This is the best summary I could come up with:
U.S. District Judge David Hittner found Senate Bill 12 “impermissibly infringes on the First Amendment and chills free speech.” The struck-down law prohibited any performers from dancing suggestively or wearing certain prosthetics in front of children.
“It is not unreasonable to read SB 12 and conclude that activities such as cheerleading, dancing, live theater, and other common public occurrences could possibly become a civil or criminal violation.”
While SB 12 was originally billed as legislation that would prevent children from seeing drag shows, the final version did not directly reference people dressing as the opposite gender.
In Tuesday’s 56-page ruling, Hittner noted a survey of court decisions “reveals little divergence from the opinion that drag performances are expressive content that is afforded First Amendment protection.”
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk said that West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler acted within his authority when he canceled a campus drag show.
“Today’s ruling is a celebration for the LGBTQ community and those who support free expression in the Lone Star State,” GLAAD President and Chief Executive Officer Sarah Kate Ellis.
The original article contains 796 words, the summary contains 179 words. Saved 78%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Bad bot. Summary references two federal trial level judges with different opinions, without explaining why there are two different trial level judges. I will read full article to see why there are two different judges on the same case. EDIT: not the same case. Summary omits context - different judges ruling differently in different cases concerning drag.
1A baybee
Critics sued the state, saying it violated the First Amendment.
And taxpayer dollars, which Republicans claim to be such responsible stewards of, are being wasted to defend lawsuits like this.
I assume republicans in Texas blame critics for forcing Texas to use taxpayer money to fight lawsuits
This is correct. They actually do care about tax dollars being used to defend lawsuits when they could be used for more conservative things like buying bibles for public schools and funding beauty pageants for tots dressed entirely in ammunition
I for one am fucking sick of hearing about this particular subject. Why is anyone talking about this?
i am not an expert on the subject but i would imagine it’s because it has implications for the safety and legal rights of trans people. if they’re able to pass laws banning drag queens, they might then start (incorrectly) claiming that trans people are drag queens and thus those laws apply to them.
Exactly this.
Step 1) Declare that all drag performances are sexually explicit and therefore shouldn’t be allowed near kids. This is false, of course. There are plenty of PG or G rated drag shows where nothing even remotely explicit happens, but they need this lie to be enshrined into law.
Step 2) Declare that trans people, by existing, are “performing drag in public.” Again, false, but this would mean that trans people wouldn’t be allowed to be dressed in their preferred gender anywhere there might be kids. Even simply walking through the grocery store would be declared “sexually explicit behavior in the presence of children” and could result in criminal charges.
The right will stop at nothing to enforce their radical Christian views on the country and they don’t care whose lives they ruin to do this.
They’re not banning drag queens, they’re banning sexually explicit drag shows for children. Drag shows are still 100% legal.
They think all drag queens are sexually explicit and will enforce the law accordingly.
Nah, maybe just that it is fuckall business of government and they should concentrate on real issues instead of poking their nose into what clothes people wear?
Yes. That’s literally the issue being discussed here that you seem to think is “too boring”. You agree with the general sentiment here. Who are you mad at?
You keep hearing about the GOP vilifying and persecuting LGBTQ+ people because it’s against the supposed ideals of the country and the GOP keep doing it. If you want news about LGBTQ+ issues to stop, you need to make the GOP stop.
You are being distracted. Focus. You CAN eat your local representative. One bite at a time.
People don’t need to know what is in the chilli at the cookout.
Innocent people being villified, persecuted, attacked and oppressed isn’t just a “distraction”, it’s a serious problem that’s heading towards genocide.
We can chew bubble gum and walk at the same time, by which I mean deal with this AND their other fuckery.
Because republicans keep violating the constitution and trying to marginalize anyone who isn’t white hetero Christian.
Because keeping us fighting over this keeps us from going after billionaires.
Ya think?
