Published: Just now
Montana is the first US state to now specifically ban people dressed in drag from reading to children in public schools and libraries.
Similar bills are underway in Florida and Tennessee, but both require the performances to be sexual in nature — which could be open to interpretation. The bills also face legal challenges.
The law in Montana is unique in that it does not require the event to have sexual elements to be prohibited.
This makes the law the first to specifically ban events where drag performers read to children, said attorney Sasha Buchert at Lambda Legal, an organization that works for the rights of LGBTQI people, to the AP news agency.
The law went into effect immediately after Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the bill into law Monday. He “believes that it is very inappropriate for young children, especially preschool and elementary school children, to be exposed to sexualized content,” according to a statement.