Three Generations of Tennessee Pride-ful Drag

Kentucky is one of many states that are working to pass anti-drag-performance bills, which by no coincidence negatively impacts transgender people and may lead to further oppression of entire LGBTQ+ communities. Kentucky’s Senate Bill 115 describes drag as a “live performance involving male or female impersonators […] that appeals to a prurient interest in sexual conduct […] and as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” 

But these bills are attacking much more than drag performances; at its core, drag is a pillar of queerness, queer journeys, communities, and LGBTQ+ Pride. The intention behind Pride can change when the rights of entire communities become threatened. In response to recent anti-drag and anti-trans bills, many are seeing this year’s Pride as more than just a celebration, but as a way to be heard, seen, and stand up against these bills. Many younger folks are relying on their elders to guide them in the fight we, unfortunately, keep fighting. 

To better understand the impact of this legislation, I spoke with three generations of drag queens and kings, past and present, to describe how dangerous these bills are, how we are seeing history repeat itself, and how the community is becoming more unified as a result. 

Desmond Napoles, a 15-year-old, former drag kid, used drag as a helpful tool to express themself at a young age. Through drag, they gained confidence and embraced their identity. Because of it, they can now dress and express themself authentically. Bills similar to Kentucky’s SB 115 frame drag as a universally dangerous, sexual, and inappropriate performance that can harm children, without defining what harm they’re referring to. Desmond did not see their experience as a young drag kid as dangerous. Oppositely, as a child who explored drag and performed as early as nine years old, Desmond shared how exposure to diversity within the community helped them navigate their feelings of confusion with their personal identity. It was important to observe how many options there were to being genuinely oneself. They described drag as, “an art form, and art should not be restricted as long as it is not hateful.” 

“Drag is not limited to one type of person; it has many forms, anyone can do it, and there is not one type of show. Art can’t be limited to a certain sex, gender, (or age); anyone can do drag. It is not just men doing it; there are women, trans people, nonbinary people, straight men, gay men, lesbian women, and drag kings.” 

Aries Alxndr, a 25-year-old Atlantan drag king, sees that when people and governments threaten the drag community, a unique closeness occurs. “There is often a bit of a divide between the babies and those who have been around forever […] but we are seeing a resurgence of bridging between generations with information and knowledge sharing.” Similarly, Cordelia Facade, a 23-year-old Tennessean drag queen, reflects on the incredibly extensive network of sharing within the scene. This cross-generational learning and influence amongst the drag community can be as simple as sharing makeup techniques, or as complex as understanding the different generational perspectives and intersectionalities within drag.

Vivica Steele, a Tennessee-based 40-year-old drag queen, says it is not her first time seeing bills like this oppress people. “As a queen of color, this is nothing new to me. As a Black man, this is nothing new to me. As a gay man here in the south, this is nothing new to me.”

She knows these bills go well beyond “protecting” the community as they are framed as doing. “It’s not about the children – there are laws put in place to protect children from environments like that […] this is taking marginalized communities, criminalizing them, and taking away their rights to vote.” Pride often represents diverse groups coming together and learning from each other. Cross-generational conversations about past and present oppression allows us to make changes. Support can be as simple as, “being open to having discussions with our older and more mature community so they can have an opportunity to understand without feeling like they’re offending you or being attacked for trying to understand you.” 

For many younger generations, Pride has been a way to honor Stonewall, celebrate, bring people together, show respect and strength within the community, and be loud and proud about who you are. For younger folks, Pride has often been about acknowledging and thanking others for their fight and celebrating it. Many people in the middle and older generations see Pride as representing their many past struggles, all of the previous times they’ve stood up, and the lives that were treated unfairly and ultimately lost while standing up for queer rights and equity.  “Older generations are sick and tired of fighting this fight because they already have, and why do they have to do it again? While younger generations heard about people fighting in the past and are asking why it is necessary again. […] We are coming together out of anger” (Alxndr). 

Steele reminds lawmakers, “if you want to see change, mess with the LGBTQ+ community.” We aren’t going anywhere, and will continue to fight for our right to exist.