Much like bans in public schools on learning about the existence of LGBTQIA+ people and communities, bills banning minors from viewing drag performances rely on the presumption that drag is inherently sexual and pornographic. The truth is, there is nothing inherently sexual about drag performances. Much like any other art form, the sexual nature of a performance is completely contextual. A drag performance on a Saturday night at a bar is going to be very different from a drag story time at a library on Monday morning geared to preschoolers. Additionally, many of these bans are written in such a way that the legislation would criminalize any trans person from performing in the presence of a minor, regardless of whether or not they are drag performers.
These bans stoke violence against transgender people as well as cisgender people who do not adhere to a strictly binary gender presentation. The implication that anyone who dresses in a way that is contrary to the gender identity that someone perceives them as is a sexual act in and of itself leads to fear and potential violence.. The ultimate goal of these bills is to control the gender presentation of all Americans into a binary that conforms with a conservative, religious understanding of gender.
Learn more about FFRF’s efforts here:
West Texas A&M University drag show cancellation unconstitutional, says FFRF
