Tennessee County Officials Defeat Challenge to Drag Show Ban (1)

Oct. 27, 2025, 12:59 PM UTCUpdated: Oct. 27, 2025, 3:07 PM UTC

Blount County, Tenn. officials defeated a federal lawsuit by a gay pride festival organizer seeking to pause enforcement of Tennessee’s Adult Entertainment Act against it.

The 2023 law prohibits “topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators or similar entertainers” from performing on public property when children can see them. Blount Pride at Maryville College was originally granted a temporary restraining order to hold the 2023 Pride Festival, but Judge J. Ronnie Greer of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee dismissed its lawsuit with prejudice Oct. 24.

Matthew Lovegood and Blount Pride Inc. ...

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