A drag queen performs during celebrations for Pride month in June 2022 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Critics of a recent wave of state legislation restricting drag shows call the laws an attack on the LGBTQ community. Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images

Tennessee passed a bill last week restricting drag shows. The law specifically bans "adult cabaret performances" in public or in the presence of children.

In more than a dozen states, Republican lawmakers have been pushing similar bills.

Historian Jules Gill-Peterson of Johns Hopkins University says laws that target drag have a long history in the U.S, and LGBTQ people have fought back before.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

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This episode was produced by Connor Donevan, Erika Ryan, Kai McNamee and Alejandra Márquez Janse. It was edited by Rose Friedman, Justine Kenin, Jason DeRose, Acacia Squires and William Troop. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

Restrictions On Drag Shows Have A History In The U.S.