On Sept. 26, U.S. District Judge David Hittner struck down a Texas law that pro-LGBTQ+ advocates feared would ban drag shows in the state and jail performers, NBC News reported.
Senate Bill 12, which Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed in June, expanded existing state law to prevent children from exposure to sexually explicit performances. And while the statute does not explicitly mention drag, performers worried that it was passed with the intention of criminalizing the art form.
Hittner—who was nominated by Republican President Ronald Reagan—ruled that the law “impermissibly infringes on the First Amendment and chills free speech.” The judge, who temporarily blocked the law from taking effect last month, added that the “chilling effect S.B. 12 will have on speech in general outweighs any hardship on the State of Texas.” He also ruled that the Texas law was discriminatory and improperly vague, according to Reuters.
Texas drag performer and co-plaintiff Brigitte Bandit said in a statement to NBC affiliate KXAN that she was “relieved and grateful for the court’s ruling.”
—Andrew Davis