Texas bans drag shows for kids, bars DEI at colleges, as politicians ram ... trends now
The Texas legislature approved two 'anti woke' bills on Sunday amid strong protest - ramming through the bills on the final day of the session.
One of the bills, Senate Bill 12, bans minors from attending drag shows. The other, Senate Bill 17, bans offices and programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion at publicly funded colleges and universities.
Both bills will now go to the desk of the state's Republican governor, Greg Abbott, who will sign them into law.
Bryan Hughes, the Republican senator who championed SB 12, celebrated the passage of the bill, saying it would protect children.
'Great News: Our bill protecting children from sexually explicit drag shows (S.B. 12) is officially headed to the Governor's desk,' he tweeted.
'These shows are indisputably inappropriate for minors, and we will not allow children to be sexualized nor preyed upon in Texas.'
Protesters are seen in front of the state Capitol in Austin, Texas last month, taking to the streets to raise their voices against a series of 'woke' bills
The LGBTQ community have seen both SB 12 and SB 17 as an attack on their existence. People are pictured marching in Austin on April 15
People march to the Texas State Capitol in Austin on April 15
Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, will now sign into law both SB 12 and SB 17
Texas follows a lead set by Montana, which last week became the first state to specifically ban people dressed in drag from reading books to children at public schools and libraries.
Bills in Florida and Tennessee also appear to try to ban drag reading events, but both require the performances to be sexual in nature, which could be up for interpretation. Both bills also face legal challenges.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas, who made the bill a priority, said in a statement after the vote that it 'prohibits sexualized performances and drag shows in the presence of a minor.'
He added: 'It is shocking to me that any parent would allow their young child to be sexualized by drag shows.
'Children, who cannot make decisions on their own, must be protected from this scourge facing our state.'
Bryan Hughes, the Republican state senator who introduced the bill banning drag shows for minors
Yet critics said its wording was so broad it could encompass cheerleading squads.
Mary Gonzalez, head of the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus, warned it could 'implicate even the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.'
Others questioned how it could be prosecuted.
The Texas District and County Attorneys Association, the
