A federal judge on Wednesday extended a temporary restraining order against Tennessee’s anti-drag law through May 26, delivering “another win for all drag performers across the state,” the group who filed a lawsuit against the state said.
Early last month, Tennessee became the first state in the nation to restrict public drag shows after Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a bill drastically regulating performances featuring people in drag.
The legislation — slammed as “bigoted,” “harmful” and “dangerous” by LGBTQ rights advocates — was set to take effect April 1.
Early last week, Friends of George’s, a Memphis-based LGBTQ theater group, filed a lawsuit asking the court to prevent “this unconstitutional statute from taking effect.”
Late on March 31, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Parker issued a temporary restraining order saying the state failed to make a compelling argument as to why the new law is needed in Tennessee.
Parker, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, noted the court agrees the statute is likely vague and overly broad.
On Wednesday, Parker extended the temporary restraining order through May 26. A hearing will be held next month before the extension is set to expire.
The extension means Friends of George’s will be able to go ahead with its next production, “Drag Rocks,” which is set to open on April 14.
“We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support Friends of George’s has received from allies standing with us all across the country,” Mark Campbell, president of the group’s board of directors, said in a statement. “We refuse to sit still while hateful rhetoric and oppressive laws threaten our freedom of expression.”
For more than a decade, the group has raised money for Mid-South organizations supporting the LGBTQ community by producing original and “drag-centric performances” rooted in the history of drag and gender explorations through theater and “honoring this centuries-old tradition of queer culture and storytelling.”