Benjamin “BenDeLaCreme” Putnam of RuPaul’s Drag Race and Comedy Central The Daily Show temp host Al Franken not only alleged that Republicans in Tennessee had no idea what they’re talking about when they passed their “insidious” ban on children attending drag shows, but such laws contribute to high suicide rates.
Franken began by declaring that “I think there are a lot of people objecting to drag without even having any idea what it is.”
Moving on to Tennessee, he continued, “It's the first state, I think, to explicitly ban drag shows, but now it's happening all over the place, right? This is some new thing they've invented, I'm sure that most of the Republicans who are -- they find stuff every once in a while to go after, they-- and I bet you most of them don't know what this is about at all. Have any idea. What is their thing about?”
For Putnam, the bills are simply bigotry, “Yeah, I mean, what is this about is kind of the biggest question because it's all so vague. These bills are terrifying because the language is so open-ended, and they are – and a lot of – and you’re also exactly, a lot of these people don't understand what these drag shows are and they don't have to because this is all, sort of, coded language for an attack on the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Putnam also found it offensive that drag shows would be labeled “as adult entertainment,” claiming that “is insidious within itself to say that someone dressing this way is only appropriate for adults when they’re not doing anything that is adult-oriented and the idea that children are somehow going to be made more queer by access to queer culture.”
If Putman genuinely believes that drag shows do not qualify as adult entertainment, his anger would be better directed towards those in the viral video that inspired this law that featured little children rubbing their hands against a performer’s crotch.
Moving right along, Putnam added, “I was very queer without any access and when I finally found drag, which is where it-- you know, it was not like "Oh, that's a cool job, I want to do that when I grow up it's "There's a container for who I am. There is something out there for me," and that saved my life.”
Putnam concluded by tying Tennessee to youth suicide raters, “I mean suicide rates among queer kids and suicidal ideation is more than half of trans and non-binary kids, have suicidal ideation, which when I heard that statistic I was like that seems low because every queer person I know has thought about suicide in their youth and I barely made it out of my childhood but I did because I had a little bit of access to this glimpse of a world outside that would accept me for who I am and not just in spite of who I am, but because of who I am.”
It is truly disgusting logic to say that anyone who is repulsed by a video of elementary-aged kids at sexualized programing is contributing to suicide rates, but Franken and Putnam can’t acknowledge that because then the claim that Republicans have no idea what they’re talking about, falls apart.
This segment was sponsored by TurboTax.
Here is a transcript for the March 23 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
3/23/2023
11:29 PM ET
AL FRANKEN: I think there are a lot of people objecting to drag without even having any idea what it is. Let's talk about Tennessee. It's the first state, I think, to explicitly ban –
BENJAMIN “BENDELACREME” PUTNAM: It's the first place that it passed, yes. Yeah. Yeah.
FRANKEN: -- drag shows, but now it's happening all over the place, right? This is some new thing they've invented, I'm sure that most of the Republicans who are -- they find stuff every once in a while to go after, they-- and I bet you most of them don't know what this is about at all. Have any idea. What is their thing about?
PUTNAM: Yeah, I mean, what is this about is kind of the biggest question because it's all so vague. These bills are terrifying because the language is so open-ended, and they are – and a lot of – and you’re also exactly, a lot of these people don't understand what these drag shows are and they don't have to because this is all, sort of, coded language for an attack on the LGBTQIA+ community.
FRANKEN: Sure.
PUTNAM: And the wording of this bill talks about drag as adult entertainment, which is insidious within itself to say that someone dressing this way is only appropriate for adults when they’re not doing anything that is adult-oriented and the idea that children are somehow going to be made more queer by access to queer culture.
I mean, I was very queer without any access and when I finally found drag, which is where it-- you know, it was not like "Oh, that's a cool job, I want to do that when I grow up it's "There's a container for who I am. There is something out there for me," and that saved my life.
I mean suicide rates among queer kids and suicidal ideation is more than half of trans and non-binary kids, have suicidal ideation, which when I heard that statistic I was like that seems low because every queer person I know has thought about suicide in their youth and I barely made it out of my childhood but I did because I had a little bit of access to this glimpse of a world outside that would accept me for who I am and not just in spite of who I am, but because of who I am.
