House bill would ban most Ohio drag shows

CELINA - A new bill proposed by Angie King, R-Celina, would effectively ban drag performances from all locations except adult cabaret establishments such as strip clubs.

Ohio House Bill 245 would amend and expand the definition of adult cabaret performances to a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that is "harmful to juveniles or obscene and that features … performers or entertainers who exhibit a gender identity that is different from the performer's or entertainer's gender assigned at birth using clothing, makeup, prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts or other physical markers," according to the legislation.

King and State Rep. Josh Williams, R-Sylvania, sponsored the legislation this week, which garnered 41 co-sponsors.

When contacted for comment on the pending bill, King's office requested an emailed list of questions. However, King did not return answers to the questions, respond to follow-up emails and phone calls or provide a comment by press time.

Under the proposed legislation, adult cabaret performances would only be allowed in adult cabarets, which include nightclubs, bars or restaurants that regularly features a nude or seminude person, live performances "that are characterized by the exposure of specified anatomical areas or specified sexual activities" and films that are characterized by their emphasis of specified sexual activities, the legislation reads.

If a drag performance occurs in a location other than an adult cabaret, the violator would be guilty of unlawful adult cabaret performance, per the bill.

Small Town Pride, a local non-profit, has hosted a yearly Pride festival in June celebrating the LGBTQ community in Celina's Lakeshore Park since 2020. The event features a drag show that would appear to be a violation of the bill.

A general violation would be a first-degree misdemeanor, and if the performance is deemed obscene, the charge would upgrade to a fifth-degree felony. If anyone under 13 years old attends the performance, the charge would bump up to a fourth-degree felony, a more serious crime than the current fourth-degree misdemeanor charge specified in Ohio Revised Code.

Small Town Pride organizers oppose the bill.

"Small Town Pride opposes HB 245 not only because of the restrictions it puts on drag shows, but because the language clearly invalidates the existence of the trans community," said Kyle Bruce, president of Small Town Pride. "We believe Angie King is legislating in bad faith, and she is using her position of power to attempt to erase and hide an entire culture. We don't blame anyone for not understanding queer culture, but that lack of understanding doesn't give anybody the right to take it away. Nor does that lack of understanding take away from the fact that drag is art, and just like every other genre of art/entertainment, it lives on a spectrum."

During the 2022 election, King had pointed to her experience as a small business owner as one reason she believed she was the best fit for the job. However, her office did not respond to a question asking if her sponsored bill would constitute government intrusion if a private business desired to host a drag show but was unable to because it did not meet the definition of an adult cabaret.

Additionally, the newspaper asked if local community events would be affected. The bill as written would appear to prohibit Maria Stein tractor square dancers from dressing up in women's clothes as they did at a media day this summer.

It also isn't clear if the bill would extend to Halloween costumes and parades, community and school theater productions or showings of movies featuring drag performances such as "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Some Like it Hot."