LONGVIEW, Texas — Governor Gregg Abbott has signed Senate Bill 12 that will become law starting September 1.
Drafted by East Texas Senator of District 1 Bryan Hughes, SB 12 will make sexually oriented performances on public property a criminal offense.
“I authored Senate Bill 12 to protect the innocence of Texas children," Hughes said. "Sexually explicit performances, like drag shows, have no business being around minors.”
This legislation has left local drag performers wondering if they’ll be able to perform at future Pride events across the state.
This Saturday evening, a group of drag queens and community members of the LGBTQ+ community plan to host what they call a “Drag March” in downtown Longview. Blaise Radford, also know as drag queen Gemini Alexander Brooks, said their community is upset about the passing of SB 12.
"We just had our pride event last weekend and it was a great success," Radford said. "I'd hate to see that being the last one."
Radford said the new legislation would have a major impact on future Pride events across the state. The 34-year-old performer contradicts the senators intention by saying as performers they are not trying to push an agenda on minors.
"We're just here to be living humans and that's all we asked to be," Radford said. "We're artists, we have fun, this goes back to the Shakespearean days."
As of last Sunday, Governor Abbott signed the legislation into law after passing votes in the Texas House and Senate Committees.
When it comes to this action Hughes said, "I am grateful for Governor Abbott’s strong support of this priority legislation and for signing it into law. Texas will continue to stand against the sexualization of children and the degradation of our society and values.”
Radford feels this state bill will do more harm to children rather than protect them.
"I'm not trying to paint a different reality and that's not what anyone is trying to do," Radford said. "It's just allowing people to be free and unfortunately, I feel like there's gonna be more kids out there that are going to feel that they have to closet themselves because of these things happening."
The "Drag March" is set to start at Heritage Plaza in downtown Longview at 4 p.m., where they will then march to the Gregg County Courthouse. The community plan to protest the legislation peacefully in full drag.