“Ridiculous” and “dangerous”: The White House on Friday criticized a law just signed by the Republican governor of Tennessee that would largely restrict drag queen shows in public places.
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“These kinds of ridiculous decisions are not only unnecessary, they’re dangerous,” especially “at a time when LGBT+ Americans are at greater risk of violence and mental health issues,” said Karine Jean-Pierre, spokeswoman for President Joe Biden .
Tennessee is the first American state to legislate against the portrayal of drag queens, on behalf of local authorities to protect children from shows deemed overly sexualized.
He might be accompanied by others. Texas, Kansas or even Arizona: elected officials in more than a dozen states have proposed similar texts.
Drag queen shows are one of the latest battlegrounds in what is known in the United States as the “culture wars.”
These are debates fueled by conservative politicians and the religious right, and are essentially about gender, sexuality and identity.
Resistance to “drag shows” sometimes takes a violent turn. In 2022, 141 protests or threats against performances by drag queens were registered by the LGBT+ rights organization GLAAD.