The debate over transgender issues and the effort to sexualize children is still in full swing. After Tennessee passed legislation intended to ban drag shows for kids, progressives have been going apoplectic with their usual false accusations of bigotry.
News outlets have also joined in the fray, using their platforms to perpetuate deceptive narratives about the law and the overall push to prevent drag shows from being performed for kids. In this vein, the findings of a new poll suggest that most Americans oppose legislation barring children from drag shows – but the way it was conducted is quite deceptive upon closer examination.
A recent poll conducted by The Hill and the HarrisX polling company has found that a majority of Americans oppose laws that would restrict drag shows or performances. Specifically, 58 percent of respondents were against laws that would limit these types of performances.
Not surprisingly, the poll also found that opinions on the issue were divided along party lines, with 73 percent of Democrats opposing laws that would restrict drag shows or performances, while 61 percent of Republicans were in favor of such laws.
The debate over these laws is likely to continue, with supporters arguing that they are necessary to protect children and maintain public morality, while opponents argue that such laws are discriminatory and violate basic rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
However, there is a serious flaw in the study.
The findings suggest that most Americans would oppose laws that restrict drag shows. This is likely accurate. Most people would not wish to use the government to stop people from performing or attending drag shows – for adults. The issue isn’t the existence of these performances, it is the fact that they are being done for children — a detail that was not mentioned in the study.
Had the poll asked specifically about having drag queens perform for small children, it seems likely that the results would have been something far different — which is probably why they chose to omit that detail.
However, opposition to Tennessee’s new law remains fierce. But even sources on the left have poked some holes in the narrative being peddled by progressives who wish to sexualize children.
In a conversation with the New York Times, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) confirmed that the state’s law does not make it illegal to hold drag shows as Democrats and members of the activist media have suggested.
The ACLU of Tennessee has stated that a new law restricting drag shows will not make it illegal to perform in drag in the state. Although the law is part of a broader effort by Republicans to restrict such shows nationwide, the ACLU believes that the law’s language is narrow and covers only performances that are “harmful to minors,” such as extreme sexual or violent content with no artistic value. The ACLU asserts that drag performances are not obscene and are protected by the First Amendment.
“The law bans obscene performances, and drag performances are not inherently obscene,” said Stella Yarbrough, legal director of the ACLU of Tennessee, in a statement. However, the organization is concerned that elected officials could misuse the law to censor individuals, “chilling protected free speech and sending a message to L.G.B.T.Q. Tennesseans that they are not welcome in our state.” Ms. Yarbrough added that the ACLU would challenge any enforcement of the law aimed at punishing drag performers or shutting down family-friendly events.
There you have it. Tennessee’s law does not ban drag shows for adults – it only covers shows geared towards children. These are only a few of the lies progressives have been telling about those who oppose the sexualization of children. But how else would they defend such a practice?
