We are excited to announce Out at the Fair® – Sonoma County Fair is back on Sunday, August 13, 2023. OATF® is the official LGBTQ+ festival of the Fair industry filled with a full day of Family-Friendly entertainment. #OATF #OutattheFair #SonomaCountyFair
Stop by the OATF® booth for a free rainbow flag, free stickers, free candy, and more!
Want to perform, have a non-profit space, or partner? Applications are open just visit www.OutattheFair.com & deadline to apply is April 30, 2023.
Gates open at noon and Out at the Fair® is included with your general admission Fair ticket.
Partners: Sonoma County Pride, LGBTQ Connection Sonoma, OutAt Inc
We can’t wait to see you in August & check out www.outatthefair.com for more information.
Anti-gay remarks made on Saturday by a Hezbollah leader in Lebanon who has recently called for anti-gay violence sparked panic and terror among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, described same-sex relations as a “sexual perversion,” and warned that gay people’s existence is a “threat to society.”
Days before, on July 22, Nasrallah explicitly incited violence against gay and lesbian people. He called for them to be killed, urged people to use derogatory terms to describe gay people and to “collectively face this phenomenon [homosexuality], by all means necessary, without any limits.”
LGBT people, who already face heightened risks in Lebanon, have reported online harassment and death threats following his July 22 speech.
A gay man residing in Beirut’s southern suburbs told me that, following Nasrallah’s remarks, he received a threat on Grindr, which said: “We will find you and expose you one by one. We have your pictures, chats, and numbers, you “faggots.” We have been monitoring this platform and all the data is ready. The zero hour is here.”
Jack Harrison-Quintana, director of Grindr for Equality, the dating app’s advocacy arm, told Human Rights Watch that Grindr took immediate measures to protect users in Lebanon from such threats.
In a 2023 report, Human Rights Watch reported on the far-reaching offline consequences of online targeting against LGBT people, including being blackmailed and outed, family violence, and arbitrary arrests by Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces.
Lebanon’s government effectively banned pro-LGBT events, due to an unlawful directive issued in June 2022 by Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi. In November, following a court order to suspend the directive, al-Mawlawi issued a second directive banning any “conference, activity, or demonstration related to or addressing homosexuality.” Since 2017, Lebanese security forces have regularly interfered with human rights events related to gender and sexuality.
Still, activism, including around the rights of LGBT people, will continue in Lebanon. Government and nongovernment actors should uphold freedom of expression and assembly for LGBT people and rights defenders, and not attempt to undermine their fundamental human rights.
A federal judge in Arkansas temporarily stopped a new law in the state that would have authorized criminal prosecution of librarians and bookstores who provide juveniles with “harmful” materials, the Associated Press reports.
Judge Timothy L. Brooks enjoined the law, which would have constructed a new process for contesting library materials for relocation to locations not accessible by children. Former TrumpWhite House Press Secretary and current Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the measure earlier this year, with an August 1 effective date.
Libraries and booksellers would be chilled from carrying titles that could be challenged if they fear prosecution under the law, according to a coalition that includes the Central Arkansas Library System.
The judge also rejected the defendant’s motion to dismiss the case sought by state lawyers.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas praised the court’s ruling, stating that this law would have imperiled First Amendment rights without a preliminary injunction.
“The question we had to ask was — do Arkansans still legally have access to reading materials? Luckily, the judicial system has once again defended our highly valued liberties,” Holly Dickson, ACLU of Arkansas executive director, said.
It comes as lawmakers in conservative states force measures to make the ban or restriction of books easier. Last year, the American Library Association recorded the most attempts to ban or ban books in the U.S. in 20 years.
Laws have been enacted in Iowa, Indiana, and Texas restricting access to certain materials or making it easier to challenge them.
Florida’s extreme anti-LGBTQ+ laws, including Gov. Ron DeSantis’s “don’t say gay” law, also remove access to publications.
There are 28 local prosecutors from Arkansas and Crawford County who are defendants in the case. The county’s decision to separate children’s books featuring LGBTQ+ themes is the subject of separate litigation.
Gov. Ron DeSantis – one of the most anti-LGBTQ+ governors in history – has yet again stood behind his widely mocked anti-LGBTQ+ campaign video by claiming he is not in favor of “demeaning” anyone.
