I’m a drag queen in Tennessee. The state’s anti-drag law is silly, nasty, and wrong | Bella DuBalle

Even a Trump-appointed judge agrees that this law is probably a blatant violation of the first amendment

I am the show director at Atomic Rose, a nightclub in Memphis, Tennessee. I first discovered drag through Shakespeare. I'm a founding member of Tennessee Shakespeare Company, and I got to play some drag roles there. Growing up in the conservative south, I had learned to suppress anything considered feminine as a safety mechanism. Drag was the first time I was able to put the feminine parts of me forefront, as a source of pride and strength rather than shame or weakness. I fell in love with the art, and I've been doing it now for over a decade.

On 2 March, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed into law two bills targeting the LGBTQ+ community. The first, SB1, outlaws all gender-affirming healthcare for minors. SB3, the anti-drag bill," redefines drag performers as adult cabaret artists and classifies drag as a prurient art form. Prurient" is a legal term referring to a shameful or morbid interest in sex.

Bella DuBalle is a drag artist in Tennessee