Oh wait a minute, it turns out Tennessee didn’t outlaw drag queen shows entirely but just where “minors might be present.” The law is still too broad though and probably won’t stand up to a serious challenge.

But it makes a nice headline to flog those uptight right-wing prudes with.

My oh my what an issue to divide the country over. Not a European war that might go nuclear, not inflation making food worryingly expensive, but drag queen story hour at your local library.

I’ve been trying to frame this issue as if I had to explain it to the hypothetical anthropologist from Mars and having no luck. When that happens it’s usually because the issue isn’t the issue.

On the one hand why is it necessary to expose small children to female impersonators?

As if children will be developmentally disabled if they aren’t.

On the other hand there are those who’ve pointed out we’ve enjoyed this kind of entertainment for generations and nobody thought to raise a fuss.

Remember “Some Like it Hot” with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in drag?

Or that Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks, and Robin Williams all played in drag at some time or other?

I might point out that when “Some Like it Hot” was released it had a PG rating. Because it’s a delightful bawdy movie with a lot of suggestive humor, but it’s definitely adult entertainment which some parents might like their children exposed to at a more mature age.

Annnnd maybe here we come to the real issue. The controversy appears to be about whether we should have such a category as “adult entertainment” at all.

The left in pushing the issue is engaging in that pastime us old hippies used to call, “freaking out the straights.” (And remember when “straight” had a different meaning?)

And very possibly because the left has been smarting from evidence of violently suppressing free speech, most recently at UC Davis. This is a censorship issue they can flog the right with. Because conservatives will of course take the bait.

So back to the question, why is this necessary?

One correspondent of the libertarian persuasion said, “To teach children tolerance.”

OK, but he then claimed there is “zero danger to children.”

Searching “drag queen arrested” proved that wrong within 10 seconds. Try it.

Now I’m wondering how the advocates of drag queen story hour would react if we said, “OK, but we insist on background checks.” Like in every other profession that involves working with children.

Some claim this is a totally innocent form of entertainment for children. That’s only partly true at best. I have seen photos of children with their parents sitting around the funny man in ladies clothes seemingly having a jolly time. But I’ve also seen video of kids being exposed to some pretty raunchy stuff at these events.

Which brings us back to the issue of “age appropriate,” and whose business is it to determine what is and what isn’t?

At what age should we let kids go to strip clubs or X-rated movies? Should we even have movie ratings?

Is there any point in trying to restrict access to adult content when the Internet makes it available to all without restriction?

And can we discuss the issue of adult content like, well like adults?

Probably not. It’s a hot button issue and we’re having too much fun pushing each other’s buttons.

— Steve Browne is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent