On March 31, ETSU’s Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) held a drag show and story hour event in response to the passing of House Bill 9. This bill prohibits “adult cabaret performances” in public spaces and where children may be present.
“It’s sad that they’re trying to do away with something that’s so beautiful,” said performer Holly Would, in reference to the passing of House Bill 9 and those in support of the decision. “We have one wonderful community that always sticks together. In the past, the queens used to have a bad name, but whenever there was a benefit to be done, whenever money needed to be raised. We’ve been able to do so much work for not just the LGBTQ+ community, but the straight community as well. And they don’t see that. That’s something that they decide to omit from their mind, what good we do as a community and what good the community does for everyone.”
The “Can’t Drag Us Down” event consisted of drag performances from (by stage name) Holly Would, Lana Cabana, Didi Blue Hart, Imoni, Cosby, Chelle The Bombshell, Yasmine Nicole, Shariyah Diamond and Marsha P. Blackburn. It also included speeches from Kate Craig, Joslynn Fish, Jodi Jones and Gloria Johnson. Another noteworthy speaker was Marianne Williamson, a United States presidential candidate.
“We must be here not in anger. We must be here not in fear, but in love,” said Williamson. “We must not fall into a fight mentality. We will overcome forces of division and hatred by standing for liberty and love and justice and our own declaration of independence.”
The bill was set to go into affect on April 1, giving YDSA only a few weeks to pull together an event to show support and advocate for the communities affected by the changes. Students worked diligently, making personal sacrifices of their time in order to turn the event into a reality, and could be seen working in their respective coordination roles for the entire day leading up to the 6 p.m. start.
Planning the event did not come without its complications, as YDSA was forced to move their event from the D.P. Culp Auditorium to the Millennium Center Ballroom just three days before the event took place. YDSA also received word from ETSU administration that a new ordinance had been created, enforcing the changes noted in the bill before it was set to go into affect. This meant that YDSA was not permitted to allow anyone under the age of 18 enter the event, and they were asked to check identification at the entrance.
“They can try as they might, but our community is not going to go back into the shadows,” said Noah Nordstrom, event coordinator. “We’re not going to be silent, and good luck trying to silence us, ’cause it ain’t happening.”
After the event commenced, word spread just hours later that the bill was temporarily blocked by Judge Thomas Parker to re-evaluate the language of the bill. This restraining order will be upheld until April 13.
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