Ohio lawmakers resurface bill that would ban drag performances in public

COLUMBUS, Ohio —

The debate over whether drag performances should be allowed in public is returning to the spotlight in Ohio.

House Bill 249 is being called the "Indecent Exposure Modernization Act." While the proposal doesn't specifically use the word "drag," it would ban similar performances in public or in front of children. If approved, it would limit drag performances to adult cabaret venues. Advertisement

The bill defines adult cabaret performances to include topless, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, along with "performers or entertainers who exhibit a gender identity that is different from the performer's or entertainer's biological sex using clothing, makeup, prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts, or other physical markers."

If approved, the bill would create a