Actor Kevin Bacon has prompted a huge reaction with a video he posted, also featuring his wife Kyra Sedgwick, protesting drag bans.
In the clip, posted yesterday, the couple dance together and wear T-shirts saying, “Drag is an art, drag is a right”. The soundtrack is “Karma” by Taylor Swift.
In the accompanying caption, Bacon says, “#DragBans are bad karma. Right now, drag performers and the LGBTQIA+ community need our help. Shop the @SixDegreesofKB campaign supporting the @ACLU Drag Defense Fund or make a gift https://bit.ly/DragisArt #DragIsARight.”
Pretty innocuous, right?
Apparently not. In less than 12 hours, the tweet has had over 11k comments. Many have thanked Bacon for highlighting the issue and showing support. On TikTok, the original video has racked up over a quarter of a million likes.
Drag bans
Since the start of the year, several states have debated legislation reclassifying drag as “adult” cabaret, and banning any such performances from venues where it might be seen by children.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed such a law in February. Florida has also sent similar legislation to the desk of Governor Ron DeSantis. It has already prompted one Florida Pride organization to cancel its 2023 parade, to avoid the risk of prosecution.
However, not everyone applauded Bacon. The actor shot to fame in the 1980s movie, Footloose, which was about a town where dancing was banned. Some said they wished Bacon was still banned from breaking out some moves.
So glad I’ve given up Hollywood movies.
— Michele ⚜️ Rousseau 🌹 (@MicheleRoussea7) April 24, 2023
Nobody gives a shit if your husband wants to put on a dress and call himself Shirley. Don’t do it in front of kids. What is so difficult to understand about this?
— Mike Harlow (@NotMikeHarlow) April 24, 2023
I will never watch any of your movies ever again.
— rafaela🚜🚜🚜 (@SteenksRafaela) April 24, 2023
Bacon, unsurprisingly was also blasted as a “groomer”. The level of hatred directed toward the video on Twitter was relentless, prompting bemusement among others.
Lizzo shows support for drag performers
Bacon was not the only celebrity to speak out against drag bans over the weekend. At her show on Friday night in Knoxville, Lizzo made plain her views on Tennessee’s recent drag-ban law. She invited a platoon of drag queens to join her on stage. The group included the likes of Aquaria, Kandy Muse, Asia O’Hara and Vanessa Vanji.
“In light of recent and tragic events and current events, I was told by people on the internet, ‘Cancel your shows in Tennessee,’ ‘Don’t go to Tennessee,’” Lizzo said during her concert. “Their reason was valid, but why would I not come to the people who need to hear this message the most?”
“Why would I not create a safe space in Tennessee where we can celebrate drag entertainers and celebrate our differences?” added Lizzo.
Although Governor Lee signed the adult performance law in February, a federal judge temporarily blocked it in late March. They deemed the wording to be too vague.
Related*
Kevin Bacon speaks out in support of drag and praises Drag Race musical ‘Wigloose’
Another reason to love Kevin Bacon.
Lawmaker who supports Florida’s anti-LGBTQ laws attends Pride. Guess what happened.
Meet Republican Rep. Fabián Basabe.
London_resistance
Oh dear oh dear
this is like seeing someone you half liked announcing he’s become born again
In me it evokes feelings of both scorn and contempt, much like when I see Dylan mulvaney’s latest silly video mocking women.
DBMC
Poor dear. Did the people living their lives without it affecting you in any way trigger you?
Vince
Nice new screen name troll.
still_onthemark
Hey tailskin/London, do you have any thoughts on the late Dame Edna Everage/Barry Humphries?
Bosch
Why is your masculinity so fragile? Did people keep mistaking you for a girl when you were a kid, and you’re horribly scarred by it?
Doug
What a mess… were you drunk or high when you wrote that? If not, learn to punctuate a little better if you want anyone to take you seriously.
abfab
He’s too busy hanging out with born again people………that he half liked.
mailliw110
If you clutch those pearls any tighter you may choke yourself. But you better lie down and let those “vapors” pass!
ShaverC
Celebrities are so out of touch. Drag is not a “right”. When did drag queens become the spokespeople for gays?
DBMC
You know who are not spokespeople for gays? Anti-drag conservatives.
London_resistance
“DBMC -You know who are not spokespeople for gays? Anti-drag conservatives.”
What about anti drag socialists? Do we count for anything?
We don’t like drag because it mock women and isn’t progressive or remotely left wing
Bosch
“We don’t like drag because it mock women and isn’t progressive or remotely left wing”
Ow wow you’re so empathetic, how do you survive?
Saturday Night Live must really hurt your feelings, what, with all the mocking.
dbmcvey
Hey London, we’ve had so many trolls spouting garbage that these claims don’t even phase us. You don’t count for anything because you’re not real. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that you are, or were, previously on this site under another handle.
CaptainChaos
Hate to tell you Shaver and London, but ALL of my straight female friends love drag shows. Your responses = ‘how to tell us you’re not actually friends with any fun or interesting women’ without saying the words. That includes my GOP girls. I’m sure there’s a good rock close by for you to crawl under. Go find it!!!
dbmcvey
@CaptainChaos
Right! It’s hysterical that they think they are somehow on the pulse of the general public.
ShaverC
CaptainChaos, I’ll take London’s experience as fact, just like it’ll take yours. My experience is that a few of my female friends didn’t really care for drag at all. Not offended but didn’t find it funny and had no desire to watch a show.
dbmcvey, I never said I was on the “pulse of the general public”, I’m stating personal opinion. You seem to think you speak for others though.
abfab
Dee does speak for others…just not you and your troll friends. Be gone shaver. Your female friends sound as boring and uptight as you do.
