Artists are in the midst of finding ways to protest Tennessee’s ban on drag performances. Madonna is bringing Caldwell Tidicue, who performs as Bob the Drag Queen, on her tour. Yo La Tengo dressed up in drag to make a point. However, Hayley Kiyoko experienced struggles at her show in Nashville.
The singer shared an Instagram post, saying an undercover cop attended her soundcheck and informed her that she can’t have drag performers because the gig is all ages.
“This is f*cked up. This is so f*cked,” she said. “And I’m so sorry to my community and I’m just devastated, this is just not right, it’s not okay. And my heart just goes out to everyone navigating this.”
She also refused to give up, inspiring fans to maintain hope: “We will not be silenced,” she wrote.
The show successfully went on with the drag queens.
Find the full post below.
“At soundcheck the day of, I was advised by local law enforcement that having a drag performance at my all ages show could result in legal action. They warned us to not bring any drag performers on stage. I was shattered as you can see in the videos I recorded reacting to the situation in real time before the show started.
I never want to put anyone in a position to be at risk or in danger in any way. But also where is the line of being silenced? How do we navigate these absurd threats and laws against our community? I find pride in making sure my concerts are safe places for ALL. How can I do that if we aren’t allowed to be ourselves, especially at a predominantly queer concert? We deserve to have a safe space to be ourselves while we navigate the evil that is threatening our own existence.
When the queens arrived it was about 10 minutes before the show. I was distraught and let them know what was communicated to us and our concerns. They showed no fear and said they wanted to continue with the show and come out on stage. So they did.
Thank you @theladylibertea and @jivy85 for joining us last night. You looked radiant and truly inspire me.
We will not be silenced. We will find ways to continue to be our authentic selves, no matter what. We will not give up.
No matter how hard they make it. I love you all so much.”