Hozier praises “revolutionary” LGBTQ+ culture in response to the rise of anti-drag rhetoric
Hozier delivered a powerful speech supporting the LGBTQ+ community amid the rise of anti-drag legislation. On 2 March, Tennessee became the first state in the United States to ban public drag shows.
While the word “drag” was not explicitly listed in the legislation, Senate Bill 3 prevents any “adult cabaret performances” – which are defined as “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest” – from operating within 1000 feet of schools, public parks or places of worship.
Since the bill was signed into law by the state’s Republican governor Bill Lee, LGBTQ+ activists and celebrities have used their platforms to speak out against the archaic hate – including music superstar Hozier.
During his recent appearance at the Love Rising benefit concert – which was held to raise funds for Tennessee-based LGBTQ+ organisations – the All Things End singer praised the queer community for being “revolutionary.” “I’m from Ireland, and the Irish revolutionary James Connolly once said that no revolutionary movement is complete without its poetical expression,” he told the crowd at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. “And I feel, just for me, there’s so many elements of queer culture that are at times no less than revolutionary. “In a time of political repression and suppression and fearmongering – artificially generated fearmongering and scapegoating – I feel that telling the truth of who you are, and being who you are, and standing up for that, and expressing that is a very revolutionary act.
