Tennessee could soon have a law that generally bans drag shows in public and in front of children.
Tennessee State Rep. Chris Todd (R, Jackson) sponsored the bill in the House. On Friday, Todd, along with State Sen. Ed Jackson (R, Jackson) and State Rep. Johnny Shaw (D, Bolivar) made their monthly visit Friday to the Greater Jackson Chamber “Capitol Talk” to a standing-room-only crowd of nearly 100.
Todd’s so-called “Drag Bill” was created after he helped seek a court order in 2022 to stop what was called a “family friendly” drag show planned in one of Jackson’s public parks. At the time, Todd called the drag show “child abuse.” When asked Friday if he’s ever seen a drag show, Todd replied, “No.”
The two Republican lawmakers supported the bill, although Shaw said he did not.
There have been concerns in the arts community over whether the bill would affect any performances in theater or any other arts activities, but Todd says the language in the bill was carefully crafted to avoid conflict with performances by arts organizations. Supporters of the bill were concerned about children viewing sexualized shows.
As for other topics, a representative of AARP who has seen senior citizens evicted for being unable to afford rent asked the lawmakers about the rising cost of housing. According to Jackson, inflation is the biggest issue in building right now.
“Legislators recognize that the cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits is not keeping up with inflation,” Jackson said. “There is money budgeted for cities to build more affordable housing, but right now there are no plans in place.”
There are plans to upgrade some of the existing Tennessee College of Applied Technology locations and add new ones. Shaw says that TCAT is still the best bang for the buck. The curriculum is geared towards technology in several areas, along with health information management, industrial electricity and maintenance, HVAC, and other areas that allow students to obtain certificates and get to work in high-paying jobs in a shorter amount of time than a four-year college.
A TCAT branch is being built on the BlueOval City campus. Shaw says there are three new TCATs planned for East Tennessee, and three for Middle Tennessee. Jackson State Community College is also part of the picture in terms of training and obtaining certificates.
Todd, Shaw, and Jackson fielded questions from the crowd for about an hour, with broadcast veteran Steve Bowers serving as moderator.
The Greater Jackson Chamber hosts “Capitol Talk” each month. The next event is set for March 24 at 8:30 a.m. at the Chamber office, and is open to the public to give the community the opportunity to hear from state lawmakers about bills that are making their way through the legislative process.
