(image via Depositphotos)Kansas state Sen. Mike Thompson says performers in drag could be confusing to children so they should be outlawed.
So what about clowns? Or any other kinds of performers in costumes…like, Santa Clauses?
Sen. Mike Thompson said drag shows could be confusing or disturbing to children. https://t.co/saTyPW2j9W
— The Kansas City Star (@KCStar) January 31, 2023
From the Kansas City Star:
State Sen. Mike Thompson introduced a bill Tuesday that would classify drag performances as promoting obscenity to minors.
Drag shows performed in front of children would be a misdemeanor on the first offense and felony on subsequent offenses.
According to a copy of the bill obtained by The Star, it defines drag as any performance in which the performer exhibits a gender identity different from the one they were assigned at birth using clothes, makeup and accessories to exaggerate the features of that gender.
The broad language could apply to a wide array of theater performances beyond drag shows.
Read the full report here.
Related: Gov. Ron DeSantis Looking Into Keeping Kids From Drag Queens
The First Amendment protects the right and freedom to express yourself. That includes how you express your gender—such as through dance, dress, or make-up.https://t.co/UuFknUvVlJ
— ACLU of Kansas (@aclukansas) February 2, 2023
Thompson also filed legislation last month that would criminalize providing gender-affirming care to transgender people under the age of 21.
This is what the Association of American Medical Colleges has to say about gender-affirming care:
Gender-affirming care encompasses a range of social, psychological, behavioral, and medical interventions “designed to support and affirm an individual’s gender identity” when it conflicts with the gender they were assigned at birth.
The interventions help transgender people align various aspects of their lives — emotional, interpersonal, and biological — with their gender identity.
The interventions fall along a continuum as well, from counseling to changes in social expression to medications (such as hormone therapy). For children in particular, the timing of the interventions is based on several factors, including cognitive and physical development as well as parental consent.
Surgery, including to reduce a person’s Adam’s Apple, or to align their chest or genitalia with their gender identity, is rarely provided to people under 18.
Read more about the truth of gender-affirming care here.
The broad language could apply to a wide array of theater performances beyond drag shows.
Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article271891362.html#storylink=cpy