A photo appearing to show Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) dressed in drag has surfaced online after Lee said he will sign a bill restricting drag shows in the state.
The image was first shared to Reddit on Saturday. It shows Lee as a high school student in 1977 wearing a wig, a cheerleader’s uniform and a pearl necklace. The photo is captioned: “Hard Look Woman”.
“As Tennessee moves forward to ban drag, enjoy a high school yearbook picture of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in drag (Franklin High yearbook 1977, page 165),” a Reddit user wrote in a post on the subreddit Political Humor.
“I’m sure it will be signed but, the hypocrisy needs to be poked at before they come after Play in Nashville or even Rocky Horror at Belcourt twice a year,” the Reddit user wrote, according to NBC News.
Lee has not confirmed that he was the individual in the photo dressed in drag but his office told the Daily Beast that “lighthearted school traditions” shouldn’t be “conflated” with the issue the state is banning.
Lee was asked at a press conference on Monday if he remembered “dressing in drag in 1977” and if drag was “only illegal when gay people do it?”
“What a ridiculous, ridiculous question that is,” Lee responded in an exchange that was shared to Twitter by The Tennessee Holler. “Conflating something like that to sexualized entertainment in front of children, which is a very serious subject.”
The Tennessee House of Representatives passed an anti-drag bill last week that prohibits taking part in an “adult cabaret performance” or a drag show on public property, particularly in the presence of minors.
A first offence would be a misdemeanor and a subsequent offence will be a felony punishable by up to six years in prison.
Lee said he will sign the bill when it comes to his desk.
[Image by Mark Humphrey/AP]
