A decision by a Tennessee judge appointed by Donald Trump to reject a drag show ban due to being unconstitutional has been praised by LGBTQ+ groups.
Thomas Parker, who was appointed by the former president, issued his ruling on Friday, June 2, granting the LGBTQ+ community a significant win for Pride Month.
Parker said the Adult Entertainment Act, was unconstitutional and encouraged "discriminatory enforcement."
Following the ruling, LGBTQ+ groups praised the decision to strike down the drag ban in the state.
The Friends of George Theatre Company, a Memphis-based nonprofit that features drag performances, argued the law violated the First Amendment and praised the decision.
In a statement shared with Newsweek, a Friends of George spokesperson said: "This win represents a triumph over hate.
"Our first amendment rights were affirmed today as drag artists and makers of theatre. Similar to the countless battles the LGBTQ+ community has faced over the last several decades, our collective success relies upon everyone speaking out and taking a stand against bigotry."
GLAAD, a pro-LGBTQ media monitoring organization, also shared a statement with Newsweek that described the drag laws as baseless.
It said: "This ruling is a turning point and we will not go back. Every anti-LGBTQ elected official is on notice that these baseless laws will not stand and that our constitutional freedom of speech and expression protects everyone and propels our culture forward.
"Congratulations and thank you to Friends of George's and their attorneys for speaking up and fighting for everyone's freedom. Their bravery will inspire many other challenges to discrimination."
A spokesperson for the Tennessee Equality Project, an LGBTQ advocacy group previously told Newsweek it was pleased with the decision.
"Throughout the legislative session, LGBTQ advocates warned legislators they were violating the First Amendment," the spokesperson said. "We are gratified for this vindication and grateful to Friends of George's for bringing this important court challenge."
The Tennessee anti-drag law was among several anti-LGBTQ legislation that have been introduced in several other states.
GOP lawmakers have introduced bills that target drag shows in places where it could be seen by minors.
According to an April YouGov poll, 50 percent of Americans believe drag shows should be restricted to people aged 18 and older. Twenty five percent believe they should be allowed for everyone and 14 want them to be banned.
An estimated 53 percent of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people said they should be allowed for everyone compared to 22 percent of heterosexual respondents.
When broken down by party affiliation only 8 percent of Democrats wanted drag shows to be banned, compared to 25 percent of Republicans.
The YouGov poll was carried out between April 8 and 11 among 1,500 U.S. adults from across the country.
Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Lee who wanted to make drag performances state felonies was confronted over a photo of himself in drag.
News outlet The Tennessee Holler asked Lee if he remembered being dressed as a female cheerleader in his 1977 high school yearbook. He said: "What a ridiculous, ridiculous question that is. Conflating something like that to sexualized entertainment in front of children! Which is a very serious subject."
Newsweek has contacted the Tennessee Republican Party for comment via email.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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