The party of ‘freedom’ finds another way to squash it with NC drag show bill | Opinion

Manufactured outrage over drag performances — especially story hours, drag brunches and other family-friendly events — has been the drumbeat of the GOP’s latest culture war.

Now, North Carolina lawmakers want to criminalize those performances.

A bill introduced this week by House Republicans could ban drag performances in public places or in the presence of anyone under 18, even if the event is a private one. Any violation would be considered a Class A1 misdemeanor — the most serious kind of misdemeanor — placing public drag shows in the same category as violent crimes like assault with a deadly weapon, child abuse and sexual battery. Repeated offenses could result in felony charges.

The bill would classify “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest” as “adult entertainment,” along with strippers and exotic dancers. So far, the bill has 17 Republican sponsors.

The language of the bill resembles a law recently passed in Tennessee — the first state in the country to actually criminalize drag performances, though similar bills have been introduced in at least 15 states. Tennessee’s law was recently blocked by a federal judge, who said it is likely vague and overly broad in its restriction of free speech.

And North Carolina’s proposed law appears similarly vague, since it essentially mirrors Tennessee’s bill. It does not expound upon “prurient interest,” and the phrase “male or female impersonator” also seems to be left open to interpretation. According to WRAL, the bill’s sponsor wouldn’t say whether he intends for the bill to ban every public drag performance, or if it should be up to police to decide when one has crossed a line.

The bill wouldn’t just affect drag queen story hours and brunches where children may be present. It could ban drag from community events such as Pride parades and festivals, which are typically held in public spaces. Its vagueness also raises questions of whether the bill could apply to people who don’t consider themselves drag performers, such as a man participating in a Pride parade in women’s clothing. What about other situations, like private parties where people dress in drag, where minors are present?

It’s not just drag that could be threatened by this bill — it’s free expression altogether. What exactly will be defined as “prurient,” and who will get to decide it? Surely, the bill’s sponsors aren’t trying to ban people from dressing up as Disney princesses for kids’ birthday parties or posing as Santa in the mall. And what about powderpuff football games? Those people, after all, are no less “prurient” than a drag performer who reads fairy tales to children in a library.

Of course, it’s all about the narrative. By saying they want to “protect” children, Republicans get to tell their constituents that they are solving problems instead of creating them.

But plenty of problems have been created by the culture war narrative that the GOP has clung to. North Carolina is tied with Texas for the most anti-drag protests, threats and attacks in the nation, according to a report released last year. Dangerous extremist groups such as the Proud Boys have shown up to drag events in bulletproof vests; in some cases, drag events have been canceled because organizers receive so many threats.

Republican rhetoric regarding drag performances is a large reason why such threats proliferate. Politicians use their power and their platform to sow division and bigotry, fueling the fire of hate instead of extinguishing it. Republicans, in various ways, have suggested that drag performers are pedophiles, predators or otherwise obscene and dangerous to children. That has only emboldened extremists.

Not content to leave the culture wars to other states, North Carolina Republicans have filed an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation this session. Just this week, lawmakers debated and advanced a bill that would ban transgender students from participating in girls’ sports. They also introduced new anti-trans bills, two of which would prohibit minors from receiving gender-affirming care.

Republicans claim they care about preserving freedom. But with this bill, they’re policing free expression.