Texas has been making strides for a while now to “protect” children from anything and everything LGBTQ+ related. But instead of drafting gun laws to protect kids from school shooters like in Uvalde, lawmakers have proposed new legislation to ban drag shows, according to NBC News.
A video went viral of a group of kids attending a drag show in Dallas. Per NBC, the event titled “Drag the Kids to Pride Drag Show” was intended to be family friendly, given most drag shows have age restrictions. During the event, a crowd of protestors gathered outside. After the video circulated, Republican representatives wasted no time responding to it.
In a tweet, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green equated drag shows to strip clubs, claiming it should be illegal to bring children either because it “intentionally confuses children about gender/sexuality.” Texas Rep. Bryan Slaton said the law was necessary to protect children from “perverted adults obsessed with sexualizing young children.”
More on the drag show ban from NBC News:
Podcast host Allie Beth Stuckey, who has over 357,000 followers on Twitter, went as far as suggesting the parents, performers and bar owners “should be charged with sexual abuse of children.”
LGBTQ activists and some Democratic lawmakers slammed the prospective ban.
“First it was CRT. Then it was trans kids playing sports. Now it’s....drag?” Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow said on Twitter, using the acronym for Critical Race Theory. “None of these things fix inflation, bring healthcare costs down, or save kids from gun violence. It’s just the fear tactic of the month for the GOP. And it’s embarrassing.”
What a way to celebrate Pride Month.
Before this, state legislators had banned nearly every book from schools and libraries discussing gender identity and sexuality. Also, Gov. Gregg Abbott issued an order to investigate families who allow their children to undergo gender-affirming medical care, per NBC.
The conspiracy that LGBT individuals are “grooming children” has drawn more action from lawmakers than a literal mass shooting. Just a week ago, 19 students of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas were shot and killed by a gunman. Instead of floating a bill to address the purchase and use of firearms, legislators seem to be distracted by something far less lethal.