AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Senate State Affairs Committee voted 6 to 2 on Monday to advance two bills cracking down on drag performances, a victory for right-wing lawmakers waging a war against the public display of queer culture.
One bill will redefine it “Sexually oriented shows” include drag shows, banned in front of minors under the threat of a fine of up to $10,000. Another would cut state funding for libraries if they host a book reading where “persons dressed as the opposite sex are a major component of the entertainment.”
“We can all agree that children should not be exposed to sexually explicit material,” said state Sen. Bryan Hughes (R).. “Drag shows are sexually explicit and expose children to issues of sexuality and identity that should be protected for adults.”
The State Affairs Committee moved forward with the legislation despite hearing from dozens of opponents, who said the proposed legislation would limit free speech, undermine a legitimate art form and discriminate against LGBTQ Texans.
“We should be ashamed that this bill is even being discussed in Texas,” said Callie Butcher, president of the Dallas LGBT Bar Association, an organization for “queer and allied” legal professionals.
“The answer to this problem should be simple: If you don’t want your child to go to a drag show, don’t take him.”
The pervasiveness and popularity of gender-bending fashion in popular culture — from men playing female roles in Shakespeare to movies like “Mrs. Doubtfire” and shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race” — also means that bills restricting public drag shows could impact the live entertainment industry even further. much more than the law writers expected.
As currently written, Senate Bill 12 would ban acts like rock band Mötley Crüe or professional wrestling events from all ages, according to Pat Buchta, CEO of the nonprofit Austin Texas Musicians.
“This bill seems less about protecting children and more about discrimination against the LGBT community,” Buchta said.
Tamir Khalifa via Getty Images
Some who spoke in support of the bill at Thursday’s hearing saw it as a protective measure for children.
“Leave sexually oriented entertainment to adults,” said Ed Fox, director of Christian education at Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Grand Prairie.. “We’re not asking for a ban; we’re asking for kids to get out of it.”
But many critics of the bill see drag performances as a valuable educational tool for children, without any sexual elements.
“There are amazing events like ‘drag queen story time’ that happen during the day in a safe place for kids, which is basically just people in funny costumes reading stories to kids and encouraging them to be themselves and feel comfortable. own skin,” David Walker, a Texas resident who opposed the bill, told HuffPost. “It’s a very important message that I also think has revolutionary potential that a lot of people don’t want to consider.”
A representative for the Austin public library system who spoke at the hearing agreed, saying that the city has held at least two drag story time events at the request of parents.
“The event is age-appropriate. Families who choose to participate are happy,” he said. “Anyone should be able to find something for them at the library.”
Other critics see efforts to target drag performers as the wrong way to help the country’s children. low educational achievement and high child gun violence.
“I’ve seen more kids and more skin at my local Hooters [restaurant] instead of a drag show,” said Muneeb Aslam, a graduate student at the University of Texas. “This legislative priority is laughable.”
The Texas bill is part of a national conservative effort to crack down on drag shows by passing laws through about a dozen state legislatures.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, signed the nation’s first state ban on public drag performances into law earlier this month, though having himself apparently dressed in drag back in high school.
Texas Republicans have filed at least 67 bills aimed at them new restrictions on LGBTQ Texans at the end of the monthaccording to a tally by a coalition of advocacy groups led by Equality Texas.