![]() ![]() In the fall of 1980, the 40-year-old Lennon had re-entered public life after a self-imposed five-year hiatus to spend time with his young son Sean, travel, and recharge his creative batteries. The triangular patch of land was designated by the city of New York in 1984 to celebrate the former Beatle's life and work. ![]() As is the custom every year, fans are expected to stand vigil for Lennon across the street from the Dakota building in Central Park's Strawberry Fields. As a trans man who transitioned when he was in his teens, he called the bans on gender-affirming care for youth life-threatening for a population already at high risk for suicide.Today (December 8th) marks the 42nd anniversary of John Lennon's death. But he soon fell in love with the welcoming people and friends he met, which he found at odds with the state’s politics. Izzy Heltai, a pop singer-songwriter from Massachusetts, said he moved to Nashville recently because of the industry connections that were there. “I’m seeing people in a great amount of mental and emotional distress over it,” he said. Aaron Lee Tasjan, a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, is in the middle of working on his next record and wrote a song that reflects the “nightmare” that queer and trans people are experiencing. ![]() Rock band Yo La Tengo came out in drag during a recent tour stop in Nashville. Donations were being matched by foundations created by Grammy-winner Brandi Carlile and the family of the late Nashville singer-songwriter John Prine.Īrtists have found other ways to show their opposition to the record number of anti-trans bills introduced last year, as well as other legal rulings regarding bodily autonomy. The money raised at the concerts was directed to LGBTQ support organizations such as Tennessee Equality Project,Inclusion Tennessee, OUTMemphis and the Tennessee Pride Chamber. They walked through the crowds to greet and take photos with fans, blowing air kisses and waving. “Unfortunately it’s so vague right now, we don’t know what’s going to happen.”Īt Love Rising, the drag artists earned some of the biggest cheers as they rallied the audiences in between musical sets with passionate speeches arguing that the bills were a harmful overreach of government and a fear-based campaign to roll back rights. Drag artist Justine Van De Blair wondered if just walking from a venue to the parking lot where minors might see her would be cause for arrest. While the ACLU of Tennessee has said the bill does not directly prohibit drag performance and that drag is not inherently obscene, the intent still has had a chilling effect on performers. ![]() The bill bans adult cabaret from public property or anywhere minors might be present. You’re challenging my livelihood, you’re challenging the safety of my kid,” they said. Nashville has a street named after drag queen Bianca Paige, who was an advocate for those living with HIV. Parton once told an interviewer that she entered a drag show alongside performers dressed like her - and lost. LGBTQ people have long been a part of the state’s lucrative musical and entertainment industries and drag performers and shows have a storied history in Nashville and beyond.Īrtists like Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton and Elvis Presley have inspired - or been inspired by - drag performances for decades. “No one is in danger from our community, from our beautiful greater rainbow coalition of those of us who identify as LGBTQ+ or a drag performer or trans or just a loving ally or just someone who enjoys music,” said Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Allison Russell, one of the organizers of Love Rising. The following night, the effort continued with a second show, We Will Always Be, featuring a showcase of LGBTQ artists in collaboration with Black Opry. Love Rising, a concert held on Monday in Nashville, featured Grammy-winning artists like Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell, Maren Morris, Hayley Williams and Brittany Howard alongside drag performers and trans and queer singer-songwriters. The trend of conservative-led legislatures introducing laws limiting LGBTQ rights or using hateful rhetoric about trans people has led the tightly knit musical community in Tennessee to use their voices and songs to raise awareness and money, as well as encourage music fans to get out and vote. (AP) - When Tennessee lawmakers passed legislation this month targeting drag performances and transgender youth, many musicians living and working in the state felt their community, their audiences and their artistic expressions were also under fire. ![]()
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