Bill to classify drag shows as 'adult-oriented businesses' clears Arkansas Senate

Source: The Hill

Bill to classify drag shows as ‘adult-oriented businesses’ clears Arkansas Senate

BY BROOKE MIGDON - 01/24/23 6:29 PM ET

Arkansas senators on Tuesday voted to classify drag shows as “adult-oriented businesses” under state law, advancing a bill meant to outlaw performances on public property or “where a minor can view” them.

The measure, introduced earlier this month by Arkansas state Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R), passed Tuesday in an unexpected 29-6 vote along party lines. It now heads to the Republican-controlled state House for consideration.

Under Stubblefield’s bill, a “drag performance” is defined as a performance in which an individual exhibits a gender identity that is different from their sex assigned at birth “using clothing, makeup, or other accessories that are traditionally worn by members of and are meant to exaggerate the gender identity of the performer’s opposite sex.”

An individual would also need to lip-sync, dance or otherwise perform for an audience of at least two people in an act that is “intended to appeal to the prurient interest” to qualify as a drag performer under the proposed legislation.

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Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/3829078-bill-to-classify-drag-shows-as-adult-oriented-businesses-clears-arkansas-senate/