POLITICS

Gov. Bill Lee sparks national backlash after signing drag bill, ban on gender care for minors

Kirsten Fiscus
Nashville Tennessean

Gov. Bill Lee continues to face blowback after signing two bills that opponents say target Tennessee's LGBTQ community while under fire for a yearbook photo of him dressed in a girl's cheerleading uniform.

Lee signed a total ban on gender-affirming health care for transgender children and a bill restricting "adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors" from public venues or spaces that aren't age-restricted. The latter of the two is commonly referred to as the drag bill, because it adds "male and female impersonators," including drag queens, to the list of performers under restrictions.

Tennessee drag show bill:Will drag performances be banned? What we know.

During a news conference Feb. 27 outside a Hendersonville elementary school, Lee was asked if he could point to a specific instance that would merit enacting the restrictions.

“I think the concern is right there in that building,” Lee said. “Children that are potentially exposed to sexualized entertainment, to obscenity, and we need to make sure that they’re not.” 

Gov. Bill Lee delivers his State of the State address in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.

Lee was asked to answer for the 1977 Williamson County high school yearbook photo. It was "ridiculous" to conflate the two, he said.

Spokesperson Jade Byers later added to Lee's statement.

"The bill specifically protects children from obscene, sexualized entertainment, and any attempt to conflate this serious issue with lighthearted school traditions is dishonest and disrespectful to Tennessee families," Byers said.

The bills were passed overwhelmingly by the state's Republican-controlled legislature. Proponents have said their aim is to protect children.

Here's what's been said since Lee signed the bills.

White House condemns Lee's actions

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the laws and criticized Lee for not focusing on "the issues that mattered the most," like the economy, and community and school safety.

"The governor of Tennessee has decided to go after drag shows. What sense does that make to go after drag shows?" she asked during a White House briefing Friday. "How is that going to help people’s lives who are thinking about the economy, who are thinking about making sure their kids are going to be safe when they go to school or their communities are safe? But that’s what he wants to focus on."

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during a White House daily news briefing at the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on January 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre held a daily briefing to answer questions from members of the press. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775926926 ORIG FILE ID: 1458009565

Jean-Pierre said the drag bill is indicative of a pattern from elected officials who "espouse freedom and liberty but apparently think freedom of speech only extends to people who agree with them." Lee, nor any Tennessee lawmaker, have been able to point to any examples where drag shows were an issue, Jean-Pierre said.

"He hasn’t laid that out at all on why this is an issue for American people," she said. "I said this, I believe, last week, and we’ll — we’ll keep saying it — that these ridiculous policies aren’t just unnecessary, they are dangerous.... It is completely unacceptable for a governor to be moving in this way to be — with such a bill.  And it is also unfortunate."

Human Rights Campaign runs full-page ad

The Human Rights Campaign took out a full-page advertisement in The Tennessean Tuesday printing the 1977 yearbook photo of Lee in the cheerleading uniform.

"This kid enjoyed drag. Guess what happened to him?" the advertisement states. "He's our governor."

In a news release, the Human Rights Campaign said they aimed to "illuminate both the hypocrisy of the governor's actions and the urgent need for Tennesseans to push back against the continued legislative assault on LGBTQ+ people."

What is drag?As performances draw political criticism, experts weigh in

Since 2014, Tennessee lawmakers have passed 14 anti-LGBTQ laws, more than any other sate, according to the campaign.

"Gov. Bill Lee isn’t just focused on anti-LGBTQ+ legislation — he’s obsessed with it. He’s infatuated with it," HRC President Kelley Robinson said in the statement. "But what’s truly unforgivable is that Gov. Lee’s agitated focus on the LGBTQ+ community is shamelessly targeting transgender and nonbinary youth, denying them access to age-appropriate, life-saving gender affirming care."

The Human Rights Campaign is planning a rally Thursday in response to the bills.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom swings at Lee

California Gov. Gavin Newsom chimed in on the discourse on Twitter. Newsom retweeted the Associated Press when Lee signed the bill restricting drag performances into law.

"Tennessee has the eighth highest murder rate in the nation. It ranks 44th among states for health outcomes. And this is what the governor is focused on," Newsom said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom

Lee hit back with a screen shot from an article about Californians leaving the state.

"I’m often asked why so many families and companies move from California to Tennessee. People want to live in a low-tax state that supports families and believes freedom and opportunity belong to everybody — not just the elite," he said.