rosa Parks. They prohibit the viewing of Michelangelo’s sculpture of David. They try to fire a teacher who shows a fifth-grade class a Disney movie suitable for 8-year-olds. They want to force every pregnant woman to give birth. They shoot cases of beer. They make white-supremacist noises on social media and cable news. Their game plan is to intimidate a pliant majority and fire up their own ignorant base in the process.
It’s time to say enough, time to stop conceding ground that was hard-won over decades to racists, bigots, misogynists, and other assorted morons seeking to force their prejudices upon us and our children. It’s time to emulate a group in Florida that fought back when the Escambia School Board banned a book called And Tango Makes Three, a true story of two male penguins, Roy and Silo, who lived in New York’s Central Park Zoo and raised an adopted chick. The book was banned at the insistence of one parent who said she was concerned “a second-grader would read this book, and that idea would pop into the second grader’s mind … that these are two people of the same sex that love each other.”
A group of parents, book publishers, authors, and PEN America stood up and said, “Enough.” They filed suit against the school board, alleging that the ban restricted books “based on their disagreement with the ideas expressed, an orthodoxy of opinion that violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments. … State censors are spiriting books off shelves in a deliberate attempt to suppress diverse voices. In a nation built on free speech, this cannot stand.” Hopefully, a judge will agree.
But lawsuits are just one tool in the toolbox. Confrontation at every turn is how this hateful stuff gets stifled. Bullies understand the power of numbers and volume. Progressives need to show out in numbers and stand up to these repressive tactics at every opportunity.
The only reason Governor Bill Lee called for an August special session to deal with gun reform (of the mildest possible sort) is because thousands of outraged citizens filled the streets of Nashville for days at a time after the Covenant School shooting. Now, the Tennessee legislature, which has essentially gerrymandered true democracy out of existence, is trying to cancel the special session, saying it’s a “publicity stunt” that will incite “the national woke mob.”
As a member in good standing of the National Woke Mob™, I say it’s well past time for us to get “incited.” And stay woke. We’re all Targets now.
Bud Light introduced a limited-edition Pride Bottle in 2019, with a portion of proceeds donated to GLAAD. (Photo: GLAAD | Facebook)
Bud Light has gone woke. Can you believe it? The tried-and-true, most America-hell-yeah beer ever apparently has an agenda, and folks are angry, by god.
Earlier this month, in a seemingly innocuous move, Bud Light partnered with trans activist and TikTok sensation Dylan Mulvaney. The 26-year-old is best known for her Days of Girlhood series of videos, where she’s documented her gender transition since early 2022. On April 1st, Mulvaney shared a video announcing some sort of beer-sponsored March Madness contest, and — to everyone’s dismay — that Bud Light sent her a tallboy with her face on it.
This made rock/hip-hop/country artist Kid Rock really mad. So mad he put on his MAGA hat and shot up a bunch of beers. In a video uploaded to his social media channels on April 3rd, the 52-year-old “American Bad Ass” said, “Grandpa’s feeling a little frisky today …” and proceeded to blast cases of Bud Light with a semi-automatic before adding, with a middle finger raised, “Fuck Bud Light. Fuck Anheuser-Busch. Have a terrific day.”
He hates those cans!
The backlash landslide continued from there, with conservatives across the country boycotting the brand — mostly by buying it and pouring it out or violently destroying it in one way or another and documenting the whole ordeal on social media. “Hey, let’s stop supporting Bud Light by buying Bud Light and fuggin’ it up! We’ll show them!”
An interesting thing to note is that Kid Rock’s down-home fan base is rallying behind a man who basically built his career on a false narrative. “I ain’t straight outta Compton, I’m straight out the trailer,” he proclaimed in the late-’90s hit “Cowboy.” The truth is, though, that Mr. Kid, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, was raised by well-to-do parents in a 5,600-square-foot house that sat on five-plus acres in a suburb of Detroit. His father owned several successful car dealerships, and Kid spent his younger days picking apples on the Ritchie orchard and helping care for the family horses. A real cowboy, that guy, just like the song says — but an affluent one who had a personal tennis court, indoor jacuzzi room, and five-car garage at his boyhood home. Hmm.
Another note of interest: Many boycotters boast they’ll now be drinking Corona (owned by Constellation Brands, which has publicly supported LGBTQ events — a Corona Pride rainbow flag can be found on its website). Or Coors (whose parent company, Molson Coors, has a variety of long-standing equality-focused programs, including Tap Into Change, which has raised more than $600,000 for LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS nonprofits since its inception). Or Miller (also owned by Molson Coors and has contributed $450,000 to the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Federation as part of the brand’s Open & Proud program). People are blindly boycotting Bud Light by switching to brands that also support diversity and inclusion! Gasp!
The fact that a pretend blue-collar Kid started this whole mess by murdering cans with a rifle when gun violence has become a national epidemic astounds me. And so many right-wing celebrities have gotten in line to bash the brand alongside him. What are they really pissed off about? Freedom of choice?
