TOLEDO, Ohio — Ohio House Bill 245 seeks to ban select public performances by people appearing as a different gender than what they were assigned at birth, including drag shows. It follows similar legislation seen in other states like Florida and Tennessee.
State Rep. Josh Williams (R-OH) said the bill aims to protect children from seeing explicit performances.
"Just like every other obscene performance in the presence of a minor, there's a morality issue to it, " Williams, who represents District 41 and is a primary sponsor of HB 245, said. "We don't want to expose our minors to these types of sexualized performances at a young age."
The bill would amend existing sections of the Ohio Revised Code to include limitations on "performers and entertainers that display a gender identity other than their own."
Williams said it targets drag performances he claims can be "explicit."
"We've seen time and time again we've seen time and time again there's been a push to make these performances more explicit in front of minors," he said. "We've seen videos from across the state of Ohio."
Any drag performance that is not in a designated adult area away from the public could face charges if found to be "harmful to juveniles" as defined under ORC.
"A simple performance could be a misdemeanor," Williams said. "If it's more obscene in the presence of a minor, it would be a felony of the fifth degree. And if it's a performance in front of a minor under the age of 13, it would be a felony of the fourth degree."
Toledo drag performer Sugar Vermonte said the bill implies drag is inherently explicit to children, and that could not be further from the truth.
"There is absolutely nothing inherently sexual about a drag performance whatsoever," Vermonte said. "Like any other performance, it runs the gamut. You can have a performer who dresses up like Dolly Parton, or someone who performs like Rhianna or Cardi B or anything in between."
Vermonte posed a question: if entertainment icons like Beyonce and Rhianna can make millions performing suggestive dance moves in stadiums around America, what makes drag any different?
Vermonte said bills like HB 245 that attempt to restrict drag and imply it is taboo fuel anti-LGBTQ+ positions across the U.S. and can lead to incidents like the neo-Nazi group that harassed attendees Sunday at Equality Toledo's Love Fest.
"These neo-Nazis and other similar extremist groups are emboldened by people like Representative Williams who are striking down and trying to criminalize drag queens and LGBTQ people," Vermonte said.