[ad_1]
Kentucky lawmakers passed a bill to prohibit drag show performances from being presented in places where they could be viewed by children.
The GOP-backed legislation passed through the Senate on Friday by a 26 to 6 party-line vote. Senate Bill 115, which Republicans say is aimed to protect children, would also ban drag shows from publicly owned property.
“The intent of this legislation is to restrict these types of adult performances to adults,” said Republican state Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, the bill’s lead sponsor.
Democratic Sen. Karen Berg argued that people who do not support drag shows are not required to attend.
BILL REQUIRING KENTUCKY COLLEGES TO ALLOW CAMPUS CONCEALED CARRY MOVES FORWARD: ‘GUN FREE ZONES HAVE FAILED’
Drag performer Poly Tics (right) attends a rally in Frankfort, Kentucky. (AP Photo/Bruce Schreiner)
She said drag is a form of self-expression for LGBTQ+ groups that “you don’t have to understand, you don’t have to appreciate, you don’t have to like and you don’t have to attend.”
Drag shows have been criticized across the country by parents and Republican lawmakers who say the performances are sexualized and inappropriate for children. In Tennessee, GOP Gov. Bill Lee recently signed a bill into law banning public drag performances by classifying them as adult entertainment, putting them in the same category as topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers and strippers.
The Kentucky bill states that adult performances include a live performance involving male or female impersonators appealing to a “prurient interest in sexual conduct” that lacks “serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.”
Those who violate the measure would be subject to misdemeanors for the first two offenses and would be hit with a felony for subsequent offenses. Under the bill, businesses hosting the drag shows could have their alcohol and business licenses suspended or revoked.
KENTUCKY HOUSE APPROVES BANNING SLOT-LIKE MACHINES
Kentucky lawmakers passed…
[ad_2]
