As Predicted, Anti-Drag Laws Are Being Weaponized to Silence Trans People

A few months ago, Adria Jawort and others testified before the Montana legislature that its law banning drag events at public libraries would be used to target and silence transgender people. Just as she and others anticipated, it’s now being used to bar her from speaking about LGBTQ+ history.

Jawort, a Cheyenne writer and transgender woman, had been scheduled to speak at Butte-Silver Bow Public Library about the history of the two-spirit tradition in Native American culture. “Two-spirit” is an indigenous term for the alternative gender status of tribe members who have both male and female traits, a fascinating example of how trans and nonbinary people have always existed in all cultures and societies. The library canceled her talk—again, a history lecture, not a drag show—out of fear that they would run afoul of the state’s new anti-drag law and risk losing their public funding.

Jawort was well aware that her event might fall victim to HB 359 because of how broadly the law was written to forbid any male or female performer in “flamboyant” clothing from interacting with kids at a library. As she explained on her Twitter account, her presentation would include reading from a book and talking about sexuality while dressed as herself, and as a public event, there might be minors present. In the state of Montana, that all apparently adds up to “drag show.”

Jawort told Montana Public Radio that the point of her post was to show how HB 359 could be used to silence trans people in public spaces, and the point of her talk was to fight the ignorance behind such laws. “To combat bigotry, you present knowledge,” she told MPR. “Just pointing out that trans people have always existed in Montana, since time immemorial I like to say.”

Sure enough, someone complained to the county via Facebook messenger about the planned “transexxual (sic) reading to children … discussing sexual acts.” Because according to neighborhood bigots and state legislators, merely talking about the existence or history of LGBTQ+ people is equivalent to showing them porn.

After the complaint was made, County Attorney Eileen Joyce recommended that the library cancel the event. “Our commitment to promoting inclusivity and intellectual exploration remains, but not in violation of law,” Library Director Stef Johnson wrote in a statement. The cancellation was announced on the same day that the county issued a proclamation in support of pride month and held a ceremony to raise the pride flag at the courthouse.

But LGBTQ+ people are not exactly feeling that support. After warning that this is exactly what would happen as a result of this and other anti-trans legislation, they are understandably frustrated at having to say “I told you so.” As Jawort wrote in an Instagram post, “We trans/LGBTQ activists had long pointed out how these anti-Drag laws could/would be used to target trans people, and people called us reactionary for it.”

Erin Reed, another transgender journalist who gives speeches in red states on trans issues, has repeatedly warned that these laws would be weaponized against trans people.

Although Jawort’s speaking event was canceled, she is not about to be silent. She told MPR she is open to giving her talk at an alternative site in the future. According to her Instagram, she’s also considering challenging this violation of her First Amendment rights in court.

(via Montana Public Radio, featured image: screengrab, KBZK Bozeman MT News)