Ohio lawmakers revive Statehouse bill to restrict drag queen shows

Yahoo

01-05-2025

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio legislators have introduced another 'adult cabaret performances' ban that LGBTQ+ advocates say will outlaw drag queen shows in public.
House Bill 249 was introduced at the Statehouse on Tuesday to ban 'adult cabaret performances,' defined as a show 'harmful to juveniles' that features 'entertainers who exhibit a gender identity that is different from the performers' or entertainers' biological sex.' The bill would prohibit these shows in all locations other than 'adult cabarets,' meaning 'a nightclub, bar, juice bar, restaurant, bottle club or similar establishment.'
Dwayne Steward, Equality Ohio executive director, condemned the legislation as 'censorship' that would restrict any gender nonconforming performance in public. Steward argued the bill is 'a blatant attempt by politicians to suppress cultural expression under the guise of protecting children.'
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'Across generations from immigrant families, Black communities to LGBTQ+ Ohioans, art has been more than expression; it has been a declaration of existence, resilience, and pride,' Steward said. 'Drag is a powerful embodiment of that spirit. It is vibrant, unapologetic, and deeply rooted in our cultural fabric. … Drag isn't just performance, it's power. And it's here to stay.'
Coined the 'Indecent Exposure Modernization Act,' the bill is being proposed by Reps. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania) and Angela King (R-Celina) with the support of 42 out of 65 Ohio House Republican representatives. The legislation, which also prohibits nudity and sexual conduct in public, is meant to 'protect children and families from sexualized performances taking place in public spaces,' the lawmakers said.
'As a mother and as a legislator, I believe Ohio families should feel safe taking their children to a city park without the risk of coming across an event or person performing in a way that incorporates themes, imagery, and acts intended for mature audiences,' said King in a release.
H.B. 249 is identical to a previous bill introduced by Williams and King also banning 'adult cabaret performances.' Williams has long argued the bill's intention is to modernize revised code regarding obscenity viewed by minors, not to ban drag. He previously stressed that the proposal only means to ban shows 'harmful to juveniles,' with events like drag story time readings and plays like 'Mrs. Doubtfire' covered under the First Amendment.
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'We are seeing trends of indecent exposure and oversexualized performances taking place in public in the presence of children,' Williams said in Tuesday's release. 'King and I and many other Ohioans don't agree with these acts taking place in the open. This legislation is simply updating already existing law to the times that we are living in.'
Like Williams and King's previous proposal, H.B. 249 outlines the following penalties if entertainers are found violating the legislation:
A misdemeanor of the first degree if a performance occurs in the presence of a juvenile under the age of 18.
A felony of the fifth degree if the performance is 'obscene.'
A felony of the fourth degree if the performance is 'obscene' and occurs in the presence of a juvenile under the age of 13.
The bill's language is modeled after a Tennessee law that also bans 'adult cabaret performances.' The contested measure was ruled 'unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad' by a district judge in 2023, but then reinstated by an appeals court last year. In February, the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the law.
A conservative Lancaster group advocated for city council to adopt a measure with the same language last year after they argued a performance during a LGBTQ+ Pride event with a drag queen was 'pornographic.' Small business owners in Lancaster said they experienced an influx of customers after their shops were included on a social media post tying them to the debated event.
Bellefontaine, a rural Ohio city, was originally supposed to be the first in the state to vote on whether to ban such performances in public. However, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled last October that the proposed ordinance, which also used the 'adult cabaret performance' wording, would not appear on the ballot given it was submitted fraudulently.
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'I know a lot of queens who are scared to do certain things now because we are being put under such a microscope,' said Blonde Vanity, the Columbus-based drag queen who sparked Bellefontaine's proposal.
Next, H.B. 249 will be assigned to a House Committee, where it will receive hearings open for public testimony.
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