Some States Want To Say Where You Can And Can't Be In Drag
1A
NPR
4.3 • 4.5K Ratings
🗓️ 4 April 2023
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
But drag has been around for a long, long time.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed one of these drag-restricting bills into law on March 3. But a federal judge blocked the law from taking effect on April 1.
The law would prohibit people in Tennessee from being in drag in public places or where it could be seen by people under the age of 18. It defines drag as "adult cabaret."
Other states like Texas have more than one bill on the legislative floor that would ban drag.
We discuss these bills, the response to them, and whether or not they violate free speech.
Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | A Line Scurts, Teased Up Hair and Mary Jane Heels stole the show at Sunday's CMT Music Awards. |
| 0:21.5 | Country singer Kelsey Ballerini welcomed four drag stars on stage for her song. |
| 0:26.3 | If you go down, I'm going down to that move made a statement in Texas. |
| 0:30.7 | It's one of 14 states with a legislation introduced that would restrict drag performances. |
| 0:35.5 | We speak to one of those drag queens, Kennedy Davenport later in the show. |
| 0:39.3 | Drag has been a feature of the 2023 legislative session, including in Ballerini's home state of Tennessee. |
| 0:45.4 | It's also been a target on campuses. |
| 0:48.0 | West Texas A&M canceled a student drag show last month. |
| 0:52.1 | So what's been the response to those bills targeting drag and do those bills violate free speech? |
| 0:57.7 | We'll get into it after this quick break. |
| 0:59.4 | I'm Jen White. |
| 1:00.3 | You're listening to the 1A podcast where we get to the heart of the story. |
| 1:03.8 | We'll be back with more in just a moment. |
| 1:12.5 | Let's get into the conversation. |
| 1:14.2 | Joining us now to talk about it is Kay Klein. |
| 1:16.4 | He's the Secretary of the Spectrum Club at West Texas A&M. |
| 1:19.7 | That's the student organization for LGBTQ students and allies that organized the drag event. |
| 1:25.0 | Kay, welcome to the program. |
| 1:26.4 | Hi, thanks for having me on. |
| 1:28.4 | Also with us is Adam Steinbaugh. |
| 1:30.8 | He's a lawyer with fire. |
| 1:32.4 | That's the foundation for individual rights and expression. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.