SALT LAKE CITY — Dozens of drag queens and kings and supporters marched through the Utah State Capitol on Tuesday, protesting a bill in the legislature that they say will criminalize what they do.
"Stand up, fight back!" they shouted as they walked between the House and Senate chambers.
Some sported signs reading "Drag is not a crime" and "I'm not pornography, I'm a person." The noise from the demonstration was so loud, it could be heard in the chambers.
The protesters were opposed to House Bill 114 sponsored by Rep. Colin Jack, R-St. George, which criminalizes adult-oriented performances that are performed in the presence of a minor.
"This could literally affect all of us," Divina 2.0 told FOX 13 News in an interview. "Being in drag, being here today in the presence of minor, if there’s a minor here? It could be a felony. Also walking to our cars in drag. This also — on the grander scheme of things — affects our Pride festival which is one of the most beautiful things we do in Utah that’s a family oriented, inclusive experience. So this extends beyond what we do for our jobs and entertainment and things like this."
On Wednesday, Rep. Jack insisted his bill was a simple code cleanup for Utah's lewdness statutes requested by the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice and he was not targeting drag performances.
"In no case has it ever been criminal and this does not make it criminal for boys to dress as girls which is the literal translation of drag," he told FOX 13 News. "We're not targeting any performers because we're not adding anything, we're separating lewdness from pornography."
Asked if what drag performers do in their shows considered "lewdness," Rep. Jack replied: "The definition of lewdness is already in code so they can see if what they're doing is that. I can imagine most of them are not that."
HB114 has yet to receive a hearing but could soon in the legislative session. The LGBTQ rights group Equality Utah said it is monitoring the bill.
The City of St. George recently settled a lawsuit filed against it after the city council rejected a permit for a public drag show. A federal judge ruled that drag is protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
