ACLU sues Tennessee district attorney who promises to enforce the state's new anti-drag show ban
Source: Associated Press
ACLU sues Tennessee district attorney who promises to enforce the state’s new anti-drag show ban
BY KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Updated 1:51 PM EDT, August 31, 2023
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s first-in-the-nation law placing strict limits on drag shows is once again facing a legal challenge after a local district attorney warned Pride organizers that he intends to enforce the new statute despite a federal judge ruling the ban was unconstitutional.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee filed the lawsuit late Wednesday on behalf of a organization planning a Blount County Pride festival on Sept. 2. The ACLU is also representing drag performer Flamy Grant, who was hired to perform at the event. The plaintiffs are asking the federal court in eastern Tennessee to block the law from being enforced and declare it illegal.
Earlier this year, a federal judge in Memphis ruled that Tennessee’s so-called anti-drag show law was “unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad,” and encouraged “discriminatory enforcement.” The ruling was celebrated by LGBTQ+ advocates, but quickly sparked questions because the court declared the decision only applied to Shelby County, where Memphis lies.
While some legal experts have speculated that district attorneys across the state wouldn’t enforce a law that a federal judge said violated the First Amendment, others, including state Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, were quick to point out that the law remained in effect outside of Shelby County.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/drag-ban-tennessee-pride-87430f9fa31d3106961943edf55ba588