Under SB 1005, teachers and schools may feel pressure to avoid supporting LGBTQ students and issues out of fear that it could expose them to legal action, according to Equality Arizona. “Allies have the right to respect our identities,” Woodbury said. “Anything that threatens teachers with lawsuits, even if they know they’ll win those cases, will heavily disincentivize them from doing something that could get them sued.” In 2022, lawmakers passed a bill banning sexually explicit material from classrooms, but what it prohibited was vaguely defined, and teachers have to obtain parental consent to use the mate- rials. So some schools responded by scrap- ping any material that might be covered under the new law. Rather than trying to be an ally, Woodbury said, “it’s easier to just stop doing the things people might get mad about.” Targeting Drag Shows Kavanagh has also sponsored SB 1026, which prohibits public money from being used to pay for “drag shows targeting minors.” Kavanagh said there’s no example of such a thing ever happening in Arizona. But, he explained, it’s a preventative measure after he once witnessed “two people, dressed up, engaging in drag behavior,” when “one of them bent over and humped the other one and simulated anal sex.” Kavanagh admitted the drag shows he’s aware of “probably weren’t [paid for] with state money. They were in nightclubs. But if a school puts it on, it would be a violation.” Outcry over Kavanagh’s meddling with LGBTQ expression in the state’s schools sparked a student protest on January 9 as the legislature opened its session. Support Equality Arizona Schools, a youth-led student group, displayed 180 black garbage bags on the Capitol Lawn that day to represent body bags. It was a nod to the 1.8 million LGBTQ teens and young adults in the U.S. who contemplate suicide each year, the Arizona Republic reported. In his bill, Kavanagh defines “drag shows targeting minors” so broadly that it could mean a ban on performances such as Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the 1959 rom-com Some Like It Hot, musicals including Rent and Hairspray, and even a transgender teacher performing an educa- tional skit, according to Equality Arizona and Phoenix Pride. The bill is dangerous, according to Noelle Canez, a drag king who lives in Mesa and performs as Daddy Satan. “Whether it’s happening or not, it tells the public that drag is bad, it’s dangerous, it’s not good for children,” Canez said. “Drag is all about self-expression, love, and teaching people that it’s okay to be gay, straight, trans, a performer — it doesn’t matter.” ‘Erasing Drag From Public Life’ Sponsored by Kern, SB 1028 is “the most draconian” of the five anti-LGBTQ bills on the table, according to Woodbury. This bill would make it illegal to host drag performances at any public place where the show “could be viewed by a minor.” This would criminalize drag brunches, family drag shows, drag story hours, some musicals, and more. Canez is helping to organize the Fuck My Drag Right!? Protest at the State Capitol on January 22. The event aims to stomp out all five bills but particularly SB 1028. “The protest is absolutely necessary because we need to show everybody in political power in Arizona that there is a huge drag community here,” Canez said. “Many people throughout the entire state of Arizona, including many straight people, enjoy the art of drag in general. If drag is limited, not only will people see less art, they will not be able to express themselves.” The bill includes criminal charges for people who host drag shows in public spaces. “It’s really concerning how many of these bills target LGBTQ people and allies with these really harsh punishments like misdemeanors or even felonies,” Woodbury said. “This is a horrifying bill because it effectively erases drag Republican State Senators John Kavanagh (top) and Anthony Kern are the sponsors of a number of bills targeting LGBTQ people. Gage Skidmore/Creative Commons Miriam Wasser >> p 16 Sashay from p 13 15 Jan 19th–Jan 25th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music |
