To kick off Pride Month on June 1, a group called “Chattanooga Youth Pride” will host drag shows for children at the Seed Theatre in the Scenic City.
“The highlight of the event, there’s a stage set up for live performances by talented LGBTQ+ youth artists, including singers, dancers, poets, and drag performers,” says an online invite to the event. “The performances showcase the diversity and creativity of the community, while spreading messages of love, acceptance, and pride.”
The day’s schedule also features interactive workshops for LGBT youth, including:
- “Proud and Resilient: Navigating High School as LGBTQ+ Youth”
- “Exploring Gender Identity: Embracing Your Authentic Self”
- “Artivism: Using Creativity for Social Change”
- “Healthy Relationships and Consent”
- “Navigating Mental Health Challenges in LGBTQ+ Communities”
- “Know Your Rights: Legal Resources for LGBTQ+ Youth”
There will also be an ongoing expo throughout the day for “offering information, resources, and support services for LGBTQ+ youth.”
The Tennessee Star reached out to the Seed Theatre to ask, among other things, why drag queens prefer to perform for audiences of children. That comment request went unreturned.
Last year, Chattanooga Pride was forced to backtrack on its drag queen policy after an event at a brewery wreaked havoc on the group.
At the time, the group’s President, Noah Corbin, told The Star that the organization would begin a rating system to let audiences know how provocative each drag show might be.
As reported by The Star:
Noah Corbin told The Tennessee Star in a wide-ranging interview Tuesday that the group is considering ways to alert audiences about the more provocative events that the group hosts.
Chattanooga Pride faced a firestorm after a video showed a child touching the crotch of a Chattanooga Princess Parties performer dressed in a mermaid costume at an event hosted at Wanderling Brewing Company.
Initially, Chris Dial, who owns the brewery, told The Star that the Chattanooga Princess Parties “was hired to support the rest of the show.”
He backtracked Tuesday after Chattanooga Princess Parties clarified that it was hired to perform completely separately from the “family friendly” drag show, at a different time.
There is a law against drag queens dancing for children in Tennessee.
House Bill 009, which was enacted into law last March and took effect in July 2023. It is meant to protect children from indecency in public places.
Gov. Bill Lee (R) received criticism from the White House and celebrities for signing the bill into law.
“The American people are focused on so many issues,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at the time. “But instead of doing anything to address those real issues that are impacting American people, right now you have a governor from Tennessee has decided to go after drag shows.”
“What sense does that make to go after drag shows?” she said .”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 — are going to be safe when they go to school or their communities are safe? But that’s what he wants to focus on.”
Pop star Lizzo also informally protested the law by bringing drag performers to a show in Tennessee.
“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,’” Lizzo said during her show. “Their reason was valid, but why would I not come to the people who need to hear this message the most? “The people who need to feel this release the most?”
“Why would I not create a safe space in Tennessee where we can celebrate drag entertainers and celebrate our differences and celebrate fat, Black women?” she said.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.
