welcome to the whole store. >> i'm anderson cooper for drag is an or form that's been around for centuries, including shakespeare's times. women weren't allowed back then to appear on stage. so man dressed up to play the roles of female characters drag performances have evolved a lot over the decades, exploding in mainstream popularity in recent years with tv hits like rupaul's drag race. but now it's also become a political target. get republican lawmakers and six states have passed laws aimed at restricting drag performances and places where children are present. the laws have been amended, blocked, are currently being challenged in federal courts. over the next hour, cnn's randy k digs into the colorful history of drag it takes a look at how and why its come under attack this is how it begins yes, it is always starts with the foundation conceal her and foundation. right? well concealed. he just got some foundation. >> not yet, but give me a few years. probably we're going to let off quite like that. >> how long does it take you to get all made up for full drag? >> it varies. would on average, you're talking 30 or 40 minutes, but the transition from your average homework sexual to grab, shove, drag queen interesting it's good to see the process step by step. >> some communities every bit. >> it's my moment to just take myself into a whole another world and just be happy despite whatever going around. >> at the palace bar and restaurant in miami, south beach tiffany phantasia is lip sinking to the song, rather be by clean bandage she is slang. >> that's a drag term for killing it. she has been performing in drag for 20 years in drag, i feel more powerful i feel free. >> i feel independent. i feel love, i feel joy, especially when i'm seeing some papers as i love the freedom of expression. i love making somebody has i love the glitz and glam because no matter but what i'm going through a growing through, somebody else gets that energy. and for those five minutes nothing matters what do you think is the draw for an audience, why do you think people attend directions? because it's different it goes against the status well, it challenges aside. we are told as we grow up, you're supposed to act this way. talk this way to this man. that third and here's some body you find all of them performing for you. whether seeing live or liberal thinking, whatever their define the so shouldn't norm, they're going against eagle and that's fascinating for a lot of people drag has fascinated audiences for more than a century there were hugely popular drag balls in harlem during the boring 20s in the 50s and 60s, crowds packed into clubs featuring what were referred to at the time as female impersonators before a backlash shove drag into the shadows but perhaps no one has helped bring dragged back into the spotlight today, more than dragged superstar rupaul's with the tv competition show, rupaul's drag race? sashay away. >> but a hit show has been running for 16 seasons collecting a whopping 29 emmy awards along the way. >> rupaul's world. of wonder production company has built a drag empire launching drag race tv franchises, season, type of good is minus zeta, a call in more than a dozen countries around the world. ready, i'm sure. was on drag race. the audience is connecting with the tenacity of human spirit that's what that show is really about when you you tear it down to just nuts and bolts. we all relate to someone who has been cast off and they prove us wrong and remember, you can't love yourself. how they, how you go, loved somebody. >> thanks in part to rupaul's drag has become more popular than ever. there are a drag branches, drag dinner shows, drag beauty pageants, even drag bingo it's right? >> eric as we're getting so close to me drag is the main attraction. every new year's eve in key west, florida fried it all. >> you're just kind of dangling up here a crowd of enthusiastic revelers counts down to midnight as a drag queen descends from the balcony at this bar in a giant high-heeled shoe we found the queen of this. i've reported live from these festivities for years, and now i'm left wondering how did this can't be form of entertainment becomes such a target for the political right. like it is here in my home state of florida hoboken lawmakers and right-wing leaders across the country are pushing through laws restricting drag shows the law here in florida signed by republican can governor ron desantis is aimed at banning children from attending drag shows. it blocks venues are publicly permitted events from admitting children to an adult live performance, which according to the law, includes any performance that quote, depicts or simulates the lwd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts there are these like these drag shows sexually explicit in what they're doing in luck adult entertainment, people can do what they want with some of that, but there should not be any of these kids. they're the law is up in the air now after a federal judge putting did on hold pending a state appeal supporters of the restrictions claim that drag shows are harmful to children. some accused drag queen because of being child rumors a derogatory term often used to demonize members of the lgbtq community as pedophiles the desantis administration filed a complaint against the miami restaurant, our house accusing it of exposing minors to what it called sexually explicit drag shows and threatening to pull its liquor license after a state investigation found no unlawful content in the performances the venue which denied any wrongdoing, agreed to pay a $10,000 administrative fine and set a minimum age requirement of 18 for their drag shows. >> we'd coming to your city, desantis officials also threatened to yank the liquor licenses of the plaza live theatre in orlando, and the hyatt regency in miami for hosting an event called a drag queen christmas we're minors accompanied by their parents, were present even though a report by undercover state agents acknowledged they did not witness any lewd acts both settled for a $5,000 fine. >> it is specifically intended with the heightened penalties, $10,000 fines and fees. these suspension of liquor licenses to create fear and to intimidate businesses out of wanting to host drag performances especially when they're unclear about exactly what is allowed and what is not allowed. >> representative smith, democratic carlos guillermo smith was florida's first lgbtq latino lawmaker. >> he's currently running for state senate it has led to a chilling effect with pride as well several pride events across florida have also been