1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

Vote no on HB 249. This bill doesn't just target drag performances. It gives the government power to criminalize how any of us dress or express ourselves in public. The bill's language is dangerously vague. It criminalizes anyone who performs while exhibiting "a gender identity that is different from the performer's or entertainer's biological sex" through clothing or makeup. That means an enforcing officer could decide a woman wearing pants looks "too masculine" and arrest her under this law. We've seen this before. Helen Hulick was arrested for wearing pants in 1938. HB 249 takes us backward by letting observers, not individuals, decide what counts as masculine or feminine expression. This kind of vague language has been weaponized before. Police used outdated mask ban laws to arrest peaceful Occupy Wall Street protesters in 2011 and Palestine protesters in 2019. HB 249 creates the same opportunity for selective enforcement against anyone whose appearance someone else doesn't like. Freedom of expression is a constitutional right. Whether I want to attend drag brunch at a local brewery or simply wear what I choose without fear of arrest, this government overreach threatens all of us. Reject HB 249.