A 1977 yearbook photo of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, where he was dressed as a drag queen, went viral two days after he confirmed that he had decided to sign legislation to criminalize drag performances across the state. Netizens have now called the governor out on his hypocrisy.
One user, @BlackKnight10k, shared the photo on Twitter and took a sarcastic jab at the governor. They referred to the photo and said that Bill Lee was wearing a wig and dressed as a cheerleader even though he was about to make it a crime to dress in drag.
In response to the tweet, another user chimed in and said that hypocrisy must be called out, tagging the governor.
On Monday, Bill Lee, a Republican, announced that he had made plans to sign a bill that was previously passed by the state's legislature and prohibited drag in public as well as in front of children.
Lee also declared that he would sign another bill to ban gender-affirming care for minors in Tennessee.
Tennessee governor Bill Lee says drag is s**ualized entertainment
In a press conference held on Monday, a reporter asked the governor if he remembered being dressed in drag back in 1977 and showed him a paper print of the photo. Bill Lee got immediately enraged by the question and called it “ridiculous”.
He referred to the yearbook picture and said:
“Conflating something like that to s**ualized entertainment in front of children, which is a very serious subject.”
The reporter responded by saying:
“Drag is not s**ual.”
Lee further said that what he deemed concerning was children being exposed to s**ualized entertainment and obscenity. While he was walking up to his car, one of the reporters asked him:
"Is it only illegal when gay people do it?"
Bill Lee did not confirm that it was him in the drag attire in the 1977 yearbook picture, and nor did he respond to any questions regarding whether it was hypocritical to sign a law banning drag performances when he himself had dressed in drag.
However, the governor’s office responded and said in a statement that the “lighthearted school tradition” that was seen in the yearbook photo should not be mixed with what the legislation was banning.
A spokesperson from Bill Lee’s office called the comparison dishonest and disrespectful to the people of Tennessee.
If the bill gets signed, “adult cabaret performances” will be prohibited by the new law to perform in front of children or in public.
The first offense under the legislation would be a misdemeanor, with the second being charged as a felony. The bill was called unconstitutional by critics, who also warned that it was vague enough to target transgender and gender non-conforming people.
Bill Lee’s photo in a drag attire went viral on Reddit two days after his announcement. He was also wearing a pearl necklace in it. The photo was captioned:
“Hard Luck Woman.”
According to NBC News, the user who posted the photo on Reddit noted that they were compelled to share it after witnessing the governor’s hypocrisy. The user referred to the 1975 musical horror “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and a Nashville nightclub and wrote:
“I’m sure [the bill] will be signed but, the hypocrisy needs to be poked at before they come after Play in Nashville or even Rocky Horror at Belcourt twice a year.”
In the United States, other states have either proposed or passed more than a hundred laws that targeted the LGBTQA+ community and their rights, especially those of transgender people.
Drag shows have been targeted by Republican legislators as well, with lawmakers in about eight states taking strict steps to restrict or ban them entirely.
