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‘Despicable’: Outrage over Governor Bill Lee’s 1977 drag pic as Tennessee set to pass anti-drag bill

Tennessee Govornor Bill Lee is set to sign a recently passed bill that criminalizes drag performances in public and in front of children

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: As Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is set to sign a recently passed bill that criminalizes drag performances in public and in front of children, a picture that is now viral on social media appears to show him dressed in drag as a high school student. The photo shows Lee dressed in a short-skirted cheerleader’s uniform, a pearl necklace, and a wig. He is seen posing on a school sports field next to two girls wearing men's suits.

The photo, captioned "Hard Luck Woman", was posted on Reddit. The user captioned it, "Governor Bill Lee in drag (1977 high school yearbook)". In a separate post, the user said, referring to the drag bill, "I’m sure it will be signed but, the hypocrisy needs to be poked at before they come after Play in Nashville or even Rocky Horror at Belcourt twice a year." MEAWW could not independently verify if the photo is that of Lee. 

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'What a ridiculous, ridiculous question'

On Monday, February 27, Republican Bill Lee was asked whether he remembers “dressing in drag in 1977”. It appeared as though he was shown a copy of the image, but he neither confirmed nor denied that it was him in the picture. “What a ridiculous, ridiculous question that is,” Lee responded. “Conflating something like that to sexualized entertainment in front of children, which is a very serious subject.”

Meanwhile, in a statement to The Daily Best, a spokesperson from Lee's office said, "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."

What does the bill say?

The bill that Lee is set to sign will ban adult cabaret shows from public places or for those under the age of 18. After the announcement that Lee would sign the bill, many members of the LGBTQ+ community held protests. Among them was a trans woman and drag performer DeeDee Renner, who said, according to WPLN, "I would like to say that it was harder decades ago when I started transitioning, but unfortunately, it has not gotten any easier because of the discrimination and disdain and the high rate of transgendered murders throughout the country. This bill targeting drag entertainers will only add to the discrimination and hatred that I have had to face my whole adult life.”

It is only meant to target events that are overtly sexual, as well as performances that are staged in front of minors. Opponents, however, believe it could deeply affect drag queens who would now have to live in constant fear of violating the law, according to sponsors of the bill.

'Despicable!'

Social media users are divided after the picture went viral. While some slammed Lee, others shrugged it off as simply a school event. "This image from 1977 is reportedly of Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Lee dressed in drag. There would be absolutely nothing wrong with this, except for the fact that Bill Lee is about to sign a bill that will ban and criminalize drag in the state," one user wrote on Twitter. Another said, "Gov. Bill Lee wouldn't answer the question and couldn't identify a problem the bill was solving. He chose to flee instead. There are 0 incidents of sexual assault at drag shows and countless incidents by youth ministers," one user said of Lee's response to the reporter. "Tennessee Governor Bill Lee dressed in drag. Another user wrote, "@GovBillLee Grooming an entire generation. Despicable!"

Disagreeing, one user said, "There is a difference between "drag" and dressing in a costume for a day. Not every day gets to be Halloween. You know the difference, this is a highly disingenuous tweet. Another wrote, "Well he’s not dancing provocatively for children or encouraging them to do the same, so I don’t really care if he wants to wear a silly costume." "So what looks like a HS skit or show vs a bill that would restrict Drag Shows to be held in front or in the presence of children. Two separate issues," one user wrote, while another said, "He’s clearly in a costume, not in “drag.” Why are you always so disingenuous?"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.