BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — During previous years, Blount Pride would spend the tail-end of summer making the final preparations for its annual Pride Festival. This year, the group is not taking its usual approach.
Blount Pride has organized several inclusive events through August and September. The events include a summer market, an interfaith service, a sign-making party and a resource fair. The group is also hosting a rally called "Can't Hide Our Pride." It starts at 11 a.m. on Aug. 31 at the Sam Houston Statue plaza, in front of the Maryville Municipal Building.
It comes after security concerns stemming from protestors who condemned Blount Pride during the 2023 Pride Festival. Leading up to the 2023 festival, the group also received a letter from District Attorney General Ryan Desmond who said a law that was ruled unconstitutional in West Tennesse would be enforced, effectively banning public drag performances.
"Not having drag at a Pride festival would be like having a Fourth of July event and saying you can't talk about George Washington," said Shannon Bryant, who works with Blount Pride. "We should not be in fear of our lives for being LGBTQ+ people just having a nice time out in the world as ourselves."
Desmond and Maryville leaders said the state's anti-drag law would not be enforced at the rally this year, because an injunction barring its enforcement was still in effect. He said his letter was sent last year to ensure the group understood the law before they held the event.
"Despite what local higher educational institutions or other organizations might claim or hide behind, the sole purpose of this letter was fairness; to ensure all individuals had notice of the content of the then recently enacted law passed by the duly elected legislature of this great State. The law is the law, and it should be followed," he said in a statement.
Desmond's full statement is available at the end of this article.
After receiving the letter from Desmond, Blount Pride said it reached out to the American Civil Liberties Union which then filed a lawsuit seeking the injunction to stop the law from being enforced. Attorneys effectively made the same arguments as the original lawsuit over the Adult Entertainment Act, filed in West Tennessee.
That injunction remains in place now, leaders said. It remains in place after a federal appeals court effectively said the plaintiff in West Tennessee did not have standing to bring a lawsuit in the first place — arguing that the plaintiff was not at risk of violating the 2023 law because its performances were not “harmful to minors.”
Blount Pride said it is currently acting as an intervening plaintiff in the case. Plaintiffs in West Tennessee also requested the court's decision be reviewed "en banc," and if the request fails then Blount Pride would step in and ask the lawsuit continue for them.
"We are hopeful that the lawsuit will turn out in a way that drag performers no longer have to be fearful of harassment when they perform. That's our hope," Bryant said.
Blount Pride's 2023 festival was held on Maryville College's campus. Leaders of the college said the college incurred tens of thousands of dollars in costs related to legal expenses and logistics for the event. The college said it experienced several safety concerns before the festival.
Maryville College said strangers wandered through campus and in buildings searching for college leaders. During the event, a group of protestors condemning the LGBTQ+ group and calling for an end to the festival gathered near the college entrance showing anti-drag signs and a massive Christian cross.
"Numerous students left campus for the weekend (the first weekend on campus for most), concerned about planned protests and likely disruption, and in the preceding days, many campus officers and staff members were taken away from normal duties," the college said in its statement.
So, the college said it could not reach an agreement to let Blount Pride host its annual event at the same place this year. Talks to host it at Jack Greene Park in Maryville also failed. A city spokesperson said Blount Pride had asked for more security "than we thought was reasonable," and withdrew its request to use the park.
"We could not reach an agreement on the security measures that were needed. We should not need drastic security measures either, to gather in public peacefully," said Bryant.
Maryville leaders said the group got a permit to host its Aug. 31 visibility rally, and the group will be able to gather together once again that weekend.
"What we're doing is raising visibility and awareness of LGBTQ+ people here in Blount County," said Bryant. " I wanna be really clear, first, about what this rally is not. This is not a protest against Maryville College or Clayton Center for the Arts or Maryville the city. This is not a protest, it's a rally. If we're protesting against anything, it is this weird, small, loud group of people who feel like putting people in fear is an okay tactic against people that they don't agree with."
