Lizzo said He was told to cancel his shows in Tennessee because of the state’s anti-drag law, which prohibits “adult cabaret entertainment” in public places and where it can be seen by minors. Instead, he decided to invite drag performers, including RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni, who will perform with him on stage at his Knoxville show.
“Because of recent and terrible events and current events, people on the internet are telling me, ‘Cancel your shows in Tennessee,’ ‘Don’t go to Tennessee,'” Lizzo said in her set. “We don’t have to go there anymore… Their reasons are valid.”
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Lizzo added, “But why don’t I reach out to the people who need to hear this message, the people who need to feel this release? Why don’t I create a safe space in Tennessee where we can celebrate drag entertainers and celebrate our differences? And celebrating fat black women?”
Republican Gov. Bill Lee — who also signed legislation barring minors from receiving gender-affirming care and banning surgeries and hormone treatments for transgender youth — signed the anti-drag bill to become law in March. Its reference to “adult cabaret entertainment” is vaguely defined as “adult-oriented performances that harm minors” in line with the current obscenity law, but also “with topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators, or similar entertainers.”
Even before it went into effect, a lawsuit was filed alleging First Amendment violations, and April 1 — the day it was supposed to go into effect — a federal judge temporarily halted the ban. .
The controversial law has prompted several protests. Bands, including Yo La Tengo and Vandoliers performed in Tennessee in drag to protest. Many artists have spoken out against Tennessee and other states’ anti-LGBTQ bills and laws targeting trans healthcare.
“What the people of Tennessee are doing gives hope,” Lizzo said Friday. “So thank you so much for standing up for your rights, protecting each other, and holding accountable the people who are supposed to protect us.”
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