Judge temporarily blocks Tennessee city from enforcing ban on drag performances on public property

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked city officials in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from enforcing an ordinance designed to ban drag performances on public property. The order issued Friday bars the city from enforcing the ordinance during the BoroPride Festival scheduled for Oct. 28. It came in a lawsuit filed earlier this month by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee on behalf of the Tennessee Equality Project, host of the festival. The order said the city and the equality project reached an agreement that the city will not enforce the ordinance during the Oct. 28 festival. The ACLU said the order confirms that the community’s free speech rights will be protected at the festival as the lawsuit continues to be heard in court.