Before Lizzo kicked off the second leg of her latest tour, The Special 2our, she was told by fans online to boycott any shows in Tennessee since the passing of the “drag-ban” law. Instead, Lizzo took to the stage in Knoxville, Tennessee, and in a true display of allyship, she made her feelings about the fucked new bill very, very clear.
Lizzo put on an incredible show filled with energy, glitter and glamour, as usual, but she ended the night by bringing out a hoard of 19 incredible drag queens to join her on stage.
The talented bunch included RuPaul’s Drag Race alums Aquaria, Asia O’Hara, Kandy Muse and Vanessa Vanji Matteo, but also featured local queens.
“In light of recent and tragic events and current events, I was told by people on the internet, ‘cancel your shows in Tennessee,’ ‘don’t go to Tennessee’,” the Grammy award winner said to the crowd.
“Their reason was valid, but why would I not come to the people who need to hear this message the most?
“Why would I not create a safe space in Tennessee where we can celebrate drag entertainers and celebrate our differences?”
You have my heart Knoxville
Thank you for sharing a safe space with me 💖 pic.twitter.com/t4sCiJIThz
— FOLLOW @YITTY (@lizzo) April 22, 2023
Lizzo’s on-stage political statement was met with nothing but cheers and love from the audience.
And not only did she speak openly about her opinion on the bill at the gig, she posted the beautiful moment on her Instagram page for her 13.4 million followers, too.
“Thank you to these beautiful drag queens for showing their pride in Tennesee [sic],” she wrote, tagging all of the queens who joined her.
Naturally, her fans were impressed by her statement.“This is how you do it, this is how you support people, this is how you speak up, this is how you can be an ally ❤️ Class Act!” one user wrote on Instagram.
“The fact that she not only brought to the stage well-known queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race but also queens that we often see hustling in queer spaces different from TV speaks volumes about Lizzo’s integrity not only as an artist but an ally too,” another commented.
ICYMI, on March 2 a bill was passed in Tennessee which criminalises “adult cabaret performances” from being held in front of children, or in any public property where children might be present, within the state. It’s most commonly referred to as the “Tennessee drag ban” or “anti-drag bill” and defines adult cabaret performances as “topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers” and “male or female impersonators.”
Although most people would agree that the first four options are forms of sexualised entertainment, it’s inaccurate to assume that all drag performances are inherently sexual or adult in nature. Truthfully, it’s clear to anyone with more than three functioning braincells that the bill is a fucked display of homophobia and transphobia, so naturally, it sparked outrage within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Hell, even fracking king RuPaul Charles has spoken out about the bill, referring to it as “a distraction technique” from the real issues such as “jobs, healthcare and keeping children safe at their own schools.”
The bill’s vague wording also makes it hard to establish what exactly falls under it, with many questioning whether iconic theatre shows such as Rent and Kinky Boots or even children’s films like Mrs. Doubtfire are included in the ruling.However, in the hours before the law was set to be instated on April 1, the bill was temporarily blocked by a federal court judge after an LGBTQIA+ theatre company, Friends of George’s, filed a lawsuit which claimed the bill violated the first amendment, otherwise known as their constitutional right to freedom of speech.
