Civil Rights

“Slay hate” rally draws hundreds in Nashville

By: John Partipilo and J. Holly McCall - March 10, 2023 12:35 pm

The crowd at a March rally in Nashville, sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, crowds around drag performer Perplexity. (Photo: John Partipilo)

A Nashville rally sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign drew hundreds to protest recently-passed Tennessee laws that criminalize some drag performers and performances and prevent parents from providing their children with gender-affirming care.

“Slay the Hate: Fight Back Tennessee,” featured appearances by several drag performers and remarks from LGBTQ leaders.

The event was one of several efforts the HRC is taking to push back on Gov. Bill Lee, who signed the new laws in a matter of hours last week, and the Tennessee General Assembly. On Monday, the LGBTQ advocacy organization ran a full-page ad in the Tennessean with a 1976 photo of Lee dressed in a cheerleading outfit, wig and pearls at a high school powderpuff football game, criticizing Lee for hypocrisy.

“Slay the Hate: Fight back Tennessee”

Hundreds gathered to protest a spate of newly-passed anti-LGBTQ laws in Tennessee. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Drag performer Vanity entertained the rally crowd at Tribe, an LGBTQ bar in Nashville. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project whips up the crowd at the "Slay the Hate" rally in Nashville on March 9, 2023. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Dakerri Rhone, right, with her wife, Ashley Densmore. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Kathy Sinback, ACLU of Tennessee executive director, photographed on March 8. 2023. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Kelley Robinson, HRC president, confirmed the organization would have mobile billboards with the Lee photo driving the streets of Nashville for the weekend’s Southeastern Conference basketball tournament and Saturday night’s annual HRC fundraising dinner.

Robinson was among the speakers at Thursday’s rally, joined by Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, Kathy Sinback, executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee, and National Women’s Law Center Director of Reproductive Rights Miriam Abolfalzi.

Tennessee leads the nation in passing anti-LGBTQ laws, having enacted 14 since 2015.

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John Partipilo

Working as a photojournalist for 40 years, Partipilo has won awards such as NPPA Best of Photojournalism and nominated for two Pulitzers. His photography has also been featured in national and international publications. Most importantly Partipilo’s work is about people — people in their different environments and people in their different stages of life. That’s the heart of his work. To him people are so important, because they all have a unique story.

J. Holly McCall

Holly McCall has been a fixture in Tennessee media and politics for decades. She covered city hall for papers in Columbus, Ohio and Joplin, Missouri before returning to Tennessee with the Nashville Business Journal. Holly brings a deep wealth of knowledge about Tennessee’s political processes and players and likes nothing better than getting into the weeds of how political deals are made.