A teenage girl wearing a short skirt, a fitted sweater and a long beaded necklace smiled as she stood on a playground, posing for a photo that later appeared in Franklin High School’s 1977 yearbook. The black-and-white image of was associated with a legend: “Lucky woman”.
The subject appears to be Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R), who now plans to criminalize such behavior.
A bill amending the state’s obscenity and pornography law to include “adult stand-up comedy” entertainment passed the Tennessee House and Senate last week. Lee said Monday he plans to sign.
Franklin High School via Ancestry.com
The legislation makes it illegal for “male or female buskers” to perform in public or anywhere a minor might see them. First-time offenders can be slapped with a misdemeanor charge, and any subsequent offense is a felony.
The yearbook photo went viral on Reddit this week after the user who posted it heard that the anti-drag bill was about to become law.
“School grounds are key … the law he’s likely to sign is against blocking public property. I’m sure it will be signed, but the hypocrisy must be defeated,” the user wrote.
“I’m sure they were minors!!” Tennessee State Representative Vincent Dixie (D) he commented on Twitter.
Lee reacted angrily when confronted with the image at a press conference on Monday. However, he did not deny that it was him in the photo.
“What a ridiculous, ridiculous question this is,” Lee said during the news conference. “Combining that with sexualized entertainment in front of children, which is a very serious subject.”
Just as actors do when taking on different roles, drag performers can present a wide variety of content, not all suggestive.
Tennessee’s bill comes as conservatives across the country increasingly seek to crack down on expressions of gender and sexuality that don’t conform to the traditional binary.
Critics say the legislation is also so vaguely written that it could go beyond banning drag shows and could be used against transgender people who dress according to their gender identity.
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