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.
The Tennessee State Capitol.
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An official proclamation issued by two Tennessee lawmakers commemorates Confederate History Month, fails to mention slavery and instead honors what it calls a “heroic struggle for states’ rights.”
A drag queen reads to a group of parents and kids at a library in Los Angeles in July 2019.
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Emphasizing threats to children is a well-worn refrain among those worried about the decline of American culture and values.
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.