“Truth is the revelation of the nature and power of God. It says that the Word became flesh and we have seen his glory. Jesus Christ is the true commandment of life…» «And last year it wasn’t like that. We would just like to enter. I think some people may misinterpret dragging as inherently sexual when it really isn’t. Last year, the city of Franklin held a Pride Festival featuring drag acts like these. But after footage of the show circulated online, some city members launched a campaign to deny permission for this year’s event, describing it as a threat to children. Then, in early March, the governor of Tennessee passed a law aimed at limiting drag performances in public spaces, further exacerbating tensions in Franklin. « We shouldn’t be subjecting our children to this — period, end of story. » « Drag queens thrusting their genitals in front of children. » “God hates sodomy. And God hates pride. “I’m Spencer Lyst. I’m 17 years old and I’m from Franklin, Tennessee. And I’m also gay. « Pride is one of our only outlets to be with our communities and celebrate. » “Pride does not harm our children. Taking away an acceptance post is hurting our children. “Hi, my name is Spencer Lyst. I’m 17. I serve on the Franklin Pride Advisory Board. I mean community decency starts with not tearing down our neighbors because we disagree with them. In the past, we have just asked to rent the park. This process was approved unanimously. And this year, he kept getting rejected and rejected. Besides, people had a lot to say about it. “And God help you with your rules of decency because—” “There was about two hours of public comment.” « I don’t want to see a guy twerking in front of me. » « They got their votes cast and the mayor was the deciding vote, voting to approve the festival. » « The same First Amendment we’re talking about tonight for religious groups also applies to the Pride group. » « But it came with a caveat that we were going to be under a microscope. » « If you violate the trust we place in you right now, I will work as hard as I work every single day to make sure that event never happens again in Franklin. » “For some of us, it gave us anxiety. And for others, it was just like, OK, so let’s just have a big event. Then on June 2, the night before the festival, a federal judge declared the anti-drag law unconstitutional. But in Franklin, Pride organizers had already promised the city that there would be no drag shows this year. « Hey! Let me hear. Come on, Franklin Pride! “You know, sometimes it can be really hard to find community around here. That’s why we have Pride. Specifically, the teen lounge provides a space for teens to actually meet other LGBTQ teens. Really important to have just because a good number of parents around here are supportive of their kids. And then there’s a part that doesn’t. “We know of families where when their kids came out, the fathers divorced and everyone left. I want people to know I’m there for them. » « Guys, are you having fun? » “This year, unfortunately, they’ve required us to remove drag from all of our performances, which is a big shame because our kids love drag performances. So hopefully those will come back in the future. “I really don’t think pride is pride without resistance. And people seem very happy that there is at least some brake here.” “I was all three years, actually. And things were going really booming. are stopped abruptly. This year looks more like a struggle. The Tennessee attorney general, backed by some Republican lawmakers, has signaled plans to appeal the decision to lift the drag ban. « It was different, I think, than the previous years. You could definitely feel that you were being watched. But I don’t think there was anything bad to see.
Last Chance for Pride in a Tennessee City
