Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a bill banning sexually oriented performances for minors in the Lone Star State, joining a growing number of GOP-led states.
Texas Senate Bill 12 was signed into law June 18 and is set to take effect on Sept. 1. It will prohibit businesses from hosting performances for minors in which a performer is nude or appeals to the “prurient interest in sex,” The Hill reported.
Businesses or individuals who violate the new law will be subject to fines and possible jail time, the outlet stated.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed #SB12 the bill that prohibits sexual performances in front of children.
There is no such thing as a ‘kid friendly’ drag show.
— Mayra Flores (@MayraFlores2022) June 20, 2023
After the Texas Legislature passed the bill in May, Lt. Gov Dan Patrick declared the bill a “top priority” for the current session, stating in a press release that “someone must push back against the radical left’s disgusting drag performances which harm Texas children.”
Though an earlier version of the bill explicitly focused on the presence of minors at drag performances, the Texas House of Representatives amended it to include all shows deemed to be sexually oriented, The Texas Tribune reported. Despite the change, Patrick still pointed to drag performances as being the primary aim of the bill’s purview.
“It is shocking to me that any parent would allow their young child to be sexualized by drag shows,” Patrick stated. “Children, who cannot make decisions on their own, must be protected from this scourge facing our state.” (RELATED: Minnesota Drag Show Advertises To Children As Young As 4, Provides Juice Boxes And Milk Cartons)
Experts have noted that drag events for children and the introduction of sexual content in schools bear a strong resemblance to the tactics child predators use to groom children.
With the signing of Senate Bill 12 into law, Texas joins three other states – Tennessee, Montana and Florida – who have sought to restrict the audiences for drag shows, according to The Hill. A federal judge, however, has issued a temporary injunction against the Tennessee law, citing “unconstitutionally vague” language.