Judge Allows Tennessee’s “BoroPride” to Take Place
metroweekly.comtemporary restraining order directing the city of Murfreesboro and its officials, including City Manager Craig Tindall, Mayor Shane McFarland, and the Murfreesboro Police Department, not to “enforce or take any action pursuant to the provision to Murfreesboro City Code 21-71 that includes ‘homosexuality’ within the definition of ‘sexual conduct.'”The so-called “decency ordinance,” which was approved in June, prohibits people in public spaces from engaging in “indecent behavior,” displaying “indecent material,” or subjecting minors to behaviors, material, or events that are “patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable material for minors.” Those found in violation are barred from sponsoring any events at a public space for a period of two to five years.Critics of the ordinance have argued that such language is overly vague and subject to wide interpretation based on individual biases or preferences.Some have also noted that the ordinance’s references to appealing to the “prurient interest” appear to be specifically targeting drag shows, with the intent of having such performances deemed as “offensive” based on the aforementioned “prevailing standards” of what constitutes “decency.”A year ago, the city started to take action targeting BoroPride over the presence of drag and open displays of LGBTQ identity.Tindall, the city manager, sent a letter to BoroPride organizers stating that he would deny future permits for the festival and drag show on government property.
In that letter, Tindal accused the 2022 BoroPride event of having exposed children “to a harmful prurient interest.”The 2022 event attracted over 7,000 revelers to Cannonsburgh Village, a historic.
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