Fate of bill that would restrict drag shows up in the air

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) - A bill that would restrict drag performances doesn’t have enough readings in the House to legally pass this session. However, one lawmaker is trying to find a way to bring it back.

“Love wins, it always will win. And we confidently believe that,” said Glenn Means, the Lex Have Pride Co-Organizer.

The grassroots movement, Lex Have Pride, was born in less than 72 hours.

“There was a need to bring people together and unite against this horrifying legislation that impacts not only our community. but specifically our trans community and drag artists that perform all across our state,” said Means.

Senate Bill 115 from Republican Senator Lindsey Tichenor passed the Senate but now does not have the necessary number of readings in the House to get full passage before the veto break.

Though many people believed the bill to be dead on arrival, Republican Representative Josh Calloway added an amendment to Senate Bill 5, or the “parental rights bill,” that mirrors SB 115.

“We know that this is not going to be the last fight we have to fight,” Means said.

If this amendment is adopted by a majority of the House and is passed, the Senate would need to concur with the changes for it to gain full passage.

Like the original bill, the amendment would prohibit drag performances from taking place in public spaces or on private property where a child is present. It said a first offense would be a class C misdemeanor, a second offense would be a class A misdemeanor and subsequent offenses would be class D felonies.

“It just got to the point where we had so many people reaching out to us, saying we have to say something, do something, about all of this stuff that’s happening. If we want to live up to who we are as a city, we do have to say something,” said Vice Mayor Dan Wu.

Vice Mayor Wu said sending state legislators a letter showing councilmembers support for the LGBTQ+ community is just the start.

“Anytime we can come out and really speak our voices, I think it will be heard in one way or another.”

Wu, along with Councilmembers Liz Sheehan and Hannah LeGris drafter the letter.

Councilmember LeGris said “I was proud to work on creating this statement and for the fact that so many of our colleagues signed on in solidarity! We know that the fight is about so much more than healthcare — and we know that it is our duty as elected officials to represent all members of our community and to ensure that they can live full, healthy, and vibrant lives. It’s important for our LGBTQ+ community to know that they have allies in our city government and the next step has to be continued policy work here in our local community. "

Learn more about Lex Have Pride at the link here.

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