Proposal would ban drag shows for people under 18 in North Carolina

Forsyth County state Representative Jeff Zenger has filed a bill that would make drag performances illegal on public property or in the presence of anyone under the age of 18.

Under the proposal, male or female impersonators appealing to a “prurient interest” would be categorized as adult live entertainment.

Anna Yacht is a local drag performer. She views the proposal as similar to conservative efforts to ban some civil rights and LGBTQ-oriented books, as well as deny gender-affirming care to transgender people. 

“Drag is being used to fearmonger people,” she says. “And to also keep people from being able to see what these bans are really about — which is take rights away from people that are just basic human rights that have nothing to do with protecting children, that have nothing to do with making the world a better place.”

Yacht says like other art forms including music and theater, some drag performances are appropriate for children and others are not.  

The bill proposal comes after a post on social media showing a drag performance in March at Forsyth Technical Community College attended by some Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools students. The district has since determined that the performance, which involved a high school student, was not appropriate for them.

If approved, the law would go into effect Dec. 1.