A federal judge in Texas has issued a temporary injunction, blocking a controversial state law that sought to regulate and restrict drag shows, particularly when performed in the presence of minors, The New York Times reported. The judge cited First Amendment concerns and the decision is expected to spark further legal challenges.
The new Texas law, Senate Bill 12, imposes substantial penalties on businesses hosting performances it deems sexually explicit, with fines of up to $10,000 and potential criminal penalties, including a year in jail for artists and business owners found in violation. Paige Willey, a spokesperson from the Texas Attorney General’s Office, expressed the state’s commitment to defending the law, asserting that it aimed to regulate performances marketed to families with children and protect public decency, citing concerns about explicit “drag” shows being presented to audiences that include minors.
Federal judges in Tennessee and Florida have also issued temporary injunctions against similar state laws, indicating a growing legal challenge to these measures. Additionally, a recent ruling by a Texas district judge temporarily blocked a law prohibiting transgender minors from accessing gender transition care, including puberty blockers and hormone treatments. However, the state attorney general’s office swiftly appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, temporarily preventing the lower court’s injunction from being enforced.
Earlier this year on April 5, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued a statement in response to the Texas Senate’s bipartisan passage of Senate Bill 12, which aimed to ban children’s exposure to drag shows.
“It is shocking to me that any parent would allow their young child to be sexualized by drag shows. Children, who cannot make decisions on their own, must be protected from these sexually-oriented drag shows now occurring more and more in front of them,” he said. “I will not allow Texas children to be sexualized and scarred for life by harmful drag performances.”