Could this have been a marketing ploy drummed up by Bud Light to rile and stir the public? We all know Bud is the equivalent of piss water, but allies everywhere are heading out in droves to buy the stuff to, eh, boycott the boycott. “We don’t like your beer, but we like what you’re doing! We’ll show them!”
Maybe we should take a second and figure out who “they” are. Who has the agenda? What are we supporting with our dollars? What is proven with mindless boycotts?
Trans rights and gun laws have been at the forefront of news cycles for months. Somehow, Kid Rock of all people brought beer into the mix of things that divide us. It’s all about as nonsensical as his lyrics. Bawitdaba it is.
McNally, the Republican-appointed speaker of the Senate from Oak Ridge, has weathered the criticism of these comments by stating he makes them out of “encouragement” and that he “enjoys interacting with constituents and Tennesseans of all religions, backgrounds and orientations.”
His comments come as organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign call Tennessee one of the worst states for the LGBTQ community because of a series of laws passed by Republicans.
Republican leaders in the House and Senate have been reluctant to criticize McNally, who has served in the Tennessee General Assembly since 1979.
Several sources told the Tennessee Lookout that they expect McNally to survive the vote.
Some believe McNally, who has been canvassing the 27 caucus members, should be able to find out exactly how they feel about his future by taking a vote. They see the Senate Republican Caucus as split three ways between those who believe McNally should remain in his post, those who believe he should step down this session and others who believe he should say farewell at the end of the 2023 session this spring.
The race to replace McNally heated up over the weekend when the Tennessee Firearms Association endorsed Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, as the next lieutenant governor.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, and Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, are considered the most likely replacement for McNally, but neither appears to be publicly advocating for the job at this time.
Those on the fringes of the Republican Party have been the loudest critics of McNally. The Tennessee Star, Tennessee Stands and Rep. Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill, all called for him to step down, citing the Instagram comments and other health issues.
McNally had heart surgery in February to put in a pacemaker.
The Lookout reached out to McNally’s office for comment and had yet to receive a response at the time of publication.
Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and Twitter.
The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Tennessee, and Lambda Legal, a national organization “committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and everyone living with HIV,” issued a statement where they have promised legal action against the Tennessee law that will prohibit gender affirming care for minors.
“We will not allow this dangerous law to stand,” said the statement. “We are dedicated to overturning this unconstitutional law and are confident the state will find itself completely incapable of defending it in court. We want transgender youth to know they are not alone and this fight is not over.”
Senate Bill 1 was recently signed into law by Governor Bill Lee on Thursday, March 2nd. The law will prohibit healthcare professionals from administering gender-affirming care to minors. This makes Tennessee the fourth state to ban this care for people under the age of 18.
This legislation will make gender affirming hormone therapy and puberty blockers inaccessible, and trans people in Tennessee will not have access to this care until they reach the age of 18. Similar restrictions have been made in states like Arkansas and Alabama.
A report entitled “LGBTQ Tennesseans: A Report of the 2021 Southern LGBTQ Experiences Survey,” released by the Campaign for Southern Equality in January 2023 defines gender affirming healthcare as “ an individualized experience for all trans and nonbinary people. There is no single surgery or standard path that all trans people access and each transgender person has their own unique needs related to gender affirming care.”
The report said that about 84 percent of transgender respondents from Tennessee said that “when they were under the age of 18, having access to gender-affirming care was important to their overall well-being.”
“Restrictive laws and policies related to gender affirming care can lead to increased stigma for transgender people, resulting in delays or avoidance in seeking necessary medical care, ultimately resulting in worse health outcomes for this population,” the study stated.
In response to the signing of the bill into law, Emma Chinn, co-author of LGBTQ+ Tennesseans, special projects coordinator at the Campaign for Southern Equality, and a master of public policy candidate at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, said that research states that “access to transgender-related healthcare is critical to the physical and mental health of transgender people and their ability to thrive in their daily lives.”
As the law does not go into effect until July 1, 2023, advocates are also offering resources and steps for families to take action now.
A resource guide provided by the ACLU of Tennessee, Inclusion TN, and Campaign for Southern Equality lists the following recommendations:
See current provider as soon as possible to discuss current needs and options for continued care;
If you and your family have been planning to pursue gender-affirming care, try to initiate care before July 1 when the law takes effect;
Fill current prescriptions with regard to gender-affirming medical care;
To view a list of trans-affirming providers in Southern states, please visit the Trans in the South guide at www.transinthesouth.org.
“That’s so gay” is commonly and blatantly used among adolescents in schools. I can’t count how many times I’ve walked through a school hallway and heard this. What’s saddening is that it turns the word “gay” into one that describes someone society should be ashamed of — someone who isn’t “normal.” When name-calling is happening to our queer-identifying youth, who’s standing up for them? The fact that our children are still using the word “gay” as a derogatory term shows that our schools, teachers, parents, and community members aren’t doing enough to provide safe spaces that support our LGBTQ students.
