Two people detained after protesting at governor’s speech

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) —  Two people were detained by Memphis police Wednesday after voicing concerns about Gov. Bill Lee’s plan to sign the bill that would restrict public drag performances.

Lee was in Memphis on Wednesday to unveil the new Georgette & Cato Johnson YMCA in Whitehaven.

While there, protestors interrupted his speech to express their opinions about a bill to restrict public drag performances. One person reportedly spoke into a bullhorn the moment Lee took the podium, yelling “drag is not a crime.”

My message for the governor is, ‘You cannot destroy my livelihood,’” said another person as they were being put in the back of a police vehicle by officers.

Earlier this week, the governor said he plans to sign legislation that would limit where drag performances can take place, saying he hopes to ban adult cabaret that is harmful to minors.

Lee has been fielding questions about the bill since a photo surfaced that appeared to show him dressed in a skirt in his 1977 high school yearbook.

He responded Wednesday:

“What’s really sad is when folks try to distract people from the truth of what’s really happening,” Lee said. “Sexualized entertainment in front of children, and obscenity for children, is something that shouldn’t happen in this state. It’s ridiculous to try and conflate some high school skit to something that is as serious as something potentially harming children.”

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