Judge temporarily blocks Tennessee city from enforcing ban on drag performances on public property

Source: Associated Press

Judge temporarily blocks Tennessee city from enforcing ban on drag performances on public property

Updated 12:53 PM EDT, October 21, 2023

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked city officials in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from enforcing an ordinance designed to ban drag performances from taking place on public property.

An order issued Friday by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw Jr. bars the city from enforcing the ordinance during the BoroPride Festival scheduled for next weekend.

The judge’s order came in a lawsuit filed earlier this month by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee on behalf of the Tennessee Equality Project, a nonfprofit that advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and has hosted the BoroPride Festival since 2016. The order said the city of Murfreesboro — located about 34 miles (55 kilometers) south of Nashville — and the equality project reached an agreement that the city will not enforce the ordinance during the Oct. 28 festival.

The lawsuit alleges the ordinance discriminates against the LGBTQ+ community and violates the First Amendment by chilling free speech rights.

The ACLU said the order “confirms that the community’s free speech rights will be protected at the BoroPride Festival” as the lawsuit continues to be heard in court.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/pride-lgbtq-tennessee-dragshow-aclu-lawsuit-2a421c8f72dc93ddf6fa38708ac14f6f