Idaho lawmakers aren’t trying to drag this out.
A bill banning drag shows in public places is expected to hit the Idaho Legislature in the early days of its next session in January, Idaho Family Policy Center President Blaine Conzatti told the Idaho Capital. Sun.
The bill has already been drafted, said Conzatti, who declined to reveal which lawmakers worked with him on it.
“No child should ever be exposed to sexual displays like drag shows in public places, whether in a public library or a public park,” Conzatti said, likening the performances to blackface practices.
“You emphasize certain natural characteristics so much that it becomes a caricature of itself,” he said.
The bill was preceded by a petition circulated by the Idaho Family Policy Center leading to Boise Pride in September. He called on state lawmakers to ban drag shows in public places because of their obscene content. The petition referred to the “first concern” of the Idaho Constitution to protect “the virtue and sobriety of the people, and the purity of the home.”
More than 3,500 people signed the petition, according to the Idaho Capital Sun, and more than 26,000 emails were sent to corporate sponsors of Boise Pride over the course of a day and a half.
The petition was launched last month after a biologically male drag queen was accused of exposing her genitals at a community event attended by children. The artist was later cleared of wrongdoing after an investigation by Coeur d’Alene officials.
Boise Pride executive director Donald Williamson said the bill would be a violation of free speech.
“It’s just wrong on so many levels,” Williamson said. “If you don’t agree with the performance, then you don’t go. It’s like any other place. That’s why I don’t go to country music concerts; It’s not my cup of tea.”
Idaho hammered a series of drag events after recent protests. “Drag storytime” was canceled in Twin Falls during Pride Month, KMVT reported, and Boise postponed her “Drag Kids” performance for ages 11 to 18 after Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon, called on voters to put pressure on Boise Pride. sponsors to withdraw their support from the event.
In Texas, a video of a drag queen performing in front of a child prompted lawmakers to seek legal action.