Iowa Republicans have advanced a bill that would make bringing children to drag shows a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine between $1,025 and $10,245.
House Study Bill 158 also states that businesses could be fined $10,000 for allowing minors to attend drag performances, including “story hours.”
Anyone over 18 who brings a minor to a drag show would be guilty of a class “D” felony. A parent or legal guardian bringing a child to a drag show may face civil action of $10,000 to $50,000 for each violation of the law.
Opponents of the bill argued that the language is too vague and could make it a crime for someone who identifies as “transgender” to speak in front of anyone under 18.
The bill defines a “drag show” as any performance where the performer “exhibits a gender identity that is different than the performer’s gender assigned at birth.” This will include clothing, makeup, or any “other gender signifiers.”
The law will apply to any performance where “The performer sings, lip-syncs, dances, reads, or otherwise performs before an audience for entertainment, whether or not performed for payment.”
Dozens of protesters gathered outside during the vote on Tuesday, with many chanting “trans rights” and “drag is not a crime.”
Republican Rep. Helena Hayes said the bill will be tweaked so children are not banned from genuine art performances.
“You cannot say that if we want to address the content of drag performances, that automatically makes us anti-trans,” Hayes said, according to a report from the Des Moines Register.
“This is not about banning drag shows for adults,” Oliver Bardwell, with Iowans For Freedom, said. “It’s not about stifling freedom of expression. It’s about keeping adult content where it belongs: With adults.”
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