In a move seen as protecting children from sexually explicit shows, Montana became the nation’s first state to ban drag story hours in public schools and libraries. Governor Greg Gianforte signed into law the legislation on May 22 and it went into effect immediately.

The legislation was written to prohibit minors from attending the shows and protecting them from obscene performances on public property. The law defines drag queens and drag kings and the story hours, too.

The new law defines a drag queen as “a male or female performer who adopts a flamboyant or parodic feminine persona with glamorous or exaggerated costumes and makeup,” while a drag king is a performer who adopts a flamboyant male persona.

It further defines “drag story hour” as “an event hosted by a drag queen or drag king who reads children’s books and engages in other learning activities with minor children present.”

The governor, a Republican, signed the bill because he believes it is “wildly inappropriate for little kids, especially preschoolers and kids in elementary school, to be exposed to sexualized content.”

Similar bills in Florida and Tennessee ban sexualized drag performances with children present. Those bills narrow the focus to protecting students in schools and libraries. What makes the Montana legislation unique is that it defines drag show events as those which are hosted by a drag performer who reads children’s books to minors. It does not require a sexual element to be banned. The Florida and Tennessee bills require performances to be sexual in nature. That could be open to interpretation and may be open to legal challenges.

Republican State Rep. Braxton Mitchell wrote he bill. He did so, he said, “because drag shows in recent years have been specifically aimed at children.” Speaking about online videos specifically, he said, “In my humble opinion, there’s no such thing as a family-friendly drag show.”

The so-called family-friendly drag shows are meant to normalize this behavior. Parents are rightly concerned that this is meant to ‘groom’ children – to put children in inappropriate situations that may lead to danger. Those who opposed the legislation argued that drag performers have separate performances for children compared to those intended for adults. The point is, though, there shouldn’t be any drag performances intended for children. Children don’t understand drag performances and they shouldn’t be subjected to them. It is inappropriate.

If adults want to be entertained by drag queens and kings, that’s fine. As long as the audience is of legal age, to each his or her own. Leave children out of it, though. It’s too much. Stop sexualizing children.

The bill only affects public property. In 2022, for example, drag shows were held in ZooMontana in Billings, a bookstore in Helena, and a bookstore in Bozeman, all privately owned properties. The new law would not have affected them.

Earlier this year, Governor Gianforte signed a law that bans sex changes for minors. A transgender lawmaker created chaos over that bill and ended up expelled from the House floor during a legislative session. He sued the state claiming a violation of First Amendment rights.

The drag community said that “Uncle Sam needs a makeover.”

Meanwhile, gay and transgender advocates decried the law as an attack on their community.

“Montana’s new law criminalizing freedom of expression and art should be a red flag for everyone. The moral panic of drag has too long been a scapegoat for transmisogyny and overall transphobia in this country,” Jonathan Hamilt, the executive director of Drag Story Hour, told CNN.

“Uncle Sam needs a makeover, and our drag community is here to create one,” said Hamilt.

Look for legal challenges to this new law, too.