While speaking to Bret Baier on Fox News, DeSantis took “responsibility” for the ad and yet also continued to defend himself. He said the issues the video brings up (like the fact that Donald Trump expressed support for trans people once, years before he was president) are “totally legitimate.”
“I don’t believe in demeaning anybody, and we have not done that since I’ve been governor,” he said. “These things get shared or whatever — and look, I’m responsible for it, don’t get me wrong. But the idea that I was sitting there like ‘oh, share this video,’ no, it was a rapid response thing.”
DeSantis’s claim that he has not demeaned anyone since his time in office is a direct contrast to the video’s message, which brags about the barrage of legislation he has signed decimating LGBTQ+ rights.
The ad opens with several clips of Trump expressing support for LGBTQ+ people, framing these comments as damning. After the clips of Trump – most of which came from before he was elected president in 2016 – the video abruptly shifts to intense music and a photo of DeSantis shooting lasers out of his eyes, followed by snapshots of headlines about the anti-LGBTQ+ laws DeSantis has passed.
The video proudly shares that DeSantis has been called “evil,” “dangerous,” “draconian,” and “public enemy no. 1” and even includes a clip accusing DeSantis of passing legislation “that literally threatens trans existence.” It also contains images of shirtless buff muscle men inter-spliced with these statements about how DeSantis is hurting LGBTQ+ people in his state.
This pro-DeSantis video purports to contrast Trump’s supposed alignment with LGBTQ folks and DeSantis’ anti-LGBTQ actions.
Ironically, it surrounds DeSantis with homoerotic imagery common on fascist channels, like “Giga Chad” and Brad Pitt in “Troy.”pic.twitter.com/hIIK3LcZrn— Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) July 3, 2023
DeSantis was universally mocked for the ad, but initially defended himself by saying, “Identifying Donald Trump as really being a pioneer in injecting gender ideology into the mainstream, where he was having men compete against women in his beauty pageants — I think that’s totally fair game. Because he’s now campaigning saying the opposite.”
While the video appeared to come from a supporter outside the campaign, it has since been revealed that staffers were involved in its creation and dissemination.
Despite it being “the weirdest ad in American political history,” as The New Republic called it, the video is nonetheless an accurate portrayal of DeSantis’s time in office – which he has devoted to attacking – or perhaps one could describe it as demeaning – LGBTQ+ equality, as well as the rights of people of color.
DeSantis has gone to war with Disney over its opposition to the Don’t Say Gay law, has launched numerous blindsides attacking “woke indoctrination” in schools, and has taken control of the state’s education system with handpicked administrators and the power of the bully pulpit. His staff has regularly smeared LGBTQ+ people and allies on social media with vile slurs and insinuations of sexual abuse.
The Don’t Say Gay law – which has been expanded to all grades – has led to the banning of LGBTQ+ books in schools and the forced outing of students to their parents by school administrators.
In 2021, DeSantis signed a bill banning trans students from participating in school sports.
DeSantis has ranted against “woke gender ideology” and once claimed, “In the state of Florida, we are not going to allow them to inject transgenderism into kindergarten.”
LGBTQ+ students in Florida have been so scared of repercussions that many have refused to speak with LGBTQ Nation about their experiences. Earlier this year, a non-LGBTQ+ student told us that terrified queer students are learning to “shut up and keep their head low.”
Florida “effectively banned” Advanced Placement Psychology classes in the state due to the course’s content on sexual orientation and gender identity, the College Board said Thursday.
The state’s Department of Education informed the College Board that its AP Psychology class is in violation of state law, the higher education nonprofit said in a statement. Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, restricts the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in the state’s classrooms.
“The state’s ban of this content removes choice from parents and students,” the College Board said in a statement. “Coming just days from the start of school, it derails the college readiness and affordability plans of tens of thousands of Florida students currently registered for AP Psychology, one of the most popular AP classes in the state.“
The state’s move to restrict the AP Psychology course comes several months after its decision to block AP African American Studies courses was widely condemned by academics and civil rights activists.
The College Board added that Florida will allow superintendents to offer the college-level psychology class for high schoolers if they exclude LGBTQ topics.
However, the College Board argued that excluding the lessons — which it describes as teachings on “how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development” — “would censor college-level standards.”
It added that lessons regarding sexual orientation and gender identity have been included in AP Psychology since the course was created 30 years ago.
The group said that more than 28,000 Florida students took AP Psychology in the prior academic year.
