It crosses the line when kids are subjected to these drag shows," they wrote in a joint statement, adding that they send a message of "complete and utter perversion" to children.Īrizona state Sen. "If men want to dress as women, and if adults want to participate in watching these hyper-sexualized performances, they have the freedom to do so. In Arizona, Republicans say they're also alarmed. "Perverted adults are obsessed with sexualizing young children," he complained in a statement. Anthony Sabatini takes it even farther, proposing to terminate the parental rights of adults, and make it a felony if they bring their children to watch a drag show.īryan Slaton, a Republican state representative in Texas, said he would also propose a bill banning drag shows where minors are present. "That is not something that children should be exposed to."įlorida state Rep. "They were putting money in the underwear, and that is totally inappropriate," he said. "We have laws against child endangerment," DeSantis said during a news conference in Fort Meyers Beach last week, after a video of children attending a drag bar in Dallas surfaced.
Ron DeSantis has suggested he could order his state's child protective services department to investigate parents who take their children to such performances.
But Republican legislators in Florida, Arizona, Texas and other states are trying to crack down, with proposals to ban minors from drag shows.įlorida Gov. Witness the popularity of the Emmy Award-winning RuPaul's Drag Race. The LGBTQ+ community has long celebrated self-expression with drag shows featuring performers in costumes and makeup, impersonating men or women.