KSanders writesThe Southern-Fried Queer Horror of “Ganymede”

by Kyle Sanders

A few years ago I had the opportunity to meet one of my idols, writer Fran Lebowitz. After signing my copy of The Fran Lebowitz Reader, I complimented the pair of cowboy boots she was wearing, and pointed to my own (I happened to be dressed in similar attire as she was: sport coat, pressed button-down shirt, and cuffed denim jeans--not that she seemed to notice), which I had purchased in Nashville, Tennessee a decade prior.

"You should buy a pair the next time you do a speaking engagement in Nashville," I insisted. She seemed unconvinced, stating that she'd never been to Nashville because she's rarely invited to speak in the conservative parts of the country.

"Oh," I responded. "You should give Nashville a chance though--they've become slightly more progressive these days."

"Yeah," Fran quipped back. "But it's still the South."

Less than a year after that fateful encounter, the Volunteer State signed into law the Tennessee Adult Entertainment Act, which prevents "adult cabaret performance" in public or in front of children.

The details are pretty vague, until you come across the section that defines such performances as "male or female impersonators who provide entertainment appealing to prurient interest." In other words, this law was primarily meant to ban drag performances.

Fran was right, no matter how liberal a red state city can appear, the South is still gonna "South."

Why exactly is that? Why is it that progress is slowed (or more accurately, forced backward) thanks to the conservative-minded hive of Bible-beating, family-valuing climate deniers? More importantly, why a ban on drag? How does a law so trivial in the grand scheme of things take precedence over actual legislation that benefits communities instead of divides them?

What is it about drag--and to a greater extent, the LGBTQ community--that conservatives are so afraid of? These nagging questions kept bubbling up to the surface as I watched the latest queer horror release, Ganymede.

Keep Reading…