Lizzo made her feelings on Tennessee’s contentious drag ban obvious when she allowed drag artists onstage during her smash performance in Knoxville on Friday.
The Grammy winner, 34, also sent a strong message against the anti-drag legislation that is now sweeping the United States.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, approved legislation this month that effectively criminalises drag performances in the state.
A federal court has temporarily stopped the ban, but it is only one example of Republican politicians attempting to restrict drag performances in public venues across the United States.
Lizzo, real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson, was joined onstage by RuPaul’s Drag Race alums and delivered a passionate message to the hundreds in attendance while belting out classics at the Thompson-Boling Arena ahead of the weekend.
Lizzo began: ‘In light of recent and tragic events, I was told by people on the internet, “Cancel your shows in Tennessee, don’t go to Tennessee”.’
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According to the Mirror, she added: ‘Their reason was valid, but why would I not come to the people who need to hear this message the most?
‘Why would I not create a safe space in Tennessee where we can celebrate drag entertainers and celebrate our differences?’
According to the Tennessean newspaper, Lee’s proposed bill prohibits ‘adult cabaret performances in public and in front of children’.
Included under the ‘cabaret’ umbrella are ‘topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators’.
The bill’s critics have pointed out that it largely targets trans and gender non-conforming people.
Late last month, a federal judge put a temporary block on the strict limits mere hours before they came into effect.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker sided with a lawsuit that claimed the statute violated the First Amendment and said Tennessee had failed to make a compelling argument as to why the new law was needed.
