A number of judges who considered challenges to anti-LGBTQ legislation passed by state lawmakers in 2023 had strong words for how the laws violated the First Amendment.
A drag show in Nashville, Tenn., during Day One of Nashville Pride 2022.
Mickey Bernal/Getty Images
The law passed by Tennessee legislators that banned many drag performances violated the First Amendment. A legal scholar explains the judge’s decision in the case.
Protesters against a bill restricting drag shows march from a rally outside of the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville on Feb. 14, 2023.
AP Photo/Jonathan Mattise
Free speech protections in federal law likely mean a new Tennessee law restricting or banning some drag shows will be found unconstitutional, says a First Amendment scholar.