A Texas Republican lawmaker is trying to ban minors from attending drag shows.
Bryan Slaton of east Texas made a social media post on Monday saying that he plans to introduce legislation during next year’s legislative session that will aim at “protecting kids from drag shows and other inappropriate displays.”
Apparently, his announcement came after videos surfaced online showing children attending a drag showcase in Dallas this past weekend, KXAN news reported.
“I promised my voters that I would stand up for their values and fight to protect Texas kids,” Slaton said in a statement. “I was re-elected on that promise and I intend to keep it by authoring legislation to defend kids from being subjected to drag shows and other inappropriate events. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this important legislation.”
It’s unclear what enforcement would come from this potential legislation or what the exact language of the proposal would be.
Lawmakers aren’t able to consider Slaton’s proposal until they return to the State Capitol for another legislative session, which is set to start on Jan. 10 of next year.
Critics slammed Slaton’s Twitter posts Monday, questioning what lawmakers are seeing as priorities following pertinent situations like the shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
“Texans don’t need a nanny y’all, & that’s who the GOP wants to be. Over your shoulder, judging your parenting every single day,” democratic Texas rep. Erin Zwiener said in opposition.
Slaton also said he plans to pursue legislation next session that would officially classify gender-affirming care as “child abuse.”
In February, Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) directing the agency “to conduct prompt and thorough investigations of reports l of Texas children that are being subjected to abusive gender-transitioning procedures.”
His letter stated that both doctors and nurses could face punishments for failing to report such care and then mentioned that DFPS should investigate parents who pursue it for their kids.