My sister, three aunts, 2 uncles and even my father love drag shows and queens. All heterosexuals, but not straight.
dbmcvey
Smart move Shavey, try to wheel it back.
mailliw110
Circus clowns must really frighten you.
Kangol2
Free speech is a US right. Drag is a form of speech. Grow up, read the US Constitution and state ones, and consider ceasing to spew right-wing propaganda.
Mister P
Drag is a form of expression that is a right.
When did you become the spokesperson for us?
ShaverC
I’m assuming you’re talking about the First Amendment. No where in it does it say you have a right to dress as a woman and perform in front of people. No one cared about drag queens until they started trying to make themselves “family” entertainment… they are not.
DBMC
Shaver, so you’re one of those originalists who think that if the founding fathers didn’t specifically include something it’s not protected?
London_resistance
“Mister P- Drag is a form of expression that is a right.- When did you become the spokesperson for us?”
I’ve always found drag repulsive. And lesbians and women find it offensive and repulsive. I’ve never understood why it represents gay culture. It’s not my gay culture.
When did YOU, Miss P, get to become the class monitor telling us what we can and cannot criticise?
Bosch
ShaverC must have had an aneurysm when he warched Mrs Doubtfire.
Bosch
@London_Resistance “And lesbians and women find it offensive and repulsive. ”
Making stuff up isn’t gonna get you any brownie points. Women love watching drag entertainment. Maybe you just surround yourself with hateful banshees. Like seeks like, right?
abfab
His keepers would not let him see Mrs Doubtfire…..it was the ”devil’s work”.
mailliw110
Shaver- define “dress like a woman”. I’d like to know just how much of a prude you really are. Most women dress “like men” today (by your definition). Are women only supposed to wear dresses?
Terrycloth
Nowhere in that bible.book.does it say away from drag queens either
Max
it’s obvious the angered conservatives like to mold their anglocentric religion as they see fit into a hate-filled fest against everyone else but themselves.
abfab
These people have created their very own new and improved Bibles……………..I think they must be on Vol. 5,600,222,444,999 with addendum and retracted chapters. “”The Cherry Picked Parts”, now in paperback.
Mister P
There is a long history of drag as family entertainment. Milton Berle and Flip Wilson did it on TV.
The First Amendment covers a lot of things that are not explicitly expressed.
ShaverC
There is a difference between cross dressing for a joke and drag.
dbmcvey
Shavey, who decides what that difference is? You? DeSantis? If parents take their kids to drag story hour it’s none of your business.
Bosch
@ShaverC
“cross dressing for a joke” is literally the definition of drag.
ShaverC
Bosch, Ok then Milton and Flip didn’t tell sexualized jokes to kids. Their humor on TV was different than what they did in their adult only acts.
Toofie
Flip Wilson’s Geraldine wasn’t flirtatious?
abfab
Toofie you touched a nerve in me! xo
About
Geraldine Jones is a fictional African American character and the most famous recurring persona of comedian Flip Wilson. Geraldine was played by Wilson in drag, as a sassy and liberated Southern woman who was coarsely flirty yet faithful to her boyfriend “Killer”. Wikipedia
ShaverC
Toofie, Drag queens aren’t flirtatious. They’re crass, loud, crude, swear, make sexual innuendo, etc. All fine for an adult audience who wanna watch that, but not for kids.
LeBlevsez
ShaverC –
So, Drag Queen Story Hour is ‘Lolita’ and ‘Tropic of Cancer’? And I thought ‘James and the Giant Peach’ was racy!
abfab
Innuendo! Oh the horrors! And a new vocab word for our little in-house brat! Bravo!
WillParkinson
Shaver, darlin’….
Show me proof (not DeSatan or Fux News saying so) that they’re performing sexualized stuff for kids. And I want to see a trend, not what happened in one bar at this one time.
ShaverC
WillParkinson, You can look it up. One drag queen was showing the kids how to twerk. The costumes they wear. The proof is out there, I can’t copy/paste links on here. There are a ton of clips of kids going on stage doing drag and taking money! Look it up.
dbmcvey
Also WillParkinson, most of shavey’s info comes from right wing websites.
Bosch
ShaverC
I’m finding a lot of clips of girls being explicitly sexualised in child beauty pageants in the midwest and the south, are those the clips you’re talking about?
DBMC
“crass, loud, crude, swear, make sexual innuendo”
Interesting, that absolutely describes Geraldine, Dame Edna, Madea, Shanehneh…, also most of the comedians and hip hop performers currently working.
You might want to reconsider this tack.
ShaverC
Bosch, Child beauty pageants definitely need to be stopped. I can’t believe anyone would put their child in on.
Vince
Funny that the bitchers are the same religious bigots in footloose. The dancing is poetic.
abfab
My god! The trolls are coming out of the closet in full force again. With nothing new, but it does keep it ”interesting”, and Q wealthier. Click away trolls…………and you know exactly who you are. Bad, lonely weekend, again?
Okay…..more on topic. I LOVED THE CLOSER! But then along came Bosch. But still, Kevin is so lucky being married to to one of the richest babes in the whole wide world!
Diplomat
I just set my dvr to record all episodes of The Closer. She’s awesome and the hubby is always a hit.
SDR94103
love it! Kyra!
Toofie
Wonderful to have two great allies! As for those who don’t like drag, don’t watch. I don’t care for folk music but I’m not demanding it be banned.
abfab
……..if I had a hammer I’d hammer in the morning…..xox
Diplomat
If you had a hammer you wouldn’t have any fingers left. God I’m such a bitch!
Mister P
How many drag queen story hours for children have you seen Shave?
dbmcvey
I’m sure he hasn’t been to any, but he reads about them on right wing websites.
monty clift
They’re only against it because the majority drag queens are gay men. Yet they have no problem with the men in dresses at churches molesting children.
Doubt that moron Mike Harlow cares about those kids.