PHOENIX — Republicans in the Arizona Senate are targeting "drag story hour" and other drag performances that have drawn the ire of conservatives, with the sponsor of a proposal banning certain shows before children or in government buildings calling it a case of "good versus evil."
But Sen. Anthony Kern’s bill drew strong opposition Thursday from performers and transgender women who called the legislation an attack targeting the LGBTQ community, poorly written and overly broad. And Democrats on the Judiciary Committee also objected to the Senate Bill 1028, saying it needlessly calls out drag shows when it should just target behavior that is already illegal, such as nudity in front of children.
The proposal, approved on a party-line vote, is one of several introduced in the Senate aimed at criminalizing some performances featuring men dressed as women or transgender women. It makes it a high-level misdemeanor to perform drag shows in public buildings or before kids if the performance meets the definition of appealing to "prurient interest.''
