Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will ban drag shows to “protect” children after earlier crackdown on critical race theory in schools.
Sanders and her supporters said the bill, which would redefine drag shows as “adult-oriented performances,” is intended to protect social values as it bans the shows from public spaces with children, despite outcry from the LGBTQ community.
Alexa Henning, a spokeswoman for the governor, said the bill was not intended to “ban anything” but rather to protect “children” from “sexually explicit drag shows.”
“Only in the radical left’s awakened dystopia is it not appropriate to protect children,” Henning told the Washington Post.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will sign legislation banning drag shows from areas open to minors to “protect children.”
The bill would ultimately eliminate drag storytime performances, where drag queens read to students for free in public libraries. The events have become part of the heated cultures in the US over gender discussions and children
Arkansas Senate Bill 43, tabled last month, aims to place restrictions on where drag performances can take place.
The bill defines a drag performance as something in which a performer “exhibits a gender identity distinct from the gender assigned to the performer at birth.”
‘[This includes] the use of clothing, makeup or other accessories traditionally worn by members of and intended to exaggerate the performer’s gender identity of the opposite sex,” the bill reads.
Ultimately, all instances of drag are referred to as “adult-oriented performances” and “adult nudity.”
Examples of adult-focused businesses currently include adult bookstores or video stores, live adult entertainment, escort agencies, nude modeling studios, adult-service massage companies, adult movie theaters, and adult cabarets.
The bill also states that no adult-oriented business may be located on public property or where a minor, defined as someone under the age of 18, can view it.
It means the bill would effectively ban drag storytime, where drag queens visit libraries and read books to children for free.
However, LGBTQ activists say drag shows typically don’t involve nudity or stripping and shouldn’t be lumped together in the adult category.
The new bill aims to redefine drag performances as “adult-oriented businesses” — and ban them from public property and where minors can see them
The bill marks the state’s latest shock after Sanders’ inauguration in January, with the incoming governor already issuing an executive order to ban critical race theory in schools.
The executive order signed by Sanders directs the state to review education rules and policies to see if CRT or other issues that “indoctrinate students with ideologies” are encouraged in schools across Arkansas.
The order read: “Regarding employees, contractors, and guest speakers or faculty members of the Department of Education, the Secretary [of Education] aims to review and improve policies that prevent prohibited indoctrination, including CRT.
“The secretary will ensure that no school official or student is required to attend any training or orientation course based on prohibited indoctrination or CRT.”
The move comes amid a culture war in American schools. GOP-led states push for CRT bans
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis restricted CRT courses in Florida, with states such as Texas and Missouri considering bills to implement similar bans.
Last year, DeSantis also passed the state’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans the teaching of topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3.
LGBTQ advocates previously condemned the state in 2021 when it passed legislation banning drug or surgical procedures on underage patients who identify as transgender
The image above shows LGBTQ activists demonstrating against the proposed legislation in front of the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock on March 19, 2021
In previous legislatures, Arkansas has made national headlines for legislation that appears to target the trans community.
In 2021, Arkansas made headlines when it passed the first-ever type of law in the nation banning drug or surgical procedures on underage patients who identify as transgender.
The Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act, or SAFE Act, passed despite the veto of Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Hutchison said he opposed the law, describing it as “a gross overstatement by the government”.
A lawsuit filed against the law is currently before the trial judge for decision.