In response to Tennessee’s recent anti-drag law, Maren Morris supports the LGBTQ+ community.
The 32-year-old Grammy winner proudly claimed in an Instagram video from the Love Rising benefit concert on Monday in Nashville that she introduced her son Hayes Andrew, who turns 3 on Thursday, to drag queens backstage — appearing to retort to recent Drag Queen Story Hour event protests by anti-LGBTQ+ groups.
Morris, Hayley Williams of Paramore, Allison Russell, Sheryl Crow, Amanda Shires, Brittany Howard, Hozier, Jake Wesley Rogers, Jason Isbell, Joy Oladokun, and other artists performed at the concert, which took place at the Bridgestone Arena.
Morris first sang The Highwomen’s “Crowded Table” alongside fellow group members Amanda Shires, Russell, Oladokun, and many drag performers. Later in the night, the “My Church” singer-songwriter came back to the stage for a performance of “Better Than We Found It” and “The Middle,” which she sang with drag performer Alexia Noelle Paris.
“And yes, I introduced my son to some drag queens today, so Tennessee, f—ing arrest me,” said the Texas-born musician — who shares Hayes with husband Ryan Hurd — in the clip shared to Morris’ Instagram.
“Love rose up,” she wrote in the post’s caption. “Thank you Nashville, the gorgeous Queens and the LGBTQ+ community for showing up last night.”
She wore a long-tail black suit jacket with a white shirt, black tie, and a black miniskirt for the occasion. She explained the significance of her outfit on her Instagram Story after the show.
“I asked [stylist] @danixmichelle to put me in a suit to demonstrate the subjectivity of drag and gender expression,” wrote Morris.
She continued, “There’s a reason we feel powerful in a suit, but why? Is it the tinges of both the feminine and masculine being on public display? Is it just more comfortable than wearing a dress? Or is it just hot and makes you feel like a damn superhero?”
“The answer is ‘all of the above’ and also ‘who cares? Do you,'” concluded the post.
The Love Rising concert, which was billed as “a celebration of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” took place soon after Tennessee enacted Senate Bill 3 and House Bill 9, which prohibit drag performances on any public property or in any place where minors may be present.
The Looking Out Fund announced it would match up to $100,000 in donations from supporters, and the event benefited the Tennessee Equality Project, inclusion Tennessee, OUTMemphis, and The Tennessee Pride Chamber.
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