This is Radio Atlantic. I'm Hunter Rosen. I've watched RuPaul's Drag Race since the beginning. When the set looked like cable access TV, and the Queen's

costumes were very homespun. I still watch now nearly 15 years later, and some of the costumes cost tens of thousands of

dollars because they're either made by famous designers or they are covered in

Swarovsky crystals. The point is, I have this lazy impression that Drag has made it not just

the mainstream, but to the cultural center. But actually, there's this whole other universe in this country where that is

definitely not true. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has just signed a bill that

would restrict drag performances.

Drag performances out in the open, like this one at National Pride last year,

will now be illegal in Tennessee.

It says it is an offense for a person to engage in an adult cabaret performance.

It's the first state where this bill has now been signed and become law.

It'll be going into effect the first of April.

And it's caused a lot of controversy.

That law was eventually struck down by a federal judge, but dozens of other states are

introducing different varieties of laws that effectively ban drag.

So when I saw that Sasha Valor, who happens to be my favorite RuPaul winner, she won season 9 with the most spectacular lip sync.

Anyway, when I saw that Sasha and other former contestants were putting on a drag show for

HBO in Murfiesboro, Tennessee, I thought, what are they doing there?

In order to make a difference,

it feels like we really have to stay.

So one drag show is not enough.

Do you like drag beams?

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