ACLU files lawsuit to block Texas ban on drag performances
AUSTIN, Texas - The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas (ACLU) is suing the Texas Attorney General and others to block the drag ban law, Senate Bill 12, from taking effect September 1.
The organization filed the lawsuit on behalf of The Woodlands Pride; Abilene Pride Alliance; two drag production and entertainment companies that the ACLU says have already suffered negative impacts from the ban; and Austin-based drag artist Brigitte Bandit.
"Texas queens and kings from across our great state have been targets of threats and misinformation as a result of the anti-drag law," said Bandit. "Our community will not be used as a scapegoat or a distraction by politicians who do not know who we are or what we do."
AUSTIN, TEXAS - JUNE 10: Austin, Tx drag queen Brigitte Bandit prepares to read a book during a drag time story hour at the Waterloo Greenway park on June 10, 2023 in Austin, Texas. The Texas Senate has passed a pair of bills that defund public libra
The ACLU says S.B. 12 violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments and threatens the livelihood and free expression of many Texans, including drag performers.
The ban targets any performance that could be perceived as "sexual" and proposes criminal penalties, including up to a year in jail, for artists and others who support them.
The ACLU says the law is written in a way that could censor a large number of constitutionally protected performances, from touring Broadway plays and professional cheerleading routines to karaoke nights and drag shows, anywhere that anyone under the age of 18 may be present.
"The Texas Drag Ban is stunningly broad in scope and will chill entire genres of free expression in our state," said Brian Klosterboer, attorney at the ACLU of Texas. "This law flies in the face of the First Amendment. No performer should ever be thrown in jail because the government disfavors their speech, and we are asking the Court to block this affront to every Texan’s constitutional rights."
You can read the full lawsuit below: