While acceptance for LGBTQ rights, anti-discrimination laws, and legalization of same sex marriage has only grown over the past several decades, legislation that targets the LGBTQ community, specifically drag protests, is accelerating in Republican-controlled state legislatures.
NBC’s Antonia Hylton traveled across Tennessee, the first state to pass a law that would restrict drag shows in public, and spoke with performers who feel their very existence has become a political act.
While a federal judge blocked the Tennessee "drag ban" law until the end of May, the ACLU has identified over 470 anti-LGBTQ laws introduced in state legislatures across all 50 states this legislative session, spanning from regulations covering sports teams to basic medical care.
Since 2020, 21 states under Republican control have passed laws restricting or banning transgender student athletes from playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identities. Since 2021, 15 states have passed laws that restrict gender-related medical care for trans youth.
For more on the rise of anti-drag extremism, check out the latest episode of Meet the Press Reports.