canceled or restricted out of concern, drag queens might be seen by children in public resign, hit, particularly hard by the political backlash, drag queen story hours like this. >> there once was a boy with a rainbow harms. >> they had signed saying that drag queens were pedophiles with aids. they were yelling and screaming at children and families where are you scared? >> i was scared. i was scared every time i needed a new phone, i had to switch carriers. i told him that verizon everyone can get the best deals like that. >> iphone 15 on them, switching all the time. it wasn't easy. 35 years gonna be here forever. >> and here's your wireless contract. >> i need a lawyer for this. those were hard days represented tips. now that i got a huge storage and battery upgrade, i'm official finally done switching new and existing customers get iphone 59 us when they trade in any iphone, any condition guaranteed, i really wish you told me sooner. >> i did apartments.com. >> let's any landlord find qualified renters and signed leases and collect payments from any place even here and whereas here exactly, he sled de then tada is where we let all of our landlords to acclimate to their newfound freedom do you like dolphins? >> what you oh, hey you didn't touch that apartments, apartments.com, the place to list of place most new projects come with questions. >> so we have answers like how to keep your yard looking lush which paint color matches your bold style with the myeloma rewards credit card, you can say 5% every day. you got this and we got you usa today, the wall street journal in entertainment weekly hailed the black writers scan and lice electrifying entertainment on an epic scale like, good fillers on harley-davidson what do you want me to do? >> but black writers is an exhilarating four star store. think the cinematic must cease solar movie. >> you gotta respect our family like writers, where your door only beaters june 21, in a sunday morning in lakeland, florida not far from tampa story hour is getting underway. >> not just any story hour. >> we can fit a table here. >> jason dechambeau and his team of volunteers are setting up for the big event. a family-friendly drag brunch story hour it's one of the many fundraisers he stages for his non-profit, the rows dynasty foundation he hosts. all the events in drag. the children and their parents know jason as a drag queen named mama ashley rows tell me just a little bit about your background. >> i was involved in church pretty much my whole life, which led me to get into ministry and the whole time i knew i was gay, i knew i was struggling even through all that journey feeling of unwanted nus and unloved and never being good enough to where here i am today spreading this message that everyone is loved i've accepted and wanted no matter who they are. i remember how it felt to not feel that way. so it's kinda drives me to do what i do today you were once a pastor and an lgbt church was like pastor mike, dj, drag queen by night and again, the drag queen, it wasn't even just by night. >> we started doing events. we started doing fundraisers variety shows, drag dinner shows, drag gospel shows, raising money for them it was perfect it can be $100, could be a couple of thousand dollars. and our events and we not only focus on queer lgbtq plus charities, but we focus on animal shelters, domestic violence, mental health i always knew that my character mama ashley rose was going to be something different. i'm going to be wholesome, going to be not the club bar scene because there was never really my scene. and i just knew that i had to bring something to the table that no one else was doing. >> i look forward to meeting oh, i can't wait for you to meet mama nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you. good seeing you, to see you too. so tell me about you. >> so mama is just a southern lady that spreads a message that everyone is loved, accepted, and wanted no matter who they are and, we provide a safe space. so my job is to make people feel loved, make people feel safe, give them a little laugh, a little chuckle some time when people think of a drag queen. this is not the look that i think most people think of what if my life could bring a change make somebody move absolutely. so dragos, an art forum and we know that ark comes in all shapes, sizes types, and everything. he loved to. tell people, we have adult television, we have children's television, we have adult radio toluse, all that so i'm kinda like the disney channel of drag, who's ready for story time all kids, if you can come up and have a seat on the floor. so for me, dragged story hour is first of all, teaching literacy there once was a boy with, uh, rainbow heart. it looks a little bit, we know that illiteracy is an issue and the world right now. >> but teaching and reading about kindness, my books are about kindness, about love, about loving years self. >> we read stories about how to handle bullies and the list goes on with that, just teaching life skills, you see. so it's literally just a person in a costume no different than a disney princess reading a story to kids and adults get my sparkly earrings, they see it as this like glamorous princess. they're going to listen to a story from someone dressed in a costume before they will have just any random person. >> what kind of backlash have you faced doing drag story hour up until last year? >> we had no issues and a year ago this december, we had neo-nazis show up outside of this building they had signs saying that drag queens were pedophiles with aids. they were projecting on the side of buildings saying that grooming was in process they were yelling and screaming at children and families. >> were you scared? i was scared. i was scared jason says he also had to find a new location for an annual drag pageant at the last minute because the orlando venue was afraid of being targeted by the desantis administration they were really concerned about losing their liquor license so they asked us to make our event 18 it up. >> and my response was like, no, i'm not going to make an event 18 up when it never has been like don't do 18 and up events. so we had four days to find a new venue to move a whole paget, a whole production show shortly after that in orlando high school was forced to cancel an event featuring jason. >> he had been scheduled to speak speak to the school's queer and ally alliance i have been invited by students for years to go in and the students invite me. >> and of course, with approval of educators, and it's after-school program, after school club. and i usually say, do