Not only is Dolly Parton a legendary singer-songwriter, she is also a longtime ally to the LGBTQ+ community. She is further solidifying her status as a queer icon by speaking out against the recent anti-trans laws being enacted in Tennessee.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Parton was asked about her reaction to her home state of Tennessee passing a series of anti-trans measures into law earlier this year. While Parton said that she wasn’t interested in talking about “the politics of everything,” she offered that at the end of the day, “I just want everybody to be treated good.”
“I have some of everybody in my own immediate family and in my circle of employees,” she explained. “I’ve got transgender people. I’ve got gays. I’ve got lesbians. I’ve got drunks. I’ve got drug addicts — all within my own family. I know and love them all, and I do not judge. And I just see how broken-hearted they get over certain things and I know how real they are.”
In March, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, R, signed a bill that completely bans gender-affirming healthcare for transgender children. He later signed a law that curbs "adult-oriented entertainment," legislation after the heavy controversy surrounding drag shows. The state became the first to officially criminalize drag.
“I know how important this is to them. That’s who they are. They cannot help that any more than I can help being Dolly Parton, you know, the way people know me.
“If there’s something to be judged, that is God’s business. But we are all God’s children and how we are is who we are.”
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