Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to BAN Drag Shows in State to ‘Protect Children’

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is banning drag shows to “protect” children after cracking down on critical race theory in schools.

Sanders and his supporters said the bill, which would redefine drag performances as “adult performances,” is aimed at protecting social values, as it bans performances in public areas with children despite community protests. LGBTQ.

Alexa Henning, a spokeswoman for the governor, said the bill was not intended to “ban anything” but rather to “protect children” from “sexually explicit drag shows.”

“Only in the awakening dystopia of the radical left is it not appropriate to protect children,” Henning said. the washington post.

Ultimately, the bill would eliminate drag storytime performances, in which drag queens read to students for free at public libraries. The events have become part of the heated cultures in the US over discussions of gender and children.

arkansas Senate Bill 43which was introduced last month, aims to place restrictions on where drag performances can take place.

The bill goes on to define a drag performance as something in which a performer “displays a gender identity that is different from the performer’s assigned gender at birth.”

‘[This includes] wearing clothing, makeup, or other accessories that are traditionally worn by members and are intended to exaggerate the performer’s opposite-sex gender identity,” the bill reads.

Ultimately, it labels any instances of drag as ‘adult-oriented performances’ and ‘adult nudity’.

Examples of adult-oriented businesses today include adult bookstores or video stores, live adult entertainment, escort agencies, nude model studios, adult-service massage businesses, adult theaters, and adult cabarets.

The bill also states that no adult-oriented business can be located on public property or where a minor, defined as someone under the age of 18, can see it.

It means the bill would effectively ban drag story time, in which drag queens visit libraries and read books to children for free.

LGBTQ activists, however, say drag shows do not typically feature nudity or nudity, and should not be lumped into the adult-oriented category.

The new bill seeks to redefine drag performances as ‘adult-oriented business’, and ban them on public property and where minors may view them.

The bill represents the latest shakeup of the state since Sanders’ inauguration in January, and the new governor has already issued an executive order to ban critical race theory in schools.

The executive order signed by Sanders directs the state to review educational rules and policies to examine whether CRT or other topics that “indoctrinate students with ideologies” are promoted in Arkansas schools.

The order read: ‘With respect to employees, contractors, and guest speakers or teachers of the Department of Education, the Secretary [of Education] is aimed at reviewing and improving policies that prevent prohibited indoctrination, including the CRT.

‘The Secretary shall ensure that no school employee or student is required to attend training or orientation based on prohibited indoctrination or CRT.’

The move comes amid a culture war in American schools. States led by the Republican Party are pushing to ban CRTs.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has restricted CRT courses in Florida, and states like Texas and Missouri are considering bills to implement similar bans.

Last year, DeSantis also passed the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” state bill, which prohibits the teaching of topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3.

LGBTQ advocates previously condemned the state in 2021 when it passed a bill banning surgical or drug intervention on minor patients who identify as transgender.

The image above shows LGBTQ activists rallying in front of the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock on March 19, 2021, against proposed legislation.

In previous legislative sessions, Arkansas has made national headlines for legislation that appears to be directed at the trans community.

In 2021, Arkansas made headlines for passing the first type of legislation in the nation banning surgical or drug intervention on minor patients who identify as transgender.

The Saving Teens From Experimentation Act, or SAFE Act, passed despite a veto by Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Hutchison said he opposed the bill, describing it as “great government overreach.”

A lawsuit filed in opposition to the law is currently before the investigating judge for a decision.