you want me to come as json or du want make come as momma and always, i mean, they wanted to drag queen, right? >> so a woman who is part of the moms for liberty, who is also on the orange county school board, basically had a shutdown educators and the principal and the dean were literally their job to been threatened if they allow this event to happen that school board member, alicia for ron, says she raised questions after hearing complaints from dozens of parents but an investigative report by spectrum news 13 in orlando revealed a majority of the emails for ron to received about the event were supportive of it. >> we have reached out several times different for a response to the report, but i've heard nothing back i just wanted to be a drag queen and tell funny stories and make people laugh i had no idea it was going to be in this and this atmosphere. it's scary time. it was a scary time for us secondly, fear of threats, fear of safety the political backlash, jason and many others are now experiencing is familiar to anyone who knows the history of drag more on that next every week, there'll be police raids and every time there was a police raid, it was people in states of drag who were arrested the most anticipated moment of this election and the stakes couldn't be higher. >> the president and the former president, one day moderated by jake tapper and dana bash, the cnn presidential debate, thursday, june 27th, nine live on cnn and streaming on max sure. >> i'm a paid actor and this isn't a real company, but there's no way to fake cop work can help your business. so such talent all over the world with over 10,000 skills you may not happen house more than 30% of the fortune 500 use upwork because this is how we work now at simply safe, we designed the number one rated home security system, powered by 24/7 professional monitoring for half the cost of tradition hi security. so you stay safe for less than $1 a day there's no safe like simply safe organic soil from miracle grow has grown me the best garden i have ever had. >> good soil and you get a good result look at that. >> the broccoli was fantastic. that broccoli, i think some of them were 67 pounds all the marty's ready to conquer the world there is a general in january feeling of hope coming from people there is a legend in here when you come to angola and visit the kwanza river and drink from its water. >> you'd never want to leave when you're. >> the leader is disaster clean up and restoration. what do you mean like it never even happened, happened rafat serve like ever even happened you might be used to living with your albuterol asma rescue inhaler, but it's a bit of a dinosaur because it only treat your symptoms not inflammation. >> treating both symptoms and inflammation with rescue is supported by asthma experts. finally, there's a modern way to treat symptoms and asthma attacks air suprise, the first ever dual action rescue inhaler. the treats your asthma symptoms and helps prevent attacks. air supra is the only rescue fda approved to do both air supra is an as-needed rescue inhaler and should not be used as a maintenance treatment for asthma, get medical help right away if your breathing does not improve, continues to worsen or for serious allergic reactions, using air super more than prescribed could be life-threatening, serious side effects include heart problems, increased risk of thrush or infections welcome to the modern age of do action, asthma, rescue. ask your doctor if air supra is right for you diabetes can serve up a lot of questions. like, what is your glucose? >> and can you have more carbs before you decide with the freestyle libre three system? >> no your glucose and where it's heading. >> know finger sticks needed now the world's smallest, thinnest sensor sends your glucose levels directly to your smartphone manager you're diabetes with more confidence and lower your a1c, the number one cgm prescribed in the us, x to three-to-one, three-to-one. today. >> i'm tom foreman and washington and this is cnn closed captioning brought to you by meso book.com are firm only represents mesothelial of victims and their families. if you or a loved one who has been diagnosed with ms ophelie oma, call us now that's sasha below or in her the latest tour, the big reveal live show she's a drag artists to signature style hoped her when the night thank season of rupaul's drag race sache of a luar she's also a fulbright scholar who wrote a book on the meaning and history of drag called the big reveal, an illustrated manifesto of drag gorgeous 200 page book outlining the history of drug bragg and the political backlash against it, all intertwined with anecdotes from my own irresistible and unpredictable raleigh's to queen. >> your welcome why do you think the history of drag is so important? the history of drag is important because people don't know. and in fact, it feels like their cycles of acceptance and then backlash that have happened throughout history sasha grew up steeped in drag history one of sasha biggest influence fluencies was her grandmother dina she encouraged me to channel my inner diva. she coached me on how to make an entrance and the gown the her condo had leg one set of stairs coming down from the loft and i would put my costume on up there and then walked down the stairs dramatically. so i have a lot there one of her grandmother's favorite hotspots, uh, clubs spotlighting female impersonators in san francisco called for nokia's she would go to for nokia's on the weekend drive in from the suburbs of daily said eight and of course it was a club mostly targeted for straight audiences and she loved the drag shows. >> she thought it was so entertaining, and she told you about it and she told me about it as a little kid. i feel very lucky that i grew up with out shame around drag, at least at home female impersonator clubs across the country, including one in new york called clubbing ad2 became all the rage during the 1950s and 60s people who came to the aid of june club where every everyday people. your a mom and dad may have come to the 82 club, but also it was packed with liberties. judy garland, milton berle, elizabeth taylor, richard burton, errol flynn, salvador dali the surrealists, of course, loved drag and the 82 club dragging the us has strong roots going back to harlem racially diverse groups of people flocked to the rockland palace for headline grabbing, drag balls, hosts did by a black fraternal organization called the hamilton lodge during the harlem renaissance and the roaring 20s harlem drag balls were large pageant eid masquerade, experience. and it wa