Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Photo Of GOP Governor In Drag Will Now Be Plastered On Billboards After He Signs Anti-Drag Bill

Zachary Heath Stamper; Bill Lee
@zacharyheath21/TikTok; Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Zachary Heath Stamper raised more than $50,000 online to plaster Tennessee Gov. Lee's yearbook photo wearing a dress on billboards throughout the state.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee recently signed into law a bill that criminalizes drag shows in places where minors might be present.

A great many of his constituents are unhappy with this decision, and one of them took it upon himself to make that known to everyone—especially Governor Lee.


During the lead-up to Lee signing the bill, a photo from his high school yearbook resurfaced of him wearing a dress and jewelry.

Zachary Heath Stamper—a custom kitchen designer and home remodeler from Bristol, Tennesse—decided to crowdfund some ad space billboards in Tennessee to show the governor that Tennesseans aren't happy with his hypocrisy.

The first billboard will be on Broadway in downtown Nashville to display the photo for all to see.

Stamper used TikTok and GoFundMe to raise the funds necessary to purchase the ad space on the billboard, raising over $77,000 via the crowdfunding platform as of time of writing.

When Governor Lee was asked by the Tennessee Holler if he remembered dressing in drag in high school and if it's "only illegal when gay people do it."

Lee dismissed the comparison as "ridiculous," saying:

"What a ridiculous, ridiculous question that is."
"Conflating something like that to sexualized entertainment in front of children, which is a very serious subject!"

The photo of Lee was taken during his high school's "Powderpuff" event—an event common in the South where high school boys dress as girls and girls dress as boys.

An event which the Daily Beast called:

"...essentially a drag show for minors in which the participants are minors."

Tennessee state Democratic Representative Vincent Dixie seemed to agree with that assessment, wondering on Twitter if Lee was a minor when the photo was taken.

Lee's press secretary, Jade Byers, later added to Lee's statement—doubling down hard on the double standard.

"The bill specifically protects children from obscene, sexualized entertainment, and any attempt to conflate this serious issue with lighthearted school traditions is dishonest and disrespectful to Tennessee families."

Stamper wasn't going to let Lee dismiss the comparison that easily, though.

Stamper said:

"He said it’s supposed to be all in fun."
"But so is drag."

The idea to put the Governor's photo on billboards didn't originate with Stamper, but he was the one to make it happen.

He said:

"Everybody kept posting we should put this on a billboard."
"I said, ‘If y'all all want to do that…'."

Stamper and his fellow Tennesseans weren't the only ones chastising Governor Lee over the law.

The White House also condemned Governor Lee's actions, saying his priorities are skewed. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned Lee during a White House press briefing.

She said:

"The governor of Tennessee has decided to go after drag shows."
"What sense does that make to go after drag shows? How is that going to help people’s lives who are thinking about the economy, who are thinking about making sure their kids are going to be safe when they go to school or their communities are safe?"
"But that’s what he wants to focus on."

Stamper also strongly questioned Lee's priorities.

He cited the nearly 8,200 children currently in state custody in the TTennesseefoster care system as proof Governor Lee has more important things to worry about than drag shows.

"We got kids sleeping on DCS floors and all [Lee] is worried about is banning drag shows."
"Why are you spending all your time on this instead of foster care?"

The billboard on Broadway is just the beginning.

Stamper said he plans to choose a billboard on Lee's commute to work and church next. Given how much the GoFundMe has raised, that likely won't be the last billboard either.

More from News/lgbtq

Brad Pitt
Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images

Brad Pitt Opens Up About Going To Alcoholics Anonymous Amid 'Difficult' Split From Angelina Jolie

In 2016, actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt officially separated after 12 years together, with two of those years spent as husband and wife.

The split came after an inflight incident that forced the private plane Pitt, Jolie, and their children were traveling on to make an unscheduled landing and prompted an FBI investigation. Pitt later shared that he was struggling with an alcohol addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sir Rod Stewart; Donald Trump
Ethan Miller/Getty Images; Carlos Barria - Pool/Getty Images

Rod Stewart Explains Why He's No Longer Friends With Trump In Blistering Interview

Singer Sir Rod Stewart and MAGA Republican President Donald Trump might seem like an odd pairing, but the two were once good friends, according to the Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.

And they actually have several things in common.

Keep ReadingShow less
Thomas Massie; Donald Trump
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Suzanne Plunkett/Pool/Getty Images

GOP Rep. Offers Snarky Clapback After Trump Kicks Him Out Of MAGA For Criticizing Iran Attack

Kentucky Republican Representative Massie offered a snarky response after President Donald Trump said "MAGA doesn't want him" following Massie's criticism of Trump's unilateral decision to bomb Iran and the spending package presented in the "Big Beautiful Bill."

Massie spoke out following Trump's decision to authorize a series of intense U.S. air and submarine strikes targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities, amid ongoing uncertainty about the status of Tehran’s nuclear program. The threat of a wider conflict in the Middle East is on everyone's minds as tensions between Iran and Israel—now openly aided by the U.S.—intensify.

Keep ReadingShow less
Las Vegas sign
welcome to fabulous las vegas nevada signage

People Reveal The Times 'What Happens In Vegas' Did Not Stay In Vegas

"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas"...

The age-old slogan encourages visitors to put their fears and inhibitions to the side while indulging in all that "Sin City" has to offer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marjorie Taylor Greene; Donald Trump
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

MTG Goes Off On Trump Over Iran Attack—And Warns Of What Could Happen Next

Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized President Donald Trump in a lengthy post on X following his unilateral decision to bomb Iran over the weekend.

Greene is one of the most devout MAGA adherents in Congress, so her policy split is rare but shows just how deeply Trump has angered his own base since he authorized a series of intense U.S. air and submarine strikes targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities, amid ongoing uncertainty about the status of Tehran’s nuclear program

Keep ReadingShow less