A Texas Senate committee on Monday approved two bills that would restrict, and at times criminalize, drag performances along partisan lines.
The Texas Committee on State Affairs on Monday passed Senate Bill 12 and Senate Bill 1601 by a vote of 6-2. The bills will now head to the full Senate for more debate. If passed, they would need to pass the House and be signed by the governor to become laws.
Senate Bill 12 criminalizes performances by a man exhibiting as a woman, or vice versa, in front of a minor or in a public space if it “appeals to the prurient interest in sex.”
Violators could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, a $4,000 fine or both. The bill would also let the state assess fines against businesses that allow minors to attend these “prurient” performances.