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Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee was forced to respond to a resurfaced photograph of him dressed as a woman in his high school yearbook as he prepares to sign an anti-drag show bill into law.
The legislation out of Tennessee, which would prohibit "adult-oriented" entertainment from public property and restrict it to age-restricted venues, is the latest attack from Republicans who have ramped up their attacks against LGBTQ+ people and used drag shows as a scapegoat.
In addition to classifying "male and female impersonators" as adult cabaret performers, the legislation bans "adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors," as defined in Tennessee's existing obscenity laws.
Lee said comparisons between the performances targeted by the legislation and an old yearbook photograph of him in drag were "ridiculous."
The photograph, from a 1977 Williamson County high school yearbook, shows a young Lee dressed as a woman, alongside girls dressed in suits and ties.
You can hear what Lee said in the video below.
\u201c\ud83d\udc40 WATCH: \u201cDo you remember dressing in drag in 1977? Is it only illegal when gay people do it?\u201d \n\n@GovBillLee didn\u2019t appreciate that we printed out the FRANKLIN HIGH YEARBOOK PHOTO \u2014 but did not deny it\u2019s him. Meanwhile he\u2019s about to make drag a felony by signing an absurd law.\ud83e\udd14\u201d— The Tennessee Holler (@The Tennessee Holler) 1677531691
When asked if he remembers dressing in drag back then and if it's "only illegal when gay people do it," Lee said:
"What a ridiculous, ridiculous question that is. Conflating something like that to sexualized entertainment in front of children, which is a very serious subject!"
Lee could not point to any specific instances in which drag queens had ever sexualized children, only saying it is imperative to protect young children from "obscenity" even though Tennessee already has obscenity laws on the books. He refused to answer any more questions about the photograph in question and got into his vehicle to escape one persistent reporter.
Jade Byers, a spokesperson for Lee, later responded to questions about the photograph by repeating Lee's line about obscenity and claiming that "any attempt to conflate this serious issue with lighthearted school traditions is dishonest and disrespectful to Tennessee families."
Lee has been highly criticized for his remarks.
\u201c@TheTNHoller @GovBillLee We pay Bill Lee\u2019s salary yet he walks away from legitimate questions from the press because he\u2019s offended. I am offended that I pay his salary yet he represents only \u201cthe fringe.\u201d\u201d— The Tennessee Holler (@The Tennessee Holler) 1677531691
\u201c@TheTNHoller @GovBillLee The state song should be changed to \u201cRun Away\u201d because that\u2019s all I\u2019ve seen our leaders do when confronted about their proposals.\u201d— The Tennessee Holler (@The Tennessee Holler) 1677531691
\u201c@TheTNHoller @GovBillLee I wonder if he was a minor when he dressed in drag? If so, how did his parents allow it?\u201d— The Tennessee Holler (@The Tennessee Holler) 1677531691
\u201c@TheTNHoller @GovBillLee What about priest and youth pastors.. where\u2019s the law about that? That\u2019s where kids are really in danger.\u201d— The Tennessee Holler (@The Tennessee Holler) 1677531691
\u201c@TheTNHoller @GovBillLee It\u2019s him! \n\nIf it wasn\u2019t, he would\u2019ve denied it.\u201d— The Tennessee Holler (@The Tennessee Holler) 1677531691
\u201c@TheTNHoller @GovBillLee I guess Lee will be banning Rudy Giuliani and himself given they are both very bad drag queens.\nI'll bet Lee dresses in drag every day for his fellow GQP.\u201d— The Tennessee Holler (@The Tennessee Holler) 1677531691
\u201c@TheTNHoller @GovBillLee It\u2019s okay to dress in drag when you\u2019re a dude mocking whatever tropes of femininity misogyny wants to condemn. It is NOT okay to do it when you\u2019re celebrating the feminine. It\u2019ll be damn hard to get that verbiage into his hateful bill, though.\u201d— The Tennessee Holler (@The Tennessee Holler) 1677531691
The legislation Lee is prepared to sign is the latest attempt to legislate drag performances out of public spaces in response to right-wing conspiracies that drag performers are sexually abusing young children.
But the photograph of Lee is not the first time a Republican has been called out for dressing in drag despite speaking out against it and openly opposing LGBTQ+ equality.
Last spring, Tim James, an Alabama Republican gubernatorial candidate, made headlines after he criticized a school for hosting a drag show only to be accused of hypocrisy after a photo from his high school yearbook showed James participating in his own school drag show.
An enterprising reporter found a photograph of James participating in his school's tradition of having football players dress in drag before games against rival teams, which James later called "ridiculous."