RuPaul Condemns GOP 'Stunt Queens' Imposing Drag Bans: 'Bullies Are Incompetent at Solving Real Issues'

RuPaul, the world's most famous drag queen, is speaking out one week after Tennessee's governor signed a controversial anti-drag bill into law.

In a video released on Wednesday, the creator and longtime host of RuPaul's Drag Race called far-right calls for drag bans a "classic distraction technique," positing that they are meant to remove the focus from "real issues that they were voted into office to focus on."

"They look for easy targets so they can give the impression of being effective," he said. "They think our love, our light, our laughter and our joy are signs of weakness. But they're wrong, because that is our strength."

He ended the video with a call for followers to register to vote and "get these stunt queens out of office," adding that "a social media post has never been as powerful as a registered vote."

Last week, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a bill restricting "adult cabaret performances" — which it defines to include "topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers," and "male or female impersonators."

The law, which was signed Thursday, bans the performances on both public property as well as "in a location where the adult cabaret performance could be viewed by a person who is not an adult."

Lee has been criticized by many in the LGBTQ+ community as, just days ahead of the bill's passage, a photo of him wearing a dress in high school was surfaced by outlets including Nashville Public Radio. While advocated have said the photo demonstrates Lee's hypocrisy, his office has instead said it was simply evidence of "lighthearted school traditions."

"The bill specifically protects children from obscene, sexualized entertainment, and any attempt to conflate this serious issue with lighthearted school traditions is dishonest and disrespectful to Tennessee families," Lee's press secretary Jade Byers told various outlets.

Tennessee's drag bill was just one of the recent measures in the state targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

Lee signed the drag bill on the same day he signed a bill banning gender-affirming health care for transgender youths in the state.

And on Monday, the Tennessee House passed another bill targeting drag, this one requiring drag performers to obtain a permit before performing.

According to LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Human Rights Commission, the state has enacted 14 anti-LGBTQ+ laws since 2015. Among those are two bathroom bans and three laws preventing transgender students from playing sports consistent with their gender identity.

Other Drag Race stars and alums have spoken out about the the many bills aimed at the LGBTQ+ community in recent weeks.

At a recent viewing event celebrating the show's 200th episode, season 15 contestant Sasha Colby, a trans woman, said, "It's wild to see what's going on as all these anti-trans bills being disguised as anti-drag bills."

"You know what we're not gonna do?" Colby continued. "We're not gonna let them take us down. We're going to keep doing what we need to do. Because you know what? Drag is for us, and drag is art."

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Colby added: "Without drag, I wouldn't be able to figure out who I really am and my voice. And that's what they want to stop from us, so let's not do that."

Kerri Colby, Sasha's drag daughter, echoed those concerns, saying: "This is all just a game and a ploy to distract… This is nothing but a distraction to break people's focus from being about their life and being about their truth. If you're not focused on what you need to do, you're going to get caught up in everything that you are not meant to be caught up in."