Reba, Kid Rock, Shania And More Weigh In

Topline

Country musicians have generated significant social media attention in recent weeks for their comments—positive and negative—on transgender rights and drag performances following a slew of bills in Tennessee and other Southern states targeting the LGBTQ community, and Bud Light’s partnership with a trans TikTok star.

Kid Rock performs at AT&T Stadium on May 11, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Gary Miller/Getty … [+] Images)

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Key Facts

Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender TikTok star, has been the target of conservative outrage over the past week after she modeled women’s sportswear for Nike and partnered with Bud Light, prompting high-profile musicians, athletes and media commentators to slam the companies as “woke” and attack Mulvaney.

Bills targeting transgender people and drag performers have flooded state legislatures this year, most often targeting various gender-affirming care for minors and aiming to prevent drag artists from performing in public or where minors could be present, the latter often based on false claims that these events sexualize children.

Chief Critics

Kid Rock went viral for a video he posted of himself shooting Bud Light cans and yelling profanities about the company and its owner Anheuser-Busch. His video has been liked more than 212,000 times and retweeted more than 44,000 times. Country star Travis Tritt announced he would no longer carry Anheuser-Busch products in his tour hospitality rider last week and blasted Jack Daniels for a years-old campaign that featured drag performers. Singer John Rich, one-half of country duo Big & Rich, asked his 900,000 Twitter followers last week what beer brand he should replace Bud Light with at his Redneck Riviera bar in Nashville, and separately tweeted a false claim that drag artists “dirty dance” for children.

Contra

Country singer Zach Bryan defended Mulvaney’s Bud Light partnership to his 400,000 Twitter followers on Saturday, stating “insulting transgender people is completely wrong,” while clarifying he means no disrespect to Tritt (and that he’d drink enough Jack Daniels for the both of them). Some notable country stars also came out in support of drag artists: Reba McEntire slammed a Tennessee law (which was temporarily blocked by a judge) that would restrict drag performances in public spaces or where minors are present in a March interview, urging attention for more pressing issues like homelessness. At the CMT Music Awards on April 2, co-host and country star Kelsea Ballerini performed her “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” with four performers from RuPaul’s Drag Race, which many interpreted as a rebuke of anti-drag bills (including bills in Texas that would bar drag artists from performing where minors are present). Country singer Maren Morris and more artists, including Sheryl Crow, hosted the benefit concert “Love Rising,” alongside drag queens, to support Tennessee LGBTQ organizations and protest legislation targeting drag performers and transgender people (Morris said she brought her 3-year-old son, who met some of the drag artists, and dared Tennessee to arrest her). Shania Twain called for support for drag artists days after Tennessee passed a ban on public drag shows, calling them “inspiring” and stating “we need drag queens to share their talent with us.” Orville Peck, a gay country singer, criticized anti-drag laws in an interview with GLAAD, calling drag “a threat to absolutely nobody” and urging lawmakers to allow people to live freer, happier lives.

Key Background

Debates over transgender rights and drag artist performances have taken center stage in recent weeks as many states have unveiled legislation targeting these communities. At least 11 states have banned gender-affirming care for minors in 2023. Tennessee became the first state to ban public drag performances in March, and many more state legislatures have introduced similar bills. Drag story hour events, in which a drag artist reads to children, have emerged as a frequent target in recent months, with at least nine protests since July resulting in arrests and many opponents falsely claiming these events are sexually charged. Mulvaney, who has nearly 11 million TikTok followers and is known for her “Days of Girlhood” video series, drew criticism from musicians, conservative media personalities and Olympic athletes Caitlyn Jenner and Sharron Davies, though both Anheuser-Busch and Nike defended their decisions to partner with her.

Tangent

Ballerini’s drag performance was the second of two political statements she made while co-hosting the CMT Awards. At the beginning of the show, which took place just days after a shooting at a private elementary school in Nashville that killed three children and three adults, she delivered a pre-taped speech condemning gun violence and calling for action. Ballerini was praised on social media for her political statements—but she also drew criticism from conservative country fans for her performance with drag artists, which some slammed as “woke.” Ballerini doubled down after the show, tweeting thanks to the drag artists for sharing the stage and “celebrating love, self expression, and performance.”

Big Number

452. That’s how many bills the American Civil Liberties Union introduced in 2023 the ACLU has identified as anti-trans. Many of these bills seek to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth and would limit the instruction of gender and sexuality in schools.