When asked to confirm that the department effectively banned the course, Cassie Palelis, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education, or FDOE, said the nonprofit was “attempting to force school districts to prevent students from taking the AP Psychology.”
“The Department didn’t ‘ban’ the course. The course remains listed in Florida’s Course Code Directory for the 2023-24 school year. We encourage the College Board to stop playing games with Florida students and continue to offer the course and allow teachers to operate accordingly,” Palelis said in an email. “The other advanced course providers (including the International Baccalaureate program) had no issue providing the college credit psychology course.”
When asked by a reporter on the presidential campaign trail on Friday if AP Psychology was banned in the state over the inclusion of sexuality and gender topics, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said “that’s wrong.”
“That’s part of our course catalogue,” he said. “I bet it’ll end up being offered.”
He appeared to imply that similar college-level classes could be offered through nonprofit organizations other than the College Board, including International Baccalaureate.
In a statement shared with NBC News on Friday, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents said it is working “diligently with FDOE and school superintendents who want to continue to offer AP Psychology.”
“Superintendents are openly communicating with parents their district’s plans for this course or an alternative college level course as we prepare for the start of the school year,” the statement, sent by association spokesperson Diana Shelton Oropallo, said. “AP Psychology continues to be listed in Florida’s Course Code Directory and we hope that College Board will keep the best interests of students at the forefront and award college credit to all Florida students who successfully complete the AP Psychology exam.”
The governor’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.
The American Psychological Association, the nation’s largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists, argued against stripping AP Psychology of LGBTQ topics earlier this year, after the state requested that the College Board review sexuality and gender identity topics in all advanced placement courses.
“Understanding human sexuality is fundamental to psychology, and an advanced placement course that excludes the decades of science studying sexual orientation and gender identity would deprive students of knowledge they will need to succeed in their studies, in high school and beyond,” the association’s CEO, Arthur C. Evans Jr., said in a statement in June. “We applaud the College Board for standing up to the state of Florida and its unconscionable demand to censor an educational curriculum and test that were designed by college faculty and experienced AP teachers who ensure that the course and exam reflect the state of the science and college-level expectations.”
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s second largest teachers union, said the decision to restrict AP Psychology in the state is “part of the DeSantis playbook of eroding rights” and “censoring those he disagrees with.”
LGBTQ advocates also condemned the state’s AP Psychology restriction on Thursday.
“Psychology is centered around people – all people,” Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group, said in a statement. “Erasing us from the curriculum ignores our existence, sets back Florida students who want to pursue psychology in higher education and disrupts pathways for future mental health professionals to provide comprehensive, culturally competent mental healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community.”
DeSantis, a Republican who is running for president, signed the so-called Don’t Say Gay law last year.
The law was widely condemned by LGBTQ activists and prompted an ongoing feud between the governor and The Walt Disney Co., Florida’s largest employer.
The measure initially prohibited “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade “or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards” in public and charter schools.
But earlier this year, DeSantis doubled down, signing a measure into law expanding the restrictions to explicitly include students through the eighth grade. The newer version of the law also restricts reproductive health education in sixth through 12th grade.
In addition to enacting the “Don’t Say Gay” law, the governor recently signed into law a measure that bars transgender people from using public restrooms that align with their gender identities and another that restricts drag performances in front of minors. A judge subsequently blocked the drag law.
On the final day of LGBTQ Pride Month in June, DeSantis’ presidential campaign released a video portraying the governor as a champion of anti-gay and anti-trans policies.
The video garnered widespread attention for its pairing of DeSantis’ anti-LGBTQ policy accomplishments alongside images of shirtless bodybuilders, in what appeared to be an attempt to portray the Florida governor as strong. It was condemned by both Republicans and Democrats, with some calling it “homophobic.”
A trans woman was stripped of her clothing and viciously attacked outside a nightclub in Palm Springs, Calif., on Saturday evening, and police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
Video of the shocking incident obtained by KPLM-TV showed a crowd gathering as trans woman Skyy Perez, staggering and wearing only her underwear, was brutally punched outside the Village nightclub on Saturday night.
Perez said she was at The Village with friends when her phone was stolen. She said she attempted to search the bag of a woman at a nearby table but security intervened and escorted her from the club. Once outside, Perez said she was attacked by another woman.
“She hit me with a sandal in the back of my head, and I fell to the floor, I kind of lost consciousness,” she told KPLM-TV. “And then the other two girls that were with her came and they were like basically jumping me and tore my clothes. I was in disbelief and a rage that I got hit for simply existing.”
The video, which has widely circulated on social media, shows a half-naked Perez staggering and attempting to spit at her assailant off-camera when a man approaches from behind and punches her in her jaw sending her sprawling to the pavement.
A friend who was with Perez, Daniella Pineda, believes Perez was targeted and attacked because of her gender identity.
“Those people were hating because we were trans,” Pineda told KPLM-TV. “And they couldn’t just wrap their brains around us being able to live our lives out authentically.”
The Village released a statement following the attack, expressing shock at the incident.
“For this to happen near our establishment makes us truly upset as we strive to be a leader in forward thinking,” general manager David Mariner, wrote in a statement. “We are all inclusive. We don’t stand for anything that is hateful.”
California’s attorney general said Friday he was investigating whether a local school district infringed on students’ civil rights by adopting a policy that requires teachers to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender or wants to use a name or pronoun different from what’s on their birth certificate.
Rob Bonta said the policy, approved by the Chino Valley Unified School District in July, could force schools to “out” their students, increasing a student’s risk of being bullied or committing self-harm or suicide.
The policy also requires parents to be notified within three days if their child asked for access to gender-based sports or wants to use a different bathroom or changing rooms that do not match their assigned gender at birth.
“Students should never fear going to school for simply being who they are,” Bonta said in a statement, adding that the “forced outing policy threatens the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ students vulnerable to harassment and potential abuse from peers and family members unaccepting of their gender identity.”
He added: “California will not stand for violations of our students’ civil rights.”
The school district board president said state officials are “overstepping their boundaries.”
“This is a ploy to try to scare all the other boards across California from adopting the policy,” Sonjia Shaw said in a statement to The Associated Press. “I won’t back down and will stand in the gap to protect our kids from big government bullies.”
A spokesperson for the school district said that Bonta did not notify them about the investigation. The board has argued that parents have the right to know. The school district is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
Bonta’s office didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking more details about the investigation.
The school board adopted the policy following a heated hearing that drew a crowd of a few hundred people, including state Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond, who spoke out against the proposal and was escorted out of the meeting.
Bonta sent a letter to the district in July warning the policy could be in violation of students’ rights.
The policy mirrors failed legislation, introduced by a state Republican lawmaker this year, that would have required California school districts to notify parents if a child is publicly identifying as a gender different from the one on their birth certificate.
The local policy was passed as students across the country see hundreds of bills introduced this year taking aim at nearly every facet transgender existence, from health care to athletics to bathroom access. There are at least a dozen proposals introduced in various states to push for more parental rights by requiring schools to alert parents of gender identity changes in most circumstances.
The Russian River Sisters are a 21st Century Order of nuns. Our mission is to spread joy and goodwill through community events, charitable acts and fundraising, with focus on the special needs of the Russian River area (West County). Our primary goal is to make the Russian River area an even better place to live. We are a 100% volunteer run organization recognized as a California 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation.
The Russian River Sisters organize and assist at many functions throughout the year to raise funds that
go into our Grant Fund. The monies from this fund are then made available in grant form to local,
under-funded charitable groups and civic-minded organizations, such as small grass roots organizations
that receive little, if any, government or mainstream funding. We are especially attracted to progressive projects that promote wellness, identity, tolerance and diversity within communities in the Russian River Area.
About the Sisters’ Grants Fund
The Russian River Sisters’ Grant Fund is managed by a committee of Sisters. Grant funding requests are accepted only via the application form on our website. Grant Fund applications are reviewed and evaluated by the Grants Committee. In evaluating an application, we consider the nature of the request and how relevant it is to the needs of our local community. We do not approve grant requests for salaries, honorariums, personal or travel expenses. We also do not approve requests from organizations outside of our sphere of influence.
In the decision process we look at how the applicant’s usage of the funds granted would serve the Russian River Community. Show us what you have in mind! You may also include pictures, diagrams or other supportive documents to help us understand your ideas.