Anu Iyer (she/they), youth volunteer coordinator at OUTMemphis, a nonprofit that serves the LGBTQ community through empowering, connecting, educating, and advocating, speaks on the issue: “There’s a big sense of isolation among LGBTQ+ youth.” Iyer has supervised OUTMemphis’ PRYSM youth groups for years. These are social groups coordinated for queer-identifying youth and allies between the ages of 13 to 17 and 18 to 24. As an intern, and later a staff member at OUTMemphis, Iyer has witnessed first-hand the effects that this sense of isolation can have on both LGBTQ students and their parents.
Iyer explains that due to the lack of safe and affirming spaces, parents of queer-identifying youth have been moving their children out of public schooling and into alternatives such as private schools or online schools. “There are some parents who are concerned about their kids and want to support them” she says. “They want to know how to take action against unconstitutional things that are happening. When kids don’t have a strong support system, it’s a slippery slope to anxiety, depression, and poor coping skills. Not feeling like there’s a sense of hope is probably the most dangerous feeling.”
This “sense of hope” not only depends on students, their attitudes, and responses to queer-identifying students, but it also depends on our schools’ teachers and staff members. A middle-school student in Memphis who identifies as nonbinary expresses that after months of being bullied for their gender expression, along with being name-called for being queer, their teacher did not stand up for them. “I feel frustrated and just nervous,” they explain. “I always feel like I’m on edge.”
Not only is it important to educate youth on how to give mutual respect to queer-identifying students, but it’s also important for teachers and staff to do the same. Part of the problem is that some adults may hold conflicting beliefs that cause them to ignore the topic or disregard what’s really happening. Some adults may find pronouns awkward or controversial, or may not understand that they are, indeed, a part of a person’s identity. Some may witness LGBTQ-related name-calling and bullying but not know how to handle it. Some may not understand why, for example, a nonbinary or trans student may feel unsafe in a boys’ locker room yet unaccepted in a girls’ locker room. The truth is that, quite often, our LGBTQ youth don’t feel safe.
How much do schools feel it’s their responsibility to hold space for topics that involve LGBTQ youth? The answer is that schools are responsible. Some students are queer-identifying. They are “gay,” LGBTQ, and everything else outside of the constructs society has created for us. Iyer says, “It’s important for people to pipe up when they see something happening to a kid. Teachers should be safe zone trained so they can be good mentors, good people for students to talk to if they’re going through something, and spaces where students can feel like their privacy and confidentiality will be respected.”
Safe zone training is recommended for anyone who wants to learn how to create safe spaces for the LGBTQ community and is something anyone can participate in. According to the Safe Zone Project, a free online resource for educators, “safe zone trainings are opportunities to learn about LGBTQ+ identities, gender, and sexuality, and examine prejudice, assumptions, and privilege.” There is no correct curriculum or course for safe zone training, but luckily, OUTMemphis provides such training as LGBTQ+ 101, Transgender 101, Creating a Trans-Inclusive Workplace, and Working with LGBTQ+ Youth and Creating a Safe School Environment.
At the school level, the goal is to work toward progression instead of regression. It starts with teachers and staff taking opportunities to stand up for LGBTQ youth and educate other students. Schools should provide resources for queer-identifying students — resources that they can relate to and find comfort in. As Iyer says, “If I had to say one more thing it would be a call-to-action for teachers, counselors, people who are working at the student level in schools to reach out to us and be the people in school who spread the resources.
“Come to us. Pick up some flyers, business cards, brochures. … We can give you all the literature. You don’t have to spend a dime, just help us spread the word.”
LGBTQ Tennesseans are mostly young, poor, bisexual, and cisgender, and they face a “hostile” political climate and steep challenges to accessing healthcare, have considered suicide, and feel unsafe at school.
These are just a few of the responses from Tennesseans in the latest Southern LGBTQ Experiences Survey. The report is based on surveys conducted in 2021 by the Asheville-based Southern Equality Research & Policy Center and Charlotte-based Campus Pride. The survey collected experiences across many topics from 4,146 LGBTQ adults across 13 states.
Population estimates suggest more than a third of the LGBTQ community lives in the South, the report says, “where they are likely to have fewer legal protections and face more anti-LGBTQ policies than their peers in other parts of the country.” Tennessee is home to about 225,000 LGBTQ people, including about 30,800 people who identify as transgender, the report says.
Tennessee is home to about 225,000 LGBTQ people, including about 30,800 people who identify as transgender.
Southern LGBTQ Experiences Survey
More than half (52 percent) of those who took the survey said they made less than $20,000 per year. The federal poverty guideline for a single-person household is $14,580 per year. Only 25 percent of those surveyed said they were completely financially independent.
Southern LGBTQ Experiences Survey
As for age, 36 percent reported they were between 18 and 24. The next biggest group (26 percent) was between 25 and 34.
Southern LGBTQ Experiences Survey
About 75 percent said they had taken some college-level courses. Though, only 25 percent held a college degree and only 15 percent had a graduate or professional degree. The U.S. Census Bureau says nearly 30 percent of all Tennesseeans hold a four-year degree.
Most respondents (35 percent) described themselves as bisexual and 32 percent identified as queer, marking the majority of responses. The rest were gay (22 percent), pansexual (19 percent), lesbian (16 percent), demisexual (9 percent), asexual (7 percent), and straight (3 percent).
