Nebraskan Senator Takes On Religious Indoctrination, Revealing GOP Drag Queen Hypocrisy
In a bold move, Megan Hunt, the first bisexual state senator for Nebraska, has announced intentions to ban “religious indoctrination” for minors as an addition to LB371, the bill banning minors from drag shows, reports Nebraska Public Media.
Ms Hunt believes that adding this addendum highlights the hypocrisy of LB371 and shows how other activities seen as appropriate for children can be framed as moral panic.
PROTECTING CHILDREN
LB371 was introduced by Senator Dave Murman and seeks to prohibit people under 21 attending drag shows. The language defines drag as someone performing or exhibiting markers of a gender they weren’t assigned at birth, reports Nebraska Public Media.
“I think the vast majority of Nebraskans would agree that sexualized dancing and enhanced genitals is not appropriate for children to view,” says Murman.
“It would make it illegal for kids in high school to perform certain plays. What about Hairspray? Under this bill it would be illegal from me to take my 12-year-old to go see Hairspray at the Orpheum or at the Holland Center. And that makes no sense,” says Hunt.
Other commentators have pointed out that certain plays by William Shakespeare would also become inappropriate for children, as would a visit to a Hooters bar, which children can currently enter with a guardian.
Introducing a measure to LB371, Hunt wants religious indoctrination to be banned, too. This would include enrolling children in bible studies and church-based camps.
“Abusers within churches and other religious institutions often use events like church or youth-group-sponsored camps and retreats to earn children’s trust and gain unsupervised access to such children in order to commit such abuse,” she says.
The measure is meant to be used as a tool to demonstrate how drag queen shows are more of a moral panic rather than a pressing issue facing children. “This amendment obviously won’t pass, and I would withdraw it if it had the votes to pass. It’s just a device to make a point,” says Hunt.
Senator Megan Hunt is the first openly LGBTQIA+ senator for Nebraska and has taken stances against many GOP bills.
