The Blount County District Attorney's Office is threatening to prosecute Blount Pride organizers if "adult cabaret" shows are held at the Saturday festival, citing an anti-drag law that was previously ruled unconstitutional following a lawsuit originally filed in Memphis.
The event, Blount Pride, is scheduled for Sept. 2 starting at 1 p.m. Organizers said it was meant to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in the area. It is scheduled to be at the Claxton Center for the Arts and would be the third-annual Pride festival in the Blount County community.
"We want LGBT folks, and especially LGBT youth, to know that there are resources in this community. There are people that will love them just as they are in this community and that they can build a good and full and connected life in Blount County," said Ari Baker, the president of the Blount Pride Board.
Leading up to the event, Blount Pride announced several sponsors who lent support for the festival. They included the East Tennessee Soap Works, Haven Media, the McNabb Center, Foothills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and many others. Several drag performers were also expected to be at the festival.
They included Flamy Grant, a drag artist whose album "Bible Belt Baby" topped the iTunes Christian music charts in late July. According to her website, it's also the world's first contemporary Christian music record by a drag performer.
Ryan Desmond, the Blount County District Attorney, said he was relying on the opinion of the Tennessee Attorney General that the anti-drag law could be enforced in Blount County.
"My office is aware of the June 2, 2023, District Court ruling from the Western District of Tennessee that found the AEA unconstitutional and enjoined the District Attorney of the 30th Judicial District from prosecuting cases under these criminal statutes," the letter said. "It is clear from the holding and subsequent order that this enjoinder is presently only applicable to the 30th Judicial District."
A judge appointed by former President Donald Trump ruled that the law violated free speech in June. Opponents of the legislation said it unfairly targeted drag shows and the transgender community.
"This statute-- which is barely two pages long-- reeks with constitutional maladies of vagueness and overbreadth fatal to statutes that regulate First Amendment rights," Judge Parker wrote.
He also said it targeted gender identity — specifically people whose gender expression could be different than their gender assigned at birth.
"It is my conclusion that violations of the AEA can and will be prosecuted by my office, however it is important to note that we do not prematurely evaluate the facts or evidence related to a potential investigation into possible criminal conduct. It is only after review of all the relevant evidence that my office will reach a position as to whether criminal conduct has occurred," the letter says.
A Maryville College spokesperson also released a statement about the letter, available below.
"Yes, Dr. Coker received the letter from General Desmond, and the College’s legal counsel has spoken at length with the Attorney General. The College’s agreement/contract for this rental specifies that Blount Pride will conduct the event in compliance with all applicable laws."
The event will be free to attend. The festival's slogan is, "There's Pride in Them/Their Hills."
