Orville Peck Was ‘Scared’ to Bring Out Drag Queens During Recent Concerts in the South, but It Was ‘Extremely Important’
variety.comMarc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Orville Peck may be nervous about bringing drag queens onstage during his concerts in red states, but he refuses to let fear get in the way of fighting for LGBTQ rights. “We played Knoxville, and we did Memphis, and we played a few places in Tennessee and just the South in general.
And I doubled down, and I had a drag queen come out in the middle of the show, and I would do a big speech,” Peck tells me. “To me, drag is extremely important not just because a lot of my lovely dear friends do it,” he continues. “It’s a cornerstone of not just gay culture but gay civil rights.
It is literally why I have the ability to be an openly gay man in country music. Was I scared? Yes, but I did it anyway because sometimes you just have to do something no matter what.” Drag queens in Tennessee are facing legal blockades in the state with new laws banning them from performing in public locations or in front of minors.
Earlier this week, on Wednesday, queer pop star Hayley Kiyoko asked two drag queens to join her on stage during a performance in Nashville.
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