“It’s like any other parent when you’re around a child,” Mx. Miller said. “I try to keep everything appropriate around children.”
Overlooked as legislators rush to define what types of live entertainment are unsuitable for minors, several artists said, are the rights of parents who see benefits — including learning about self-expression and acceptance — to their children experiencing drag.
“For a little kid like me, who knew at a very young age that I was different, it would have been powerful to see myself in someone else and to know that there was a future for me,” said Slade Kyle, 43, who works as Bella DuBalle, the show director and host at Atomic Rose, who is now one of the most outspoken drag performers in the state.
At a recent all-ages brunch at Atomic Rose, Ms. DuBalle brought Elizabeth, a 9-year-old fan, onstage to dance after chatting with her about the challenges of elementary school.
Her father, Seth Bowlin, 33, recalled initially rejecting his own father for being gay and a drag performer in Memphis, before embracing him. Taking his daughter to drag shows was an opportunity to model acceptance, Mr. Bowlin said, and to let her know “we will support her” no matter who she grows up to be.
In Clarksville, Ms. Green-Bean and her wife, Lizette, say they will continue performing a few nights a week for now, dancing with each other or taking the spotlight alone with the support of their children in what feels an escape from the world’s expectations.
“Sometimes you get lost in who society and everybody else wants you to be as a mom,” Lizette, 43, said. “Drag is a place where you don’t have to be that. You don’t have to be what is your typical, daily label.”
