Liberal country star Maren Morris defended taking her toddler to a drag show last year calling it “completely harmless” and labeling it “family-friendly.”
During the 34-year-old singer’s recent appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Morris talked about the Tennessee law that bans drag shows from spaces where children can see them.
“We were doing a benefit at Bridgestone last year when they were doing the drag ban in Tennessee,” Morris told the host. “There were drag queens like throughout, entertaining as well, and one actually danced with me when I was singing my song, ‘The Middle.’ And it was just amazing and fun.”
“My son loves watching me, like sit in the makeup chair and just is like fascinated with the colors … it was just like completely harmless,” she added.
“But I think it’s just such an amazing expression of artistry, and so I just think like normalizing it and making it seem like these are just people that love dressing up too, is an amazing thing,” the country singer continued. “It was an all-ages show so, it was completely family-friendly.”
Morris told the host she decided to be an activist when she became a mother.
“I never set out to be this activist or advocate,” Morris said, noting the early criticism in 2016 of her debut single, “My Church,” which she said was labeled “blasphemous.”
“It crystallized when I became a mother … I want to be able to do music forever, but I want to do it on my terms,” Morris said. “And if it costs me fans by standing up for people that truly need all of the megaphoning, I am okay with you, like, not being at the show.”
Last year, Morris made headlines when she dared authorities in Tennessee to arrest her after telling the crowd at the “Love Rising” concert she had introduced her son to Drag Queens at the event.
Morris joined a host of other performers at the LGBTQ+ benefits concert held at the Nashville arena. Various stars sang and raised money to fight legislation banning transgender procedures for minors and drag shows in the presence of children, Billboard magazine noted.
When it was Morris’ turn to perform, she told the audience that earlier in the day she had introduced her toddler son to several drag queens in their dressing rooms.
Morris said her son was “delighted” to watch the drag queens work on their hair and makeup while preparing for the show.
“Yes, I introduced my son to some drag queens today, so Tennessee, f***ing arrest me,” Morris told the audience.
Morris shares her four-year-old son, Hayes, with ex-husband Ryan Hurd.