Arkansas senators on Tuesday voted to classify drag shows as an “adult business” under state law, banning performances on public property or “places where minors can see.” advanced a bill intended to
The bill, introduced earlier this month by Arkansas Senator Gary Stubblefield (Republican), passed an unexpected 29-6 vote on Tuesday. It is currently under consideration in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
The Stubblefield bill defines “drag performance” as performance in which an individual exhibits a gender identity different from the gender assigned at birth. exaggerating a performer’s heterosexual identity; ”
To qualify as a drag performer under the proposed law, an individual must lip-sync, dance, or otherwise perform for an audience of at least two people in an act “intended to appeal to an obscene interest.” It also needs to perform with
Stubblefield said at a hearing on Tuesday that his bill was drafted to “protect children” from obscene or sexually explicit content, and his colleagues said they would “remove drag queens” before voting. “Will God approve?” he said.
“I can’t think of anything good to come from taking a child and putting it in front of a grown man dressed as a woman,” Stubblefield said Tuesday, referring to the drag queen story hour. The outrage of Republicans.
LGBTQ advocates have sharply criticized Stubblefield’s bill, saying it violates the U.S. Constitution and targets transgender people.
Independent legislative researcher Erin Reed warning in tweet On Tuesday, it said an Arkansas bill could “ban all transgender people from performing, karaoke, telling dirty jokes, etc.”
British transgender LGBTQ rights activist Katie Montgomery wondered whether academic speaking would be considered a “performance” under the law.
“So you think it’s illegal for me to speak at a college in Arkansas?” she said. murmured Tuesday after the bill passed the Senate.
In a statement Tuesday, Eric Rees, director of Arkansas’ national LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, said state lawmakers are weaponizing the power of Congress to target LGBTQ people. said.
“Many drag performances, such as drag queen story time in schools and libraries, are age-appropriate for children and can teach important lessons such as acceptance and openness,” Reese said on Tuesday. “This is because radical Arkansas politicians spread propaganda and create stigma, discrimination, and ultimately violence against transgender and nonbinary people so that they can move on these issues.” Just another example of angering extreme members of their base, who are the only voting bloc in the country.”
This year, several state legislatures introduced legislation targeting drug performance.
Like the Arkansas bill, the proposed drug ban in Tennessee would amend state law to make “adult cabaret performances” involving “impersonating men or women” legal within 1,000 years. You will be included in the list of “adult businesses” that cannot operate. It must not be placed at the foot of a school, public park, or place of worship, or viewed by minors.
Oklahoma measures punish individuals who hold drag queen story hours or adopt a “flashy or parodied feminine persona with attractive or exaggerated costumes and makeup” with up to a year in prison. You may be prosecuted for a misdemeanor charged.
Others target transgender people more directly. It is what makes “exposing” illegal.
