Controversy Surrounds Drag Shows and Free Speech in Texas and Nebraska

An activist blocked a Texas senate official from stopping a transgender witness from testifying over the allotted time. The activist continued to obstruct the official as Loren Perkins compared lawmakers to Nazis for trying to criminalize drag performances in front of kids. The drama came as dozens of drag performers and their allies testified in the Senate State Affairs Committee on Thursday against a pair of bills filed by Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes. One bill would impose a $10,000 fine on