That rally will see the return of Flamy Grant, an award-winning Christian music artist and drag performer. Organizers are also inviting people to a sign-making event the day before, where they can use crafts supplied by Blount Pride to write out their own message.
It will also join Blount Pride in the growing number of East Tennessee counties that have hosted Pride festivals. Knox County hosts two throughout the year, Sweetwater recently hosted one and Gatlinburg hosted a Pride parade in June.
The rally will start at the Sam Houston Statue Plaza, where Blount Pride will host a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. They invited people to dress in drag, bring Pride flags and prepare signs. The rally will include speakers and music.
"They do not appear to be having the same type of pushback difficulty that we're having. And I'd like to say that that does not look good for our community and it's not good for the future economic vitality of our community to have that comparison going on," Bryant said. "That's the character of our community as I see it, that people are safe to be here — live and let live, be a good neighbor. Those are our Appalachian values, not hatred."
After the rally, Blount Pride said participants will line the south sidewalk of Broadway through downtown Maryville — showing that the LGBTQ+ community stands together against injustice and harassment. She said hosting Pride events like the rally is a way to honor the Stonewall Uprising and the first LGBTQ+ groups who stood together in solidarity.
"We really had to walk through the fire last year, for the 2023 Pride. And, we're ready to do it again," said Bryant. "That's a good feeling to me, to be connected with the people who first looked around themselves and thought, 'I shouldn't have to hide who I am.'"
Statements from Blount County leaders
District Attorney General Ryan Desmond
"It is the job of District Attorneys across the State of Tennessee to ethically and justly enforce the laws of the State of Tennessee. Last year, based upon concerns voiced to me by local officials and citizens, I issued a statement in my official capacity as the Blount County District Attorney confirming that, should sufficient evidence of criminal activity be presented to my office, we would uphold our sworn oath to enforce the criminal laws of this State, including the Adult Entertainment Act. That statement should have been neither unexpected nor surprising to anyone familiar with the duties of a District Attorney or my career in prosecution.
Despite what local higher educational institutions or other organizations might claim or hide behind, the sole purpose of this letter was fairness; to ensure all individuals had notice of the content of the then recently enacted law passed by the duly elected legislature of this great State. The law is the law, and it should be followed. The legislature drafts and passes the laws. Through litigation, the Court system interprets and and provides guidance on the enforcement of the law. Utilizing both of these, prosecutors are tasked to ethically enforce those laws based on facts and the evidence presented to them in individual cases by law enforcement.
Following the statement, lawsuits were filed against myself and other local agencies in Federal Court, challenging the constitutionality of the Adult Entertainment Act. While the law had been previously challenged successfully in Shelby County, it was legally clear that at the time it was still in effect for the remainder of the State of Tennessee subject to both enforcement and appropriate constitutional challenges through our judicial system. The Federal Court put in place a temporary injunction on the enforceability of the law and stayed the litigation until the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a holding on the similar case out of the Federal District Court in Shelby County, Tennessee. As is the law, we have complied with the orders of the Court.
The Sixth Circuit has now issued that holding, reversing the ruling from Shelby County that the Adult Entertainment Act was unconstitutional and ordering dismissal of the plaintiffs' suit in that case. While this is a significant step towards obtaining a ruling in the suits pending against myself and other local agencies, it is prudent to let the Court and appellate process continue to its finality as to the pending litigation. As of this writing, the previously mentioned temporary injunction is still in effect. No matter the result, in the end nothing will have changed regarding the duties of this office. Myself and other officials will continue to uphold our sworn oaths to protect the citizens of this community through the fair, just and ethical enforcement of the laws of the State of Tennessee. This enforcement includes recognizing the guidance provided by the judicial system through relevant holdings and opinions."
City of Maryville
"You asked about the City of Maryville’s position on drag performances and whether the statute that was passed in the Tennessee legislature two years ago restricting drag performances in certain venues would be enforced at the upcoming Blount Pride assembly in Maryville scheduled for August 31, 2024. The City of Maryville intends to comply with the injunction that remains in effect from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee prohibiting the enforcement of that law pending further orders of the court."
Maryville College
