Stand Against Draconian Restrictions on Drag in Missouri!

I urge you to oppose HB1650 (Christensen), SB1187 (Moon), SB949 (Brattin), HB2300 (Cook), HB1849 (Baker), and any similar bills, which tighten regulations and restrictions on drag performances in Missouri. These bills would criminalize holding a drag show on public property or in a location "where the performance could be viewed by a child." They would also categorize any venue that holds a drag performance as a "sexually oriented business" under state law, which would impose more strict regulations on the shows. Nothing about drag is inherently sexual, and many shows are family-friendly. The language in these bills is very vague and could even be applied to theater performances or other artistic ventures in which actors dress or apply makeup to play someone of another gender. There are also First Amendment concerns when it comes to regulating performances on public property. The bills don’t define any specific sexual aspect of the performances, which would make it almost impossible to prove that harm has been done. Even more troubling, it's likely that these bans will escalate to include all gender non-conforming behavior. The end goal of legislation of this type is banning trans, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people from public life. It's not just about drag. I urge you to oppose all of these bills.