Manufactured outrage over drag performances — especially story hours, drag brunches and other family-friendly events — has been the drumbeat of the GOP’s latest culture war.
Now, North Carolina lawmakers want to criminalize those performances.
A bill introduced this week by House Republicans could ban drag performances in public places or in the presence of anyone under 18, even if the event is a private one. Any violation would be considered a Class A1 misdemeanor — the most serious kind of misdemeanor — placing public drag shows in the same category as violent crimes like assault with a deadly weapon, child abuse and sexual battery. Repeated offenses could result in felony charges.
