Iowa Tries Again To Criminalize Drag Shows For Kids

The Des Moines Register reports:

Exposing minors to an “obscene performance” would be a crime under a bill winding through the Iowa Senate that critics fear could discourage drag shows and spur lawsuits against venues offering LGBTQ pride programming.

The legislation, Senate File 116, would make knowingly exposing anyone younger than 18 to such a performance an aggravated misdemeanor, as well as knowingly selling a ticket or admitting a minor to a venue where such a performance is held.

“I brought this bill forward because I had constituents complain to me about performances that, if not meeting the definition of obscenity in our law, at least approach that definition, and concerned about this in our communities and the exposure of minors to it,” said Sen. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, who was part of a group of GOP lawmakers who introduced the legislation.

Read the full article. A similar Iowa bill failed to advance last year. Sandy Salmon [screenshot above] last appeared here in 2020 when she authored an ultimately failed bill requiring public school teachers to get parents’ permission before mentioning that then-presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is gay. Of note, Salmon homeschools her own children.

LGBTQ advocates fear Iowa bill targeting ‘obscenity’ would deter drag performances https://t.co/R6SG8q2XRv

— Des Moines Register (@DMRegister) February 6, 2025