North Carolina bill could ban drag 'impersonators' at events with anyone younger than 18

RALEIGH, N.C. (WGHP) – Two members of the North Carolina House from Forsyth County are sponsoring a bill that would ban male and female impersonators from performing for audiences that include anyone younger than 18.

House Bill 673, the so-called “Clarify Regulations on Adult Entertainment” bill, was filed Tuesday by District 74 Rep. Jeff Zenger (R-Lewisville), with District 75 Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth) also listed as a primary sponsor.

The bill expands the statute governing live “adult” entertainment – such as topless dancers and strippers – to include “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration.”

Emails to Zenger and Lambeth about the reasons for the bill did not draw an immediate response.

“Prurient,” a term employed by the U.S. Supreme Court in its famous Roth v. U.S. case, is defined in the legal context as “having a tendency to excite lustful thoughts.”

Less clear is the law’s specification of “whether or not performed for consideration,” which would presume to mean whether the performers were compensated.

It’s also unclear if the “younger than 18” limitation would mean that artistic performances that include cross-dressing characters would be banned. Those could include productions of the play “Hairspray Jr.” or the new musical “Tootsie,” based on the movie that starred Dustin Hoffman, or even cartoons with cross-dressing appearances by such cartoon characters as Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo and Quick Draw McGraw.

Protests against the presence of impersonators at events – sometimes by right-wing militant groups such as the Proud Boys – have brought North Carolina to the forefront of the issue. At least one event in Moore County coincided with a significant public disruption of electrical power.

Last June, the Forsyth County Republican Men’s Club protested a drag queen story time held at Bookmarks in Winston-Salem for children ages 3 to 7. The town of Apex canceled a similar event because of protests.

HB 673 has not been read into the House or assigned to the Rules Committee. Zenger’s cosponsors also include Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) and Rep. Donnie Loftis (R-Gaston). Among its cosponsors are Rep. Neal Jackson (R-Robbins) and Rep. Dennis Riddell (R-Snow Camp) from the Triad.

Source: Fox 8 News Channel