Many Montana House Republicans refused to support an anti-LGBTQ+ bill allowing the private right to take action against drag performers and promoters, preventing the bill from passing following a second reading.
“Remember, we already have indecency laws in this state. We voted on one earlier this week, last week, sometime during the session. We all wanted to make sure what indecent was and now we know. Trust the parents to do what’s right and stop these crazy bills. They are a waste of time. They are a waste of energy. We should be working on property tax relief and not doing this sort of business,” said State Rep. Sherry Essmann (R-Billings), one of 13 Republicans who voted against the bill.
House Bill 675 advocated for the right of parents to sue drag performers if they believed their child was harmed by a drag performance they attended. The bill includes definitions of the term “drag king” and “drag queen,” stating that these performers are inherently sexual by nature when this is not always the case, reported NBC Montana.
“‘Drag queen’ means a male or female performer who embraces an ultra-feminine, hypersexualized drag persona, incorporating overtly erotic themes into their act,” the bill reads. “Their performances may include sensual dancing, provocative costuming, striptease, and adult humor.”
Parents would be able to levy legal action against performers “for psychological, emotional, economic, and physical harm,” and performers could be forced to pay damages up to $5,000 under the bill.
However, the bill failed in the House with a 44-55 vote. Thirteen Republican legislators unexpectedly voted against the bill following a speech from Montana State Representative Zooey Zephyr, a trans woman.
“Here I am again to rise on another bill targeting the LGBTQ+ community,” Zephyr said. “At its very core, drag is art. It is very beautiful art. It has a deep history in this country, and it is important to my community.”
“You know, if you are a woman in this body wearing a suit today, you are in some way challenging gender norms that existed long ago… There were three-article-of-clothing laws 50 years ago that said if you wore three articles of clothing that were indicative of the opposite gender, they could stop you, arrest you… it was those laws that led to the police raiding an LGBTQ+ bar that led to the Stonewall riots, one of the most important civil rights moments in my community’s history,” she continued.
Originally published by Latin Times.
