Oh When Will They Ever Learn?

It almost seems like they want a fight!

The courts have stuck down the same thing over and over! So now they are saying, once again, that it is obscene!

Ohio House passes bill to criminalize drag shows deemed 'obscene'

By Haley  BeMiller

Columbus Dispatch

March 25, 2026

• The Ohio House passed a bill that would restrict certain drag shows to adult entertainment venues.
• Supporters of the bill say it aims to protect children from obscene or harmful content.
• Opponents argue the legislation targets the LGBTQ community and will cause a decline in drag shows.

Ohio may soon restrict certain drag shows to bars and nightclubs.

The Ohio House voted 63-30 on March 25 to pass House Bill 249, which would criminalize performances anywhere but adult entertainment facilities if they're deemed obscene or harmful to children. It also changes the definition of public indecency, with an exception for women who are breastfeeding.

[...]

Proponents say House Bill 249 doesn't completely ban drag and will instead protect kids from explicit content. It's already a crime in Ohio to disseminate obscene materials or performances to minors.

But hey, it plays in to the bigotry of their MAGA base!

"This is about shielding the next generation from premature sexualization, from the erosion of their innocence," said Rep. Angie King, R-Celina.

Yup, right into their bigotry, fear. and ignorance!

The Buckeye Flame writes...

Anti-LGBTQ+ language in the bill would disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ performers, heavily restricting “performers or entertainers who exhibit a gender identity that is different from the performer’s or entertainer’s biological sex using clothing, makeup, prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts, or other physical markers …”

Additionally, a separate section of the bill that substitutes the phrase “private part” for “private area” would also help criminalize trans and gender non-conforming people who use gendered public facilities during daily life.

So it is also a bathroom!

The Pink News says,

Critics warn the bill goes far beyond performances, pointing to language that targets individuals whose gender expression differs from their sex assigned at birth.

Lawmakers backing the bill have openly stated it could be used to restrict transgender people from using gendered facilities like locker rooms.

[...]

Equality Ohio CEO Dwayne Steward said the bill “takes regular, everyday activities and turns them into potential crimes,” while Rep. Dontavious Jarrells added: “This bill is not about children. This is about the dehumanisation of people… This bill literally singles out people who are trans, those who are gender non-conforming, and basically calls into question, ‘Should you exist in the public eye?’ That is the reality of this bill. When you talk about what this bill really is, it is an attack on human lives.”

You know that this bill is so vague that it can cover anything drag story telling to burlesque to a strip joint! Besides, laws like this have been struck down by the courts under the 1^st Amendment rights.