August 3 Topical Thursdays12:30 to 2 pm on zoomName Something You Can’t Live WithoutSee topic writeup belowTo join group, find purple Join Group button below
August 8 Second Tuesday LGBT+ Senior Gathering What Is a Before-&-After Moment in Your Life? at Mgt. Todd Senior Center 1560 Hill Road, Novato in the Hill Community Room behind the main building(see site map & more information below)12:30 to 2:30
August 9 Positive Action for Allies **more information and to register contact Janna Barkin jbarkin@thespahrcenter.orgnoon to 1:30 pm
August 9 LGBT+ Senior Monthly Mixer **at San Rafael Joe’s -from 4th Street entrance4:30 to 6 pm
August 15 Games Day *at Sam’s Place, Novato 1545 S. Novato Blvd.meal at 2 pm, games at 3 pm
August 16 Aging Gayfully **Introductory Class Beginsonlinefor Older LGBTQ+ Adults(more information below) August 17 Senior Breakfast Club *at Sam’s Place, Novato 9:30 am August 19 Sidewalk CPR **free 15-minute traininghands-free CPR, NARCAN & moreat venues throughout Marin Countysee flyer for sites near you10 to 2 pm August 22 Fourth TuesdayWest Marin LGBT+ Senior GatheringSan Geronimo Valley Community Center 6350 Sir Francis Drake Blvd12:30 to 1 brown bag/1-2:30 discussion August 25 Men’s Brown Bag Lunchlast Friday of every monthdownstairs at the Spahr Centersemi-ramp but no automatic door150 Nellen Ave. #100, Corte Maderanoon to 1:30 pm August 29 Women’s Coffee *at Sam’s Place, Novato 10 am *Social Committee event, must RSVP, at least 8 participants required;to RSVP or get on their email list, write to them at socialcommittee@comcast.net ** See flyer below
To join the Spahr Senior Groupon ZoomMondays, 7 to 8 pm, &Thursdays, 12:30 to 2 pm,click the purple button below the Butterfly Heart or here:
New participants are warmly welcomed!If you’re zoom-challenged, let me know and I’ll work with you!
Topical Thursdays12:30 to 2 pm July 20Name Something You Can’t Live WithoutWhat comes to mind when you think of the phrase: I can’t live without my ______. And how might that have changed from what you would have named 10 years ago? And 30 years ago?
Living Room Mondays7 to 8 pm We share with each other about how we’re doing and have unstructured conversations focused on listening from our hearts and deepening community.
SECOND TUESDAY!August 8 In-person at Mgt Todd Senior Center 1560 Hill Road, NovatoHill Community Roombehind the main buildingsee site map below new people warmly welcomed! 12:30 to 2 pm brown bag & discussion(a new shorter time we agreed to recently) What Is a Before-&-After Moment in Your Life?Can you think of a moment that changed your life? An experience when you changed or the world around you changed? Let’s talk!
New Covid Protocols: The Spahr Center provides critical, life-saving services to some immunocompromised communities. Therefore, we require program participants to be fully vaccinated, including a bivalent booster. Otherwise, community members are required to wear a mask. And please stay home if you’re experiencing any possible covid symptoms! The purple arrow points to our meeting room behind the main building at the Mgt. Todd Senior Center:
Positive Action for Allies Strategies to help us become better allies for ourselves and each other in difficult situations…To register, click here.
Aging Gayfully!Free Online Class For LGBTQ+ Seniors Buz Hermes is back with a new series of online classes, starting August 16th, 11 am to 1 pm. Many in our community have taken this class and describe their experience as transformative. Aging Gayfully! is a unique class being offered online as part of the Older Adults Program of Santa Rosa Junior College. It is free to all California residents. The class provides a comfortable space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning adults to explore skillful aging strategies that address their unique aging issues. The Fall 2023 semester session begins online on Wednesday, August 16th from 11 am to 1 pm and continues weekly until December 13th. For more information or for instructions on how to enroll email the instructor, Gary “Buz” Hermes MA at ghermes@santarosa.edu.
You could save the life of a loved one!
The Northbay LGBT+ Senior Social Committee has been consistently offering meaningful, fun events for the senior community. Everyone born in any month will be celebrated in that month’s email – including your birthday if you’ll let them know when it rolls around! To sign up for their emails or register for events, clickhere. You can check out their August birthdays and calendar by clickinghere.
Coronavirus Updates A second bivalent covid vaccination is available to seniors and immune-compromised individuals if you had your first bivalent injection at least 6 months ago. Covid Test Expiration Dates Extended:When the tests were created, a conservative date was assigned because authorities didn’t know how long they would be effective. They are working beyond their original expiration date and have been assigned new ones. You can check on your kits’ expiration date and learn more by clicking here.IF your kit is made by Quickvue, you can search for the updated expiration date here. In order to keep track of new infections, the County asks that we report self-test resultshere. To see Marin County’s latest pandemic information, click here. May we all be safe and well!
