|
U.S. District Judge David Hittner in Houston said the law, which
was set to take effect on Friday, likely violates performers'
constitutional right to free speech.
Hittner blocked the law pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed
earlier this month by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU's Texas chapter, in a posting on X, formerly Twitter,
said "drag performers and LGBTQIA+ allied businesses belong in
our state — and Texas politicians have no right to censor our
free expression."
Paige Willey, a spokeswoman for the Texas Attorney General's
office, said the state would "pursue all legal remedies" in
defense of the law.
"The people of Texas were appalled to learn of an increasing
trend of obscene, sexually explicit so-called 'drag'
performances being marketed to families with children," Willey
said.
The Texas law prohibits lewd or sexualized performances
utilizing "accessories or prosthetics that exaggerate male or
female sexual characteristics" in public or in the presence of
minors.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, a Republican and staunch
supporter of the law, said when it was passed in April that it
would prevent children from being "scarred for life" by being
exposed to sexually-charged drag shows.
Federal judges in Tennessee and Florida earlier this year
temporarily blocked similar laws in those states, also citing
free-speech violations. Those decisions are being appealed.
Montana, Arkansas and North Dakota have also enacted
restrictions on drag performances.
(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by
Bill Berkrot)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
