Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick's Dance to Taylor Swift in Support of Drag Queens Goes Viral

The married couple are standing behind the LGBTQ+ community.

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick have gone viral with a video they made in protest of the drag bans happening in the United States.

Since the beginning of 2023, dozens of bills have been filed in states across America, targeting drag performances.

Last month in Nashville, Tennessee, lawmakers passed a law that bans one class of entertainer: "male and female impersonators," otherwise known as drag performers. However, a day before the nation's first anti-drag law was set to take effect, a federal judge temporarily blocked it for violating the First Amendment.

Now, Bacon and Sedgwick are throwing themselves behind the LGBTQ+ community by dancing to Taylor Swift's "Karma" to raise awareness about the bans on drag queens. 

The Twitter video starts with the married couple in matching T-shirts standing far away from the camera. They then start doing a choreographed dance toward the camera. As the couple gets closer to the camera, they put their t-shirt in front of the camera so fans can see what they say, "drag is an art and drag is a right."

The Twitter video was posted on Sunday and has been viewed more than 2.3 million times. It is aimed at promoting a fundraiser for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Drag Defense Fund.

The goal is to raise money to mobilize against mounting legal attacks against drag performers and push against removing LGBTQ+ book bans and classroom censorship. It also seeks to defend drag in communities across the U.S. and invest in public education.

"#DragBans are bad karma. Right now, drag performers and the LGBTQIA+ community need our help. Shop the @SixDegreesofKB campaign supporting the @ACLU Drag Defense Fund or make a gift https://bit.ly/DragisArt #DragIsARight," Bacon captioned the post.

More than 32 of these bills were introduced in the U.S. states such as Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.

Peppermint, the runner-up on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, is the ACLU's Ambassador for Transgender Justice and said the drag bans were just one way in which Republicans were trying to remove LGBTQ+ people from public life.

"It is sort of a catch-all that allows them to attack a word or a notion or an idea, drag, when really what they're talking about is transgender folks," she said on an episode of the ACLU's At Liberty podcast. "Trans issues, trans rights, you know, anything having to do with gender and sexuality, they're trying to dismantle that—dismantle any of the progress that we've had on that, and turn us into the boogeyman."

Bacon and Sedgwick aren't the only celebrities standing up for drag queens. Over the weekend, Lizzo made her stance on the Tennessee drag ban known, loud and clear.

During a tour stop at Knoxville Thompson-Boling Arena over the weekend, the "Special" singer clapped back at the state's anti-drag bill by inviting a bevy of drag queens onstage for an epic moment. Dressed in a hue of rainbow colors to represent the LGTBQ+ flag, Lizzo was joined by several performers, some of whom have competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race, including Aquaria, Asia O’Hara, Kandy Muse, Vanessa Vanjie and others. 

Before bringing the queens up for a triumphant dance, she addressed the audience in a clip later shared to her Twitter account.

"In light of recent and tragic events and current events, I was told by people on the internet, 'Cancel your shows in Tennessee. Don't go to Tennessee,'" Lizzo said to boos from the packed crowd. "We don't have to boo that person, their reason was valid. But why would I not come to the people who need to hear this message the most? The people who need to feel this release the most?! Why would I not create a safe space in Tennessee where we can celebrate drag entertainers? And celebrate our differences. And celebrate fat, black women!"

She continued, "What people are doing in Tennessee is giving hope. So, thank you so much for standing up for your rights, protecting each other and holding the people accountable who should be protecting us."

"You have my heart Knoxville. Thank you for sharing a safe space with me 💖," Lizzo captioned the clip.

Earlier this month Kelsea Ballerini made her feelings about the Tennessee drag ban known during her 2023 CMT Music Awards performance.

Ballerini, who also served as the night's co-host, transported the audience backyard barbecue in the '60s, where she was surrounded by a bevy of drag queens while belting out her hit, "If You Go Down (I'm Goin' Down Too)."

The group served as Ballerini's backup dancers, while the singer sang and strummed along on a pink guitar. After throwing her long, green coat to the side, Ballerini showed off a yellow two-piece, which she strutted her stuff in while the drag queens followed behind -- all dressed in their best '60s-inspired wears.

RELATED CONTENT:

Latest News