Three potential guests who did not show up on Saturday at the picnic.
Vivalon Resources for Seniors Whistlestop, now renamed Vivalon, offers many resources for us seniors, now listed in this easy-to-print one-page guide. Access to rides, food, classes, activities, resources, referrals, and more. Membership not required for most classes and services during the pandemic. Some in-person events are being planned. To get Vivalon’s listings, click here. They also provide access to resources including rides for older adults. Please note: there is a 3-week registration process for the ride program so register now if you think you may need rides in the future. Click here for their website. The Jackson Cafe has great specials, a roomy dining room, small tables and big round tables for groups. Open 11:30 to 1:45; $8 for members, $10 for guests, with takeout readily available. You can find their daily changing menu and more information here.
Building Community from the Comfort of Your Home!See old friends and make new ones! Join us! The Spahr Center’s LGBT Senior Discussion Groupscontinue everyMonday, 7 to 8 pm& Thursday, 12:30 to 2 pm on zoom
To Join Group by Video using Computer, Smart Phone or TabletJust click this button at the start time, 6:55 pm Mondays / 12:25 pm Thursdays:Join GroupAlways the same link! Try it, it’s easy!
To Join Group by Phone CallIf you don’t have internet connections or prefer joining by phone,call the following number at the start time,6:55 pm Mondays / 12:25 pm Thursdays:1-669-900-6833The Meeting id is 820 7368 6606#(no participant id required)The password, if requested, is 135296#If you want to be called into the group by phone, notify Bill Blackburn at 415/450-5339
California Department of Aging ResourcesThe CDA has a website that is packed with information and resources relevant to the lives of seniors in our state. From Covid-19 updates to more general care for age-related health issues, access to legal assistance to getting home-delivered meals to help with housing, you may well find answers to your questions by clicking: here.
Adult and Aging Service’s Information and Assistance Line, providing information and referrals to the full range of services available to older adults, adults with disabilities and their family caregivers, has a new phone number and email address: 415/473-INFO (4636) 8:30 am to 4:30 pm weekdays473INFO@marincounty.org
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas sued the Texas Attorney General and other defendants on Wednesday to prevent Senate Bill 12 from taking effect on September 1. It would ban drag performances in most public venues if permitted to move forward.
In the ACLU’s lawsuit, the group asserts that SB 12, which includes a ban on drag performances, violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments and threatens Texans’ livelihoods and free expression. For artists and those who support them, the ban targets any performance that could be construed as “sexual” and imposes criminal penalties, including a year in jail.
Many constitutionally protected performances could be censored by this law, such as touring Broadway plays and professional cheerleading routines or karaoke nights and drag shows, the ACLU said in a statement.
Among the plaintiffs represented by the organization are The Woodlands Pride, Abilene Pride Alliance, Extragrams, LLC, 360 Queen Entertainment LLC, and drag artist Brigitte Bandit.
Both LGBTQ+ nonprofits promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in their communities. Two drag production and entertainment companies that have already been impacted adversely by the ban and an Austin-based drag artist who performs, hosts, and produces drag shows, join the case to comprise the plaintiffs.
“The Texas Drag Ban is stunningly broad in scope and will chill entire genres of free expression in our state,” said ACLU of Texas attorney Brian Klosterboer. “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.”
“Texas queens and kings from across our great state have been targets of threats and misinformation as a result of the anti-drag law,” Bandit, the drag artist, said. “We must reject their attempts to divide us and continue to come together in our truth and power to support each other as Texans should. 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. State leaders should focus on legitimate issues, not political stunts. I dream of a state that’s better for us all, no matter who we are, how we live, or who we love. Long live Texas drag!”
President of fellow plaintiff organization, The Woodlands Pride, Jason Rocha, noted the importance of the lawsuit.
“Censoring drag is censoring free speech,” said Rocha said. “The Woodlands Pride was formed to help amplify the voices and representation of all, specifically the LGBTQIA+ community. Drag is a symbol of expression, and the freedom to express yourself is quintessential to human nature. We know this ban is aimed specifically at our community. Our freedoms to exist, express, and speak are at stake.”
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