Massachusetts's Town Ban Drag Queens

We in the Northeast think we are not like the Republican south and that it can’t happen here but it did.

North Brookfield Select Board rescinds permit for drag show, with chair calling it inappropriate

Mass Live

By Kiernan Dunlop

April 20, 2023

After initially granting a community group permission to have a pride event, the North Brookfield Board of Selectmen rescinded the permit on the grounds that a planned drag show during the event constituted adult entertainment.

The ACLU of Massachusetts is now calling on the board to reconsider its decision and allow the Rural Justice Network to host its “Small Town Pride” event with the planned drag performance, according to press statement from the organization calling the board’s decision unconstitutional.

“We call on North Brookfield and all communities in Massachusetts to recognize that discrimination against those who choose to express themselves through drag is inconsistent with our state and federal constitutions and basic democratic principles,” Ruth Bourquin, senior and managing attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts, said in a statement. “Let’s be clear: Drag is a creative celebration of LGBTQ+ culture, and the government has no right to censor LGBTQ+ people and expression.”

[…]

His motion passed in a two-to-one vote, with board member Elizabeth Brooke Canada casting the dissenting vote.

Hate can grow anywhere!

Do you want to guess which party the Chairman belongs to?

They totally ignore the Constitution. The law and order party doesn’t care about the law and do you want to be that they have ever even seen a drag show?

Canada disagreed with Petraitis.

“I don’t think it’s adult entertainment ... it’s freedom of expression,” Canada said. “I’ve been to these events. I’ve never seen anything that’s been unsavory to anybody and I trust that our police force would enforce anything that’s unlawful or adult in nature.”

[…]

Vice Chairman John Tripp sided with Petraitis saying he didn’t see how a drag performance could be family-friendly.

Well there is one unbiased Board member.

Spectrum News had this to say about the drag show,

“The show we were planning for Small Town Pride this year was very, very kid friendly," Bovenzi said. "The drag performers were to perform Disney songs in their first set, and the second set was going to be pride anthems with no swears or vulgar lyrics to drive home a point of love and acceptance either way.”

And now that the ACLU is bring legal actions the Board is having second thoughts.

As of Thursday, the drag show remains canceled, but the ACLU is calling on the Board of Selectmen to reconsider their decision, which they claim is unconstitutional.