drag shows

A Montana LGBTQ+ organization claims the City of Helena withheld the application for its annual pride event citing the recently passed bill banning drag performances on public property.

The state of Montana is facing a new lawsuit just months after it became the first state in the nation to enact a ban on "Drag Queen Story Hour."

Gov. Greg Gianforte recently signed into law a bill outlawing drag performances on public property, a bill defining sex as either “male” or “female” and a bill placing language from the federal Indian Child Welfare Act in state statute.

At the Montana State Capitol, advocates organized drag performances, as a protest against a bill moving forward in the state Legislature that would limit where those performances can be held.

The first in a series of controversial anti-drag bills is a step away from Gov. Katie Hobbs’ desk, and will likely face its end by her veto stamp.

Thirteen Democratic lawmakers lined up to testify against a bill to ban drag in public spaces where minors are present and making bars or restaurants that host such performances “sexually oriented businesses” in Montana.

The bill would bar Montana’s children from attending drag shows and prohibit drag shows from taking place in any publicly funded space.