Republican states are fuming — and legislating — over drag performances
politico.comRepublican state lawmakers want to shield children by closing the curtains on drag performances.Legislation moving through several GOP-controlled capitols would ban the gender-diverse shows in front of young people — including at schools, colleges, or on public property — sparking a furious response from the LGBTQ community and civil liberties groups.“We’re just trying to keep minors away from sexually explicit material,” Arkansas Republican state Rep.
Mary Bentley told her fellow lawmakers at a hearing Wednesday about a bill she’s co-sponsoring to prohibit children from watching drag shows that might affect student performances.
Many drag shows do not contain sexually explicit content, especially when performers — who often wear more clothing — are entertaining in spaces where children may be present.“We’re not trying to be anti-anybody, anti-trans, anti-anything, we’re just trying to protect our kids,” said Bentley, who acknowledged at the hearing that schools expressed concerns that student performances might be targeted if costumes had exaggerated anatomical features or had certain types of singing and dancing. “We’re not trying to stop plays.
We’re not trying to stop Peter Pan, or Tootsie, or any of those things.”Drag show restrictions have become a leading cultural issue during this year’s legislative sessions for the right and prominent Republicans like Gov.
