(ConservativeSense.com) – A new bill was passed by the Texas State Legislature on Sunday to ban adults from performing any shows that are explicitly oriented in the presence of minors.
The House passed the legislation by a vote of 87-54. If signed, a performer who violates the new law could face charges of a Class A misdemeanor as well as a fine of $4,000 if found guilty, or even a year in jail. The new law also covers businesses that host explicitly oriented shows, which could be fined up to $10,000 for allowing minors to attend.
Now that the bill passed the State Senate, it will make its way to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk who will sign it into law.
According to Lt. Gov Dan Patrick, the bill will prohibit any explicit “performances and drag shows” while a minor is present. He also said that he found it “shocking” that parents would allow “their young child” to attend explicit events, stating that kids must be protected from what he described as a “scourge” on the state because children can’t make such decisions on their own.
One Democrat, Rep. Mary Gonzalez, pushed back against the legislation arguing that the wording of it is too broad and that it “could negatively implicate” the cheerleaders for the Dallas Cowboys football team.
The legislation applies specifically to any performance that features nudity, or the representation or exhibition of “actual or simulated” explicit acts regardless if the performers were compensated or not financially.
Republicans across the country are pushing back on exposing minors to drag, which is traditionally an adult form of entertainment from the gay nightclub scene. While states like Florida, Montana, and Arkansas have also passed laws to ban drag shows in the presence of children, other states like New York are breaking down the barriers by funding so-called “drag queen story hour” events with taxpayer money.
Copyright 2023, ConservativeSense.com
