Billboards Roast Tennessee Governor, Republicans on Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws
Republicans' efforts to restrict gender-affirming health care and other LGBTQ+ rights.Several of the billboards show a photo of the Republican governor, who supported making drag performances state felonies, dressed as a female cheerleader during a powderpuff game.
The image was taken from his 1977 high school yearbook.Tennessee lawmakers have recently taken aim at the state's LGBTQ+ community by passing a slew of bills that restrict transgender rights, including bans on public drag shows and gender-affirming care for minors.The state joined more than two dozen others trying to limit access to transgender health care for children as part of a conservative crackdown on events like "drag story hours" at public libraries.Newsweek has reached out to Lee, the Tennessee legislature and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for comment via email and Facebook on Wednesday.Zachary Heath Stamper, the 35-year-old entrepreneur and homebuilder behind the viral billboards, said the initiative started about a month ago in Nashville, the state capital.
He created a GoFundMe to help with the cost of the billboards, which are in nine locations, he said. Since he started crowdsourcing on March 23, he has received more than 3,600 donations and nearly $100,000.Replying to @rathenotwraith VENMO: @zacharyheath21 #tennessee #billboardlee #billboardtennessee #findingyournewnormal #community #fyp #fypageStamper, who's from a small Tennessee town called Blountville, told Newsweek in an interview that he has no plans of stopping or removing the advertisements.
