Minors would not be allowed to attend drag shows under a bill advancing in the Iowa House, and knowingly bringing a minor to a drag show would be a Class D felony.
The bill defines a drag show as a performance centered on someone who exhibits a different gender identity than the one they were assigned at birth by using clothing and makeup, and it would involve some type of performance for entertainment — like singing, lip-syncing, dancing or reading — in front of an audience.
Zoe Mahler, a drag performer in Iowa City, calls the bill’s broad definition a “thinly veiled attempt to target trans people.” They say making their show age-appropriate for younger audiences simply means picking different songs.
“It's simple, because there is absolutely nothing inherently obscene about drag. It challenges our constructs of gender. It provides entertainment and catharsis to queer and cisgender people who are constricted by the same gender ideals that we're relying on to call drag obscene.”
The bill would fine a business $10,000 every time they allow a minor to attend a drag show. It would also allow parents and guardians of the minor to sue.