Republican legislators in Arkansas have introduced a bill that would classify drag performances as adult entertainment, similar to erotic films or escort services.The legislation would also ban drag shows on public property or anywhere that they could be viewed by people under 18.
Drag is defined as the use of clothes, makeup, or accessories to present as a different gender than the one the person was assigned at birth, and a performance is classified as singing, dancing, lip-synching, or another type of entertainment for an audience of two or more, in a manner “intended to appeal to the prurient interest.”Drag shows are “destroying these kids’ innocence,” Sen.
Gary Stubblefield, sponsor of his chamber’s version of the bill, told Arkansas TV stations KHBS/KHOG. “They’re no longer kids.
They’re seeing things that they shouldn’t be seeing.”LGBTQ+ activists have spoken out against the legislation.“The audacity of this bill to try to say that we aren’t being appropriate in front of all audiences is absurd,” Patty Johnson, who performs drag as Lady Kakes Monroe, told KHBS/KHOG.