GOP lawmakers want to throw drag queens in jail for performing in front of children

A bill currently being debated in the Missouri legislature would make it a felony to perform in drag anywhere that a minor might be present.

H.B. 1650 would ban “adult cabaret performance” on public property or in any location where a minor could reasonably see it. A first offense would be a misdemeanor, and a second offense would be a Class E felony, which is punishable with up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

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Introduced by state Rep. Mazzie Christensen (R), the bill defines an adult performance as one “that appeals to a prurient interest in a location other than an adult cabaret that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether performed for consideration.”

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Should the bill become law, any business where drag or other “adult” performances make up thirty percent or more of its revenue will be labeled “sexually oriented” and will be subject to specific rules and regulations.

Missouri law states such businesses are barred from operating “one thousand feet of any preexisting primary or secondary school, house of worship, state-licensed day care facility, public library, public park, residence, or other sexually oriented business.”

According to one drag queen, Maxi Glamour, these rules would prevent drag clubs from operating in the entire city of St. Louis.

Glamour spoke at a hearing on the bill held by the Missouri House of Representatives Special Committee on Public Policy Wednesday afternoon. Several of the bill’s opponents attended in drag.

Proponents of the bill claimed it was only seeking to protect children from sexually explicit performances, as reported by the Missouri Independent, but those who showed up to oppose the bill said the bill could easily be used to ban any type of drag show.

“If you just want to protect kids, why aren’t we just saying, ‘any performance by anyone that appeals to a prurient interest.’ Full stop,” said Democratic state Rep. Ashley Aune, pointing out that the specific mention of “male or female impersonators” in the bill is troubling.

Indeed, as right-wing attacks on the LGBTQ+ community have grown, many legislators and anti-LGBTQ+ activists have sought to define any form of drag as sexually explicit – claiming that even drag queens reading picture books to kids is sexually charged.

Christenson, the bill’s sponsor, said, “The intent of the bill is to protect minors” and that “exposing children to sexual content before they’re emotionally mature enough to understand is extremely harmful to their brain development.”

The committee reportedly has not yet voted on whether to advance the bill.

Out Kansas City Commissioner Justice Horn has expressed concern that the bill is not only “infringing on people’s ability to express themselves, but also messing with people’s livelihoods.”

Jeffrey Edmondson, a manager at famed drag venue Hamburger Mary’s, told KFVS that it makes no sense that his restaurant could be defined as “sexually-oriented” when the performances are not explicit.

“We aren’t outlawing parents or say they be guilty of a misdemeanor if they allow their children to watch an ‘R’ rated movie,” Edmondson told KFVS. “So why is a venue like myself being forced to register as a sex club in essence when there’s nothing of the sort going on?”

“Drag is an art form,” Edmondson emphasized, “and not necessarily a sexual activity.”