A federal judge on Tuesday struck down a Texas law that LGBTQ advocates feared would ban drag shows in the state and imprison performers.
The law, which Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed in June, expanded existing state law to prevent children from exposure to sexually explicit performances.
The bill’s statement of intent leads with and repeatedly cites drag shows as a threat to children.
And on the day Abbott signed the bill into law, he shared an article about it and wrote, “Texas Governor Signs Law Banning Drag Performances in Public.
Texas drag performer Brigitte Bandit, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement to NBC affiliate KXAN of Austin that she was “relieved and grateful for the court’s ruling.”.
Republican legislators in more than a dozen states are trying to restrict drag performances, particularly in the presence of minors.
Tennessee’s drag law was similarly ruled unconstitutional this year, and the laws in Arkansas and Florida are not enforceable pending ongoing lawsuits. »
