Arizona GOP leaders propose laws to ban children from seeing drag queen shows

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- As Pride Month celebrations happen across the nation, some conservative lawmakers are pushing back — against drag queens. GOP leaders in several states are proposing laws that ban children from seeing drag queen shows during Pride Month festivities and year-round.

Arizona Republican leaders in the Senate want to follow colleagues in Florida and Texas, who have recently proposed to ban kids from going to drag shows. The legislation has not been filed in Arizona yet, and it’s unknown if there’s enough time to debate the bill by the end of this session. However, some Democratic state lawmakers are already against the proposal.

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Arizona Democratic Rep. Daniel Hernandez called the proposal a dangerous idea that ignores real threats to children. “So we know there are real tangible threats to kids. It’s not teachers grooming children, it’s not drag queens showing up and doing storytime, and it’s certainly not this problem. What is a problem is the fact that my Republican colleagues can score political points in their primaries by going after the LGBTQ community, particularly trans kids which we’ve seen be targeted in the Legislature this last legislative session,” said Hernandez.

The Republican-controlled Legislature has already passed two bills targeting transgender children and teens. One bill bans gender reassignment surgery for those under 18 years old, and the other requires them to play on the sports team of their biological sex, regardless of gender identity.