In a divided Tennessee, Dollywood – and Dolly – shows us who we could be

Singer, songwriter and state icon Dolly Parton — and her theme park, Dollywood — provide something on which politically divided Tennesseans can agree.
(Photo: Dollywood)

We are a nation and state divided — on paper anyway. 

The last presidential election was decided by a difference of 1.47%. Here in Tennessee, Republicans have held a supermajority in the state legislature for a little over a decade, but when given a choice statewide and gerrymandering is taken out, our Tennessee values are a lot less divided than our legislature would reflect. 

If you look at polling from Vanderbilt University, Tennesseans in clear majorities support recreational marijuana, red-flag gun safety laws and exceptions to the abortion ban for rape, incest and the life of the mother. Our Republican-dominated legislature may not do anything about it, but Tennesseans agree on a lot more than we disagree. 

Another thing Tennesseans share in wide agreement? Our complete adoration of singer, songwriter and Tennessee icon Dolly Parton.

Dolly Parton is universally beloved. In 2019, the New York Times put out a piece entitled “Is There Anything We Can All Agree On? Yes: Dolly Parton”  She has always been a topic that could be brought up around a dinner table or in mixed company and agreement can be found. 

I grew up on the Cumberland Plateau and spent my birthdays as a child at Dollywood. When I came out as gay, she was an affirming fixture. I have always called her the patron saint of the Southern Queer. She was never loud about her politics — what once was a Tennessee tradition — but she always made clear where she stood. On her recent “Rockstar” album, a song called “World on Fire” has a line:

“Greedy politicians, present and past / They wouldn’t know the truth if it bit ’em in the ass.”

If there’s ever been a bipartisan sentiment, that is it. 

I’m so tired of division. Not disagreement, which is healthy and part of a strong democracy, but the division that we’ve been experiencing for so many years. I’m a Tennessean. I have Republican friends. I don’t always understand their lifestyle or reasoning for their beliefs, but they are my neighbors and I’d really like to be able to acknowledge their presence in Kroger without wondering if I’m safe to be around them.

We’d be a lot better off if we saw each other the way we all see Dolly: familiar, human and worth a little grace.

We’re starting to see a crop of gubernatorial candidates pop up. When the Aftyn Behn/Matt Van Epps race for Congressional District 7 winds up in a few days, I expect we’ll see some more. For any of the candidates, considering running, I’d point them to Dollywood.

As someone who holds a Dollywood season pass, I’m there often. I love going, because the experience reminds me of what is still good about my home. On any given trip to Dollywood, you’ll see a church youth group next to a group of gay men decked out in Dolly shirts. Newlyweds on their honeymoon shopping for knicknacks. A rural family on the only vacation they can afford this year waiting patiently for their time on board Wild Eagle. Immigrants and folks here on tourist visas, all excited to share in home-spun fun and down-home goodness. 

We need a governor who will ask themself “What Would Dolly Do?” She’d make sure Tennesseans are fed, educated and breathing clean air. She’d make sure they’re getting along. She’d make sure they have access to cutting edge healthcare they don’t have to go into bankruptcy over. She’d make sure if something bad happened to their community, she’d fight for everything she could to take care of them. 

I know we can’t get Dolly herself, but whoever it’ll be needs to be as close as we can get. 

Our next governor should be someone who understands the job is more than policy. It’s about restoring the basic social adhesive we’ve let disintegrate. We will need someone who can walk through Dollywood and see the same thing you’ll see on any given day there: people worth loving, not voters worth dividing. 

And if we’re in need of something to get us to stick together, I’m pretty sure there’s some cinnamon sugar stuck in my beard from the last trip.