US; Tennessee Bans Trans Treatment and Drag Performance for Children

Tennessee’s governor, Bill Lee, has signed laws banning drag performances in front of children and restricting medical treatment for transgender teenagers.

Violators of the new drag law, Tennessee in the United State of America, will face nearly a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500 or Ksh.250, 000 as reported by BBC.

The law which will come into effect next month will ban performances which are harmful to minors by go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators in public places or venues where they could be viewed by children.

According to a statement released by his office, “The bill specifically protects children from obscene, sexualized entertainment, and any attempt to conflate this serious issue with light-hearted school traditions is dishonest and disrespectful to Tennessee families.”

What exactly the law will prohibit is still unclear.

This law which is first of its kind to be enacted in USA is among recent similar laws proposed in Republican-run states.

According to Pen America, a free-speech organization, bills to restrict drag events have been introduced in recent months in at least 14 different states.

The new law prohibits doctors from providing hormones or surgical treatment for minors, with a few limited exceptions. Children and teenagers under 18 who are already receiving such treatment can continue to receive it until April 2024.

Civil rights and LGBT groups vowed to sue to stop the medical treatment measure from taking effect on 1 July.

Doctors who violate the law could be fined up to $25,000 or Ksh2.5M per procedure.

Supporting tis legislation, House Majority Leader William Lamberth, a Republican, said children are not mature enough to make “life-altering” decisions about such operations or medication.

“These treatments and procedures have a lifetime of negative consequences that are irreversible,” he said, reports the Tennessean.

However, opponents of the law, including the state legislature’s Democrats, argue that this new legislation is redundant because they say sexualized performances in front of children are already illegal under Tennessee law.

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