Lizzo is making her stance on the Tennessee drag ban known, loud and clear.
During a tour stop at Knoxville Thompson-Boling Arena over the weekend, the "Special" singer clapped back at the state's anti-drag bill by inviting a bevy of drag queens onstage for an epic moment. Dressed in a hue of rainbow colors to represent the LGTBQ+ flag, Lizzo was joined by several performers, some of whom have competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race, including Aquaria, Asia O’Hara, Kandy Muse, Vanessa Vanjie and others.
Before bringing the queens up for a triumphant dance, she addressed the audience in a clip later shared to her Twitter account.
"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 to boos from the packed crowd. "We don't have to boo that person, their reason was valid. But why would I not come to the people who need to hear this message the most? The people who need to feel this release the most?! Why would I not create a safe space in Tennessee where we can celebrate drag entertainers? And celebrate our differences. And celebrate fat, black women!"
She continued, "What people are doing in Tennessee is giving hope. So, thank you so much for standing up for your rights, protecting each other and holding the people accountable who should be protecting us."
"You have my heart Knoxville. Thank you for sharing a safe space with me 💖," Lizzo captioned the clip.
The GRAMMY-winning artist also posted a video of the energetic dance they performed for the audience.
"THANK YOU TO THESE BEAUTIFUL DRAG QUEENS FOR SHOWING THEIR PRIDE IN TENNESSEE ♥️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎," she wrote, alongside a set of colorful heart emojis.
The performance was met with plenty of love in the comments, including from some of the queens who joined Lizzo on stage, with Aquaria writing, "Thank you so much for the platform for me and the drag race girls and especially for uplifting the queens on Tennessee! Those ladies are all so strong and brave and I know tonight was definitely the best of a tricky situation for everyone. Thanks for shedding light for our friends who definitely need our hand these days. We appreciate it ❤️🙌👏❤️."
A few of the other performers also commented, leaving behind heart emojis and sharing BTS images from the night on their own social media accounts.
The statement-making moment comes as last month, Tennessee introduced Senate Bill 3, known as the Tennessee drag ban, which set to ban the public "adult cabaret performance" of drag performers in front of children in the state of Tennessee.
The ban has received lots of opposition from those in the state and outside it, and on March 31, the ban was halted, with a federal judge in Tennessee pressing pause on the ban, just hours before it was set to take effect.
Lizzo joins a list of other celebrities and musicians to speak out on the ban, including Kelsea Ballerini who was joined by another group of drag queens for her performance as this year's CMT Music Awards.
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