The overwhelming majority of survey takers (90 percent) identified as white. This was followed by Black (6 percent), multiracial (4 percent), and 1 percent identified as Middle Eastern or North African, Asian or Pacific Islander, or preferred to self-identify as another racial group.
No matter where you live in Tennessee, LGBTQ Tennesseans are your neighbors, your family, your coworkers, and your community members.
“No matter where you live in Tennessee, LGBTQ Tennesseans are your neighbors, your family, your coworkers, and your community members,” reads the report. “LGBTQ Tennesseans deserve to be safe, respected, and celebrated within their communities.”
But they don’t feel that way, especially when lawmakers and politicians are concerned. The majority of survey respondents (43 percent) said their perception of the state’s political climate was “somewhat hostile” while 35 percent said the climate was “extremely hostile.”
Their attitudes make me feel scared and unsafe and at times.
A survey respondent from rural West Tennessee
“Their attitudes make me feel scared and unsafe and at times,” said one respondent from rural West Tennessee. “I stay at home rather than attend public outings due to this fear.”
Federal laws block some discrimination based on gender identity and sexuality. But Tennessee does not have any of its own anti-discrimination laws. In fact, state lawmakers passed a law in 2011 that prevents local governments from passing their own anti-discrimination laws, according to the report. Lawmakers have also passed several laws allowing for faith-based discrimination against LGBTQ people.
One Tennessee law allows those who commit violent crimes against LGBTQ individuals to argue in court that fear and panic regarding a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity was a valid reason for their crime. Another law allows some adoption agencies to refuse adoption to LGBTQ people. The Tennessee General Assembly has also made it harder to change a gender marker on state-issued documents, for LGBTQ children to participate at school, and for trans people to access appropriate healthcare.
Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, said the report shows the “relentless legislative attacks on LGBTQ people in our state with particular attention to the ways that young lives are upended.”
“This deadly obstacle course so callously laid out in a series of traps thwarts what should be a time of growth, support, and joy for far too many.”
Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project
“This deadly obstacle course so callously laid out in a series of traps thwarts what should be a time of growth, support, and joy for far too many,” Sander said in the report. “More frustrating is the realization that this catastrophe has always been avoidable because a state’s public policy is a choice. Most directly it is a choice by those in power such as our legislators.
“But it is also a choice by people who enable destructive policy, whether that be the small but vocal group cheerleading for discrimination or the many who tacitly go along with it.”
Whether you know it or not, your first introduction into drag probably occurred in your childhood living room. You may have found yourself watching a segment of Some Like It Hot on TCM or the iconic Divine receiving a formal introduction to the ’60s as Edna Turnblad in the John Waters’ hit Hairspray.
But for Skyler Bell, that entry point to the world of drag came while watching the 1995 film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo. That movie stoked their budding passion for drag, and years later, Bell would come to be known as Thee Native Supreme: India Taco, gracing the stages of The Bluff, Dru’s Bar, and Hi Tone.
Bell began doing drag when they were in college at Mississippi State University and has been performing for the past four years. Having grown up on a reservation in Choctaw, Mississippi, they even hold the honor of being the first drag queen from their tribe. And while Bell will always hold their humble beginnings and origins close to them, they realized they wanted more and moved to Memphis to pursue drag full-time.
The path Bell took is one that many aspiring Mid-South drag performers have walked. But what is it that draws people toward Memphis drag? There’s no doubt that the Bluff City is bursting with talent, and many of the performers who call Memphis home have worked hard to build up those talents.
Bella DuBalle (Photo: Drew Parker)
“When I first started doing drag in this city, it was very old-school, pageant drag. It was all about female impersonation, and this certain level of polish. There was almost like this unspoken rule of how things had to be done,” says Slade Kyle. They are a full-time drag entertainer, also known as Bella DuBalle, and serve as the show director at Atomic Rose on Beale Street.
However, as drag navigated into the mainstream, more styles began to appear. According to Kyle, if you’re lucky enough to get a front row seat to see the fifth season of Atomic Rose’s “War of The Roses” competition, you’ll see a diverse showcase of drag ranging from horror and camp drag to drag kings and pageant drag. Kyle says this is so audience members can get an idea of “all the crayons in the coloring box of drag.”
Moth Moth Moth (Photo: Vickie Quick)
Local activist, drag queen, newly crowned Miss Mid-South Pride, and Memphis Flyer 20 < 30 honoree Moth Moth Moth (Mothie for short) remembers when they started doing drag at Dru’s in 2016 in a “little orange dressing room,” with goth makeup and “really weird, obscure songs.” They recall performing with seasoned veterans like Beverly Hills, who began to appreciate this new, artistic way of drag.
“That type of perception was really early in Memphis,” says Mothie. “That eventually became much more of what everybody’s taste is now. Now people really appreciate, and identify, and love the gender fluidity of Memphis drag, and the way that so many different spaces are open.”
Keleigh Klarke (Photo: Gingersnap Photography)
Memphis drag is not only characterized by diversity and its ability to push the envelope, but it also holds true to the infamous grit-and-grind nature of the city. Kelly McDaniel, famously known as Keleigh Klarke on stage, has been doing drag in Memphis since 2001 and recalls a mantra that’s held true through it all. “If you can do drag in Memphis,” he says, “you can do drag anywhere.” McDaniel explains that it’s tough to do drag in Memphis, but you’ll find that masked under slayed lace fronts, Kryolan Paint Stick foundation, and MAC eyeshadow is a performer with thick skin.
“Our audiences here, they’re tough. This city by nature is a rough, hard city, and it takes a lot to impress people,” says McDaniel.
“It can be rough here, and it can be a rough industry for new entertainers to get into, but I think one of those things that sets us apart is that for the ones who do make it in the city, and do make a name for themselves and do make a legacy and a reputation and image, it makes you tough, it makes you grateful, and it makes you work a little bit harder because you want to keep that spot and keep proving yourself.”
Aubrey Ombre (Photo: Courtesy Aubrey Ombre)
Performers like Bell recognize this, and they also say the drag community in Memphis wouldn’t be what it is now without the legends that came before them and the legacy they cemented. Bell thanks not only veterans like McDaniel but also Kiera Mason, DuBalle, and Aubrey “Boom Boom” Ombre.
“If you go to a show, then you know Aubrey Boom Boom,” explains Bell. “Inside and outside of drag, that woman is everything. She’s helped me out, and the community, on and off the stage.” The legend Bell speaks of is Memphis native Aubrey Wallace, known not only by her stage name but also as the title-holder of Miss Gay Memphis 2019.
Miss Gay Memphis, formerly known as Miss Memphis Review, was one of the first crowns made in Memphis following the Stonewall riots. “Back then, it was illegal to do drag, so they had to wait until around Halloween to actually throw a party and dress up,” explains Wallace. “The Gay Memphis crown was created from that aspect of life. It has so much meaning to it and so much history that if someone competes for it, it’s a big honor to do so because you’re being a part of history and carrying on a legacy that has been passed on from generation to generation.”
As a queen with 12 years under her belt, Wallace possesses a wealth of knowledge that she’s always ready to share with newcomers. And her story starts at Backstreet Memphis, a place that many veterans say served not only as a launchpad for their career but also as a safe haven for their community. Performers like Wallace received their first glimpse into the gay club scene in 2010 at Backstreet, where their performance on the dance floor would capture the eyes of the club’s resident queens.
“They ended up putting me in my first drag show,” Wallace says.
McDaniel also remembers networking with the entertainers at Backstreet Memphis, who in turn taught him the basics of drag such as makeup. The club closed its doors in 2010, but its impact and legacy have been kept alive by those who experienced the magic firsthand. While many find it can be hard to pinpoint what exactly did it for Backstreet, McDaniel explains that it paid homage to the “hedonistic excess of those mid-to-late-’90s, early 2000s.”
“On a Saturday night, by 12, 12:30 at night, you could stand on the upper level and it would be a sea of people all in that space.” Clubs like Spectrum have tried to recreate this magic and succeeded in doing so for a new generation, but nothing has seemed to have the vibe that Backstreet possessed.
“Nothing recaptures the energy that was there, but that was a different time, too,” says McDaniel. “There was a lot less equality and inclusivity at that point for the gay community, so that was our place to go. It was also open to anyone else who wanted to be a part of that environment.”
A lot has changed since the glory days of Backstreet. Wallace has noticed a change in her confidence, which enables her to help prepare new performers take to the stage. “We’re open to taking people under our wing and getting them started and a stage to start on,” she says. “With me, when someone comes to me, I teach them the way of life first and teach them what you’ll go through and some of the obstacles you’ll have to overcome. Then I’ll teach them the aspect of drag.”
Those lucky enough to be one of Wallace’s “drag children” are privy to family dinners and family outings, where they’re taught the values of life, humbleness, and things they need to succeed in the drag world.
“You have to be respectful and mindful of who has helped you, and who came before you,” Wallace says. “As I grew up, I learned from so many legends. Some that are not here, some that are still here, like Alexis [Marie Grayer-von] Furstenburg, Beverly Hills, Kiera Mason. A whole bunch of them. They’ve groomed me into who I am today, and since then I’ve stayed humble, I’ve stayed respectful, and I’ve always fought for everyone’s fairness and rights.”
Wallace’s dream for the “next generation of drag” stems from a hope that they will be able to show their talents on stage and come in “shining bright as a star.” She sees the potential in them, yet there has been a number of obstacles recently that may change the way a newer and younger generation interacts with drag.
Still, it’s almost impossible to have a conversation about drag without mentioning the influence of RuPaul’s Drag Race. The show first aired on February 2, 2009, and is hosted by drag superstar RuPaul. The competition-style reality show follows a group of drag queens who compete for the title of America’s Drag Superstar.
Many credit the show as being a pivotal part of bringing more acceptance and awareness to the drag community. This, coupled with social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, has allowed the public to interact with the drag community without leaving their homes.
“By pushing it into the mainstream, more people are aware of drag,” Kyle explains. “They’re more aware that it is an art form. There’s a lot of easy misconceptions if you don’t know what drag is.”
In turn, making drag more mainstream through this kind of exposure encourages more nuanced discussions. These discussions can lead to more education and understanding of the art form.
In an October 2022 interview, Mothie told the Flyer that the demographic for drag is changing, and it now includes 14- to 22-year-olds. Mothie also said that younger people “deserve a piece of this culture.”
However, there are opponents of drag, including many lawmakers in Tennessee, who have been working to make sure that younger audiences don’t have access to it.
On September 23, 2022, a family-friendly drag show at the Museum of Science & History (MoSH) was scheduled as the ending celebration of the museum’s Summer Pride programming. However, the event was canceled by event organizers after a group of armed Proud Boys arrived.
Jackson Sun writer Angele Latham reported in October 2022 that a Jackson Pride drag show, which was also initially advertised as “family-friendly” and slated to be held at a local park, was limited to participants 18 and older after weeks of meeting with lawmakers.
This began to amplify the conversation of whether drag shows were appropriate for kids, or “family-friendly.”
In November 2022, the Flyer also reported that legislation was filed by Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson that could potentially make public drag shows in Tennessee a crime.
Johnson proposed that new language be added to Section 7-51-1401 that defines “adult cabaret performance” as “a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration.”
This proposed new amendment would prohibit drag performances on public property and other public spaces. If passed, this law would apply to drag shows in the state of Tennessee.
The bill also goes on to make performing in “adult cabaret performance” on public property or “in a location where the adult cabaret performance could be viewed by a person who is not an adult” a Class A misdemeanor. Repeat offenders face a Class E felony.
Performers agree there are forms of drag that are family-friendly and some that are not. However, Kyle notes that this holds true for every medium. Wallace also explains that performers know that what they perform in front of children will be different than what they perform at a nightclub.
For many, the answer to whether kids should be exposed to drag performances is simple: If you don’t want your kids to see it, then don’t bring them to a drag show. But the truth is that they’ll have access to it in other ways, whether it’s through HBO Max’s Trixie Motel, Allison William’s performance of Peter Pan, or the childhood rite of passage of playing dress-up.
“We’re all born doing drag. Every kid knows what it’s like to put on a costume and pretend to be something else,” says Kyle. “I think it’s incredibly important for kids to have access to [drag.] Not just for the kids that will be queer. It’s important for every kid to understand that their differences make them special.”
Many performers agree that drag serves not only as an outlet to express emotions but also as way to find yourself. Drag is an art form, Mothie reiterates, and when you start to limit people’s ability to express themselves, the aftermath can be harmful.
“I know personally for me growing up, I was always in my parents’ shadow because everyone says I had the same talent as my mom and dad,” adds Wallace. “That was something I had to get away from because I wanted to be me and who I am, and find who I really am. Drag helped me do that. Kids in general will never know who they are or who they want to be if you can’t let them express it. Whether it’s dressing up in their mom’s clothes, watching a play or something like that, [drag] has saved a lot of people’s lives. It definitely saved my life.”
With the complexity of drag and its positive influences on culture and the economy, many are baffled that lawmakers are working to criminalize it. Activists like Mothie have been fighting tirelessly against proposed “pointless” legislation and believe there’s a lot more for lawmakers to worry about than drag performances.
“Tennesseans should take pride in how strong our drag is in Tennessee, how much Tennessee is an incubator for what’s next in drag for the rest of the country,” says Mothie. “Everybody knows, just don’t nobody tell the truth: Memphis is where it’s at. Memphis will always be where it’s at. Drag will only get stronger here, despite the BS legislation that’s coming down on everybody.”
A Senate hearing on Tennessee’s anti-drag bill (SB 003) was scheduled for Tuesday, January 31st, after our press deadline. Follow memphisflyer.com for updates.
Phillis Lewis is the CEO and founder of Love Doesn’t Hurt, a Memphis-based nonprofit organization that “provides assistance to victims of Domestic & Sexual Violence in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.”
“Believing is one of the most important things,” said Lewis. “I think a lot of people don’t understand how charismatic, how believable abusers can be, and hearing someone’s story and their journey, just because it’s not your experience, doesn’t mean it’s not theirs.”
The Flyer got in touch with Lewis to discuss Love Doesn’t Hurt’s purpose, and the resources that they offer for the community.
Memphis Flyer:How would you describe Love Doesn’t Hurt?
Phillis Lewis:We are a nonprofit organization that focuses on providing crisis intervention for victims of crime in the LGBTQ+ community, addressing things such as housing insecurity, food insecurity, and getting individuals connected to resources that are diverse and inclusive to their needs.
All the referrals that we make for our clients are with organizations and agencies that we have worked with directly, and we know have affirming and welcoming practices in the work that they do.
In conjunction with the crisis intervention part, we also know that the community also needs life-hack skills and educational sessions to help in the long-run of things, because violence is not just a one-time, incident thing. With that, we want to make sure we’re giving people in the community tools, so that way we can lower the risk of victimization in the future. We do different informational sessions to talk about grief, trauma, self-care, and financial literacy. Next year we will be doing some quarterly cooking classes, as well as quarterly self-care events. Just taking a holistic approach that working with individuals is not just one thing that you’re trying to address. It’s usually a web of things, and we are doing our best to work with other organizations to build a safety net for the clients that we come in contact with, so that they have the best chance of thriving after victimization.
