Gov. Bill Lee signed the controversial bill into law in March. Weeks later a Memphis-based theater group filed a lawsuit in federal court.
Related: Drag performance protests and the turmoil of one show in Louisville https://bit.ly/3IUxEDE
Judge Thomas Parker issued his ruling just after midnight Friday, writing that, “the Court finds that — despite Tennessee’s compelling interest in protecting the psychological and physical wellbeing of children — the Adult Entertainment Act (“AEA”) is an UNCONSTITUTIONAL (sic) restriction on the freedom of speech.”
The bill restricting “male and female impersonators” from performing in public spaces was one of several to come out of the 2023 legislative session that was said to target LGBTQ Tennesseans.
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