Texas anti-drag bills advance in state Senate

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Senate State Affairs Committee voted 6-2 Monday to advance two bills cracking down on drag performances, a victory for right-wing lawmakers waging war on public displays of culture. queer.

A bill would redefine “sexually oriented performances” to include drag shows, banning them in front of minors under threat of fines up to $10,000. the other would cut state funding for libraries if they organize a book reading in which a “person dressed as the opposite sex is a principal 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 reserved for adults.”

The State Affairs Committee advanced the legislation despite hearing from dozens of opponents, who said the proposed laws would restrict free speech, undermine a valid art form and discriminate against LGBTQ Texans.

“We should be ashamed that these bills are being debated here in Texas,” said Callie Butcher, president of the Dallas LGBT Lawyers Association, an organization for queer and allied legal professionals.

“The answer to this so-called problem is simple: if you don’t want your child to go to a drag show, don’t take them.”

The pervasiveness and popularity of gender-bending clothing in popular culture, from men playing women in Shakespeare to movies like “Mrs. Doubtfire” and shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race” also mean that the bill restricting public drag performances could affect the live entertainment industry much more broadly than the authors of the legislation expect.

As currently written, Senate Bill 12 would likely ban acts like the rock band Mötley Crüe or professional wrestling events at venues for all ages, according to Pat Buchta, executive director of the nonprofit Austin. Texas Musicians.

“This bill seems less about protecting children and more about discrimination against the LGBT community,” Buchta said.

The few people who spoke in favor of the bills at a hearing Thursday saw them as a protective measure for children.

“Leave sexually oriented entertainment to the adults,” said Ed Fox, director of Christian education at Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Grand Prairie.. “We are not asking to ban it; we are asking to leave the children out of this.”

But many critics of the bills view drag performances as a valuable educational tool for childrenNo sexual elements.

“There are amazing events like ‘drag queen story time’ that take place during the day in kid-safe places, where literally someone in a funny costume reads a story to the kids and encourages them to be themselves and feel comfortable in their own skin,” David Walker, a Texan who opposes the bills, told HuffPost. “It’s a very important message that I also think has very revolutionary potential that a lot of people don’t want to count on.”

A representative from the Austin public library system who spoke at the hearing agreed, saying the city had held at least two drag story time events at the request of parents.

“These events were age appropriate. The families that chose to serve them had a great time,” she said. “Anyone should be able to find something for them in their library.”

Other critics saw the effort to target drag performers as a misguided way to help children in a state where the educational level is low and child violence with guns is high.

“I’ve seen more kids and more skin at my local Hooters (restaurant) than at any drag show,” said Muneeb Aslam, a graduate student at the University of Texas. “This legislative priority is laughable.”

The Texas bills are part of a conservative national effort crack down on drag shows by passing laws through a dozen state legislatures.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, signed into law the nation’s first statewide ban on public drag performances earlier this month, despite having himself apparently dressed as a woman back in high school.

Texas Republicans had introduced at least 67 bills aimed at imposing new restrictions for LGBTQ Texans starting last monthaccording to a count by a coalition of advocacy groups led by Equality Texas.