As the founder, was there something that you saw in the community that you felt wasn’t being addressed? Or was there some type of moment or incident that occurred that prompted you to make sure that certain resources were available?
My mother was a victim of domestic and sexual violence, and when she experienced her abuse, it was during a time back in the early ’90s where there wasn’t a lot of protection or a lot of assistance for victims of crime, especially when it came to intimate partner violence. That kind of drove me toward the work, but what drove me toward working with the population I work with, I myself identify as bisexual. So when I started my career at the district attorney’s office, I came in contact with a couple of clients, but one in particular had been in an abusive relationship with her spouse. When we referred her to one of the vendors that was on our referral list, instead of focusing on the trauma she had experienced, they focused more on her sexual orientation. When you are working in social services, you are taught to work in a trauma informed space — not asking people like, ‘what’s wrong with you?’ but ‘what happened?’, and ‘how can I show up for you in this space to help you heal from the trauma you’ve experienced?’ instead of re-victimizing someone that has already been through something hard enough.
How has the landscape changed in recent years? What are some areas that still need work?
In regards to things that need to be improved upon, housing is probably one of the biggest issues. It was even an issue before the pandemic. The pandemic just exacerbated the disparities that we have when it comes to affordable housing. We have individuals that are trying to rebuild their lives, but they don’t have the capacity to do so, and they live in spaces where the requirements to gain housing are sometimes very unreasonable. You say you are charging $800 a month in rent, but you expect the person who is living in that space to make four times the amount of rent. If they made four times the amount in rent, they probably wouldn’t choose to stay in that spot.
Also in housing, when it comes to grants and having flexible funding to help meet people where they are. There are some grants that won’t allow you to help people apply and pay for the application fee. You’re having to figure out where to get funding from, in order to help the need that the clients have. That way they can get to where they’re trying to be.
If you as an agency can help provide first month’s rent and a deposit, but they can’t even pay the application fee, then they’re not going to even get to the point where they can pay rent or the deposit.
In recent weeks we’ve reported on how members of the LGBTQ+ community have had negative experiences with certain agencies, which causes them to not seek help or reach out. How do you all work as a vessel to help restore their confidence in seeking and receiving help?
We take the approach where we let them know what their options are, because the options are out there. If you would like to report it to the police, you can, but also when you’re dealing with individuals that not only have a mistrust when it comes to dealing with law enforcement or the criminal justice system as a whole, whoever the abuser is to them, that is someone they’re going to have to deal with. So as service providers, we’re only coming in as a triage. So, long-term, we try to help not only find the information, but resources so that the individuals that are enacted by the violence can stay safe, and be violence-free. Whatever we can do to help support them in that, we allow them the freedom and autonomy to let us know how they would like to move forward. If they do wish to involve law enforcement, then we make ourselves available to accompany them. If it does get to the point where they do go to the court, and they have to go in for a court proceeding, then we go with them so they have support, and connecting them with other agencies to help provide court advocacy. … Not only do they see our face, but they see other individuals that we’re working with, and letting them know that they have a support system there and there are people there that are trying to help them, to help build trust and rapport. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You’re talking about years, decades of trauma that has happened between the LGBTQ+ community and law enforcement.
There are a lot of different things that you help people with. What are your most popular resources?
Our educational sessions are where we have our greatest reach. In 2021, we were able to reach over 27,000 people through the educational stuff that we do. That is a piece of what we do, but a lot of the direct services part, comes more with the crisis intervention. Sometimes we’ll have people who will call us, and they just want to do a safety plan. They just want to know what their options are. They may not want to move forward with getting out of those situations, but sometimes people just need someone to talk, to know that they’re not crazy for feeling the way that they do, or to reassure them that what they’re experiencing is not the norm.
Efforts are currently being made between members and representatives of the LGBTQ community and local law enforcement to create “open dialogue” in light of recent events and proposed legislation.
“With terrible legislation going around, also known as hate, we need to know what support is being offered,” said representatives from The Haven Memphis on a post via Instagram.
Vanessa Rodley serves as president of Mid-South Pride, the organization responsible for the annual Memphis Pride Fest.
Rodley said there has always been a need for open dialogue and communication, and with new bills coming out and the events at the Museum of Science & History (MoSH), it seems that now is an important time to talk about issues together.
Recently a group of Proud Boys showed up to MoSH before a “family-friendly drag show,” causing law enforcement to intervene and the show to be canceled.
In more recent news, Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson has proposed legislation that could make public drag shows a criminal offense in Tennessee.
“The trust is not all the way there with the LGBTQ community and local law enforcement,” said Krista Wright Thayer, director of outreach and prevention at The Haven.
“The MoSH event didn’t show us we were supported as much as we could be. Was the protection there? Almost after the fact. Police were there before the Proud Boys showed up, but that event still got shut down and that was the Proud Boys’ intent, and they succeeded and that’s not okay.”
Natalie Hillman, the LGBTQ liaison for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, said that in regard to the events at MoSH, she felt that there was a misunderstanding regarding constitutional rights.
“From everyone I talked to, they didn’t understand why [the Proud Boys] weren’t asked to leave,” said Hillman. “They have a right to protest, and they have a right to bear arms, so it kind of ties the police officers’ hands at this point because they’re protected.”
According to Thayer, conversations were had to see how they can collaborate with law enforcement on how they can keep their public events not only safe, but seen as “family-friendly, and needed in our community.”
Rodley said Mid-South Pride has to work with the police and sheriff’s office for their events, so they have to have an open dialogue. However, Rodley also said that all groups do not feel comfortable in doing this.
Rodley said law enforcement would like to help them in creating safe spaces, however the community needs to communicate when things are happening so that law enforcement can support them.
According to Hillman, this is her sole job, and she spends her days meeting with members of the LGBTQ+ community and different organizations.
“We try to get in that door and talk to them,” said Hillman. “We just got so many ideas, and we’re trying to get them into place.”
“The community has asked for us to be there even more, you know [we] asked for some help so we can be there more, and it’s our hope that we can be in one of the centers daily just so that the community, if they have a need for law enforcement, are not afraid to come and report to us, or if they have an issue with law enforcement and a mistreatment issue, they can report to us, and then we can handle it accordingly.”
Hillman said most of the people she has spoken with have had bad experiences with law enforcement when they were younger, and this has left a bad taste in their mouth. Hillman said a lot of the work is in fighting a stigma surrounding law enforcement.
“Most people only deal with law enforcement when something bad has happened or if they’ve broken the law,” said Hillman. “Naturally the community typically does not see us as somebody that is willing to help, so we’re trying to make them understand that not only are we there for the bad times, but we’re there to help and create good times as well.”
Hillman said there has been a stigma surrounding the police and “gay community” for a “number of years.”
“That’s our hope, to erase that old school way of thinking, you know, saying cops are bad — they’re not here to help, but they’re here to hurt us — and just trying to erase that so that they do trust us and they can report properly.”
Y’all means all, y’all. (Photo: Nashville LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce)
Tennessee’s Attorney General celebrated a win for discrimination last week after a federal judge blocked a move that would have allowed trans kids to play sports on a team of their gender and more.
In September, Tennessee AG Herbert Slatery led a 20-state coalition in a lawsuit to stop anti-discrimination guidance from President Joe Biden. The order was issued in January and strives to prevent discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
Biden’s guidance challenged state laws on whether schools must allow biological males to compete on girls’ sports teams, whether employers and schools may maintain sex-separated showers and locker rooms, and whether individuals may be compelled to use another person’s preferred pronouns.
Herbert Slatery (Credit: State of Tennessee)
“Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports,” reads Biden’s order from January. “Adults should be able to earn a living and pursue a vocation knowing that they will not be fired, demoted, or mistreated because of whom they go home to or because how they dress does not conform to sex-based stereotypes.”
However, Slatery claimed in September that Biden’s order “threatens women’s sports and student and employee privacy.” To get there legally, Slatery and his coalition (including Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and more) claimed only Congress — not the president — can change “these sensitive issues” of “enormous importance.” The coalition’s complaint asserts that the claim that the order simply implements the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 Bostock decision on anti-discrimination is faulty.
“The agencies simply do not have that authority,” Slatery said in a statement at the time. “But that has not stopped them from trying. … All of this, together with the threat of withholding educational funding in the midst of a pandemic, warrants this lawsuit.”
Last week, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee blocked the guidance, which Slatery called “expansive and unlawful” and would have forced, among others things, the use of “biologically inaccurate preferred pronouns.”
“The District Court rightly recognized the federal government put Tennessee and other states in an impossible situation: choose between the threat of legal consequences including the withholding of federal funding, or altering our state laws to comply,” Slatery said in a statement. “Keep in mind these new, transformative rules were made without you — without your elected leaders in Congress having a say — which is what the law requires. We are thankful the court put a stop to it, maintained the status quo as the lawsuit proceeds, and reminded the federal government it cannot direct it’s agencies to rewrite the law.”
The court ruling drew scorn from LGBTQ advocates, who were quick to point out the judge in the case, Charles Atley Jr., was appointed by former president Donald Trump.
“We are disappointed and outraged by this ruling from the Eastern District of Tennessee where, in yet another example of far-right judges legislating from the bench, the court blocked guidance affirming what the Supreme Court decided in Bostock v. Clayton County: that LGBTQ+ Americans are protected under existing civil rights law,” Joni Madison, interim president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement. “Nothing in this decision can stop schools from treating students consistent with their gender identity. And nothing in this decision eliminates schools’ obligations under Title IX or students’ or parents’ abilities to bring lawsuits in federal court. HRC will continue to fight these anti-transgender rulings with every tool in our toolbox.”
This preliminary injunction will remain in effect until the matter is resolved. The matter could get a further decision from the federal court in Tennessee, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, or the Supreme Court of the United States.
