“I saw my first drag queen in real life, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that is the coolest thing,’” she says. When she got older, Ottomey went to her first drag bar-Play. ![]() The first time Tracey Ottomey ever saw drag was as a child watching the 1995 film To Wong Foo (Ottomey, like all other drag performers Fortune spoke with, asked to be referred to by her stage name). But many of Tennessee’s drag workers were exposed to the industry way before Drag Race came onto the scene. RuPaul’s Drag Race has helped drag become a major part of mainstream American culture, providing some stars with a creative outlet and catapulting others into fame and fortune. “Within the gay community, there is a great sense of fear on a number of things, for the performers themselves, their livelihoods,” says Roman. ![]() Fortune spoke with six drag queens, business owners, and LGBTQ+ leaders in the state who say that the “ anti-drag bill” not only delegitimizes Tennessee drag performers’ lives and identities, but instills a fear it will hurt their ability to earn money and negatively impact the local and state economy. ![]() Drag is a multi-million dollar business nationwide, and its roots go back decades in Tennessee, whose bigger cities like Nashville and Memphis host vibrant drag scenes-so it’s ironic that the conservative-backed bill comes from a party that has built a pro-business and small government platform.
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