Latest news with #FriendsofGeorge's
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tennessee drag show law stands after US Supreme Court declines to hear appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal of a lawsuit against Tennessee's drag show restrictions, effectively ending the legal challenge against the controversial law. The 2023 law banned "adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors" from public property or within sight of someone who is younger than 18. The law doesn't specifically mention drag and doesn't necessarily apply to all drag performances. The law targets performances that fall under the state's obscenity restrictions, historically an extremely rigorous legal hurdle to clear in court. Opponents of the law, though, argued the law was legally vague and could possibly lead to felony charges against any artistic production featuring "male or female impersonators" after the Republican sponsor of the bill repeatedly suggested all drag performances are inherently innapropriate for minors, regardless of their content. Memphis-based LGBTQ+ theater company Friends of George's first sued over the Tennessee law in 2023, claiming overbroad language in the law restricted its artistic performances. The group was initially successful. In June 2023, a federal judge ruled against the law, calling it unconstitutional. The ruling temporarily blocked enforcement of the law in Shelby County. But the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals later reversed the lower court's decision. The appellate court ruled Friends of George's lacked standing to sue over the law as its performances would have artistic value and therefore not fall under the obscenity statute. More: Could Tennessee drag restrictions apply in private homes? How state argued before a federal appeals court Friends of George's petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider the 6th Circuit ruling, but the high court on Monday declined to do so. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: SCOTUS declines to hear Tennessee drag show ban appeal
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Supreme Court declines to take up challenge to Tennessee law restricting drag shows
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge to a Tennessee law restricting some drag performances, allowing the first-in-the-nation law to remain largely intact. In a brief, unsigned order, the justices denied a Tennessee theater company's request to intervene in its challenge to the state's limits on drag, first enacted in 2023 by the Republican-dominated Legislature. While the law does not explicitly mention drag shows, state lawmakers said the measure was meant to restrict them. A Tennessee court had previously deemed the law, which targets 'adult-oriented performances' that take place in public or where they may be seen by minors, unconstitutional, blocking its enforcement in parts of the state. A federal appeals court reversed that decision in July, ruling that the Memphis-based theater group Friends of George's lacked the legal standing to challenge Tennessee's restrictions. Friends of George's had argued the state's law would negatively impact them because they produce 'drag-centric performances, comedy sketches, and plays' outside of age-restricted venues. But the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the group did not risk violating the law because their performances were not 'harmful to minors.' In passing the restrictions on drag, state lawmakers amended Tennessee's definition of adult cabaret entertainment to mean adult-oriented performances that feature topless or exotic dancers or 'male or female impersonators.' Restricted performances must also be 'harmful to minors,' which Tennessee law defines as lacking 'serious literary, artistic, political or scientific values' and appealing 'to the prurient, shameful or morbid interests.' In dismissing Friend of George's case, the 6th Circuit ruled the law only prohibits public performances that lack value 'for a reasonable 17-year-old,' which the group argued to the Supreme Court unlawfully narrowed the scope of the law. Friends of George's did not return a request for comment on the high court's decision not to hear the case. Several GOP-led states have considered or passed legislation to restrict drag performances, which Republican lawmakers say are inappropriate for young audiences. Advocates have defended drag as a form of self-expression that challenges gender and societal norms and promotes inclusivity. President Trump, who earlier this month announced he was ending the terms of several Kennedy Center board members and naming himself chairman, said that decision was made, in part, because of a drag performance held at the cultural center last year. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called drag performances 'anti-American propaganda.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
