James McMurtry plays in a dress to protest new Tennessee law
Texan singer-songwriter James McMurtry performed in a dress at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville on Sunday evening (May 7th). During his encore, he walked on stage wearing the red dress and performed ‘Red Dress’ alongside fellow musician BettySoo, who wore a suit and a painted-on moustache.
The pair were protesting Tennessee’s law banning drag performances on public property or anywhere that children are present, which was temporarily blocked by a federal judge. “Here in Tennessee, we care a little bit for humankind,” he said.
Grammy-nominated folk singer Mary Gauthier attended the show and released a statement praising McMurtry afterwards. “It was an incredible experience to watch James do this,” she said. “He was courageous, unselfish, and showed true leadership. I find him to be heroic. What a great artist!”
“I am so proud to tour supporting a songwriter I believe in deeply, both as an artist and as a person,” BettySoo wrote in an Instagram post. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to speak with actions and clothing on behalf of those whom the bullies would deign to silence. For the record, had children been in attendance, I’m pretty dang sure none would have been harmed nor indoctrinated nor groomed. It was also not sexually oriented in the least.”
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