Federal appeals court dismisses lawsuit over Tennessee’s anti-drag show ban

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s first-in-the-nation law designed to place strict limits on drag shows, reversing a lower court ruling that deemed the statute unconstitutional. The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the Memphis-based LGBTQ+ theater company that filed the complaint last year lacked the legal right to sue over the law. Friends of George’s had alleged that the law would negatively affect them because they produce “drag-centric performances, comedy sketches, and plays” with no age restrictions. However, the federal appeals court found that Friends of George’s was not at risk of violating the 2023 law because its performances were not “harmful to minors.”