Montana becomes first state to ban drag reading sessions for children in public schools and libraries after Governor said it is 'wildly inappropriate for little kids to be exposed to sexualized content'
Montana has become the first state to specifically ban people dressed in drag from reading books to children at public schools and libraries. Republican governor Greg Gianforte signed the bill on Monday because he 'believes it's wildly inappropriate for little kids, especially preschoolers and kids in elementary school, to be exposed to sexualized content,' spokesperson Kaitlin Price said. But the law is unique among efforts by states to block drag performances as it does not require a sexual element to a performance for it to be banned. Bills in Florida and Tennessee also appear to try to ban drag reading events, but both require the performances to be sexual in nature, which could be up for interpretation. Both bills also face legal challenges. House Bill 359 was co-sponsored by more than half of the Republican-controlled legislature and took effect immediately after it was signed.
The bill initially sought to ban minors from attending drag performances, which were defined as shows that tended to 'excite lustful thoughts.' The legislation was later amended to ban minors from attending sexually oriented or obscene performances on public property. The bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Braxton Mitchell, said he sponsored the bill 'because drag shows in recent years have been specifically aimed at children,' and spoke of online videos that show children at drag shows. 'In my humble opinion, there's no such thing as a family-friendly drag show,' Mitchell said in April. He suggested that drag story hours and other family-oriented drag performances were part of a 'sick agenda' damaging to a child's 'psychology and general welfare'.
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