This week, Montana became the first state to specifically ban people dressed in drag from reading stories to children at public schools and libraries, known as “Drag Queen Story Hour.”
According to Fox News, similar bills in Florida and Tennessee have been introduced to curb drag queen story hours. But, these bills require the performances to be sexual in nature and are facing legal challenges. Montana’s new law does not require a “sexual element” for it to be illegal.
🚨BREAKING: Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte just signed HB359 from @MTFreedomCaucus member Rep. Braxton Mitchell into law that bans minors from attending sexualized shows on public property and bans drag queen story hours in schools and libraries that receive taxpayer dollars.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 22, 2023
State Rep. Braxton Mitchell, the youngest member of the state legislature, drafted the legislation.
“In my humble opinion, there’s no such thing as a family-friendly drag show,” Mitchell said of the legislation in April, according to the Associated Press. Braxton added that “drag shows in recent years have been specifically aimed at children.”
GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the bill into law, Fox noted. Kaitlin Price, a spokesperson for the governor, said that he “believes it’s wildly inappropriate for little kids, especially preschoolers and kids in elementary school, to be exposed to sexualized content.”
Last month, in an email to NBC News, Braxton said “let kids be kids.”
“I’ve asked this question from the beginning, why do these people want to dress half naked and read books to kids? Never got a single answer,” he wrote.
This week, Townhall covered how the Los Angeles Dodgers decided to re-invite a group of overtly anti-Catholic drag queens, known as the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” after they were previously disinvited from their LGBTQ+ Pride Night. Some of their stage names include “Porn Again” and “Anal Receptive a.k.a. Cardinal Sin of the Carnal Craving.”
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 22, 2023
And, the group announced on their website that it would accept the "Community Hero Award" after the "Sisters" met Monday morning with LA Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten, heads of leading Los Angeles-based LGBTQ+ collectives, and members of government from West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, and the state of California legislature.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are offering their apologies and re-inviting the LA Sisters to be honored at their Pride Night. Please see the official comms from the Dodgers, and the LA Sisters.
— The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (@SFSisters) May 23, 2023
Love always win! pic.twitter.com/9llgSSTnRE