Hate should have no place everywhere.
In Texas in the US, a controversial anti-drag bill was shut down by a federal judge, who declared it unconstitutional.
Senate Bill 12 (SB 12) specifically prohibited performers from dancing suggestively on public property or in the presence of a child. And while it does not make references to drag specifically, the bill was originally proposed as legislation to stop children from seeing drag shows.
In his ruling, US District Judge David Hittner stated that the Court “sees no way to read the provisions of SB 12 without concluding that a large amount of constitutionally-protected conduct can and will be wrapped up in the enforcement of SB 12.”
He added: “It is not unreasonable to read SB 12 and conclude that activities such as cheerleading, dancing, live theater, and other common public occurrences could possibly become a civil or criminal violation.”
In the end, for Hittner: “Not all people will like or condone certain performances. This is no different than a person’s opinion on certain comedy or genres of music, but that alone does not strip First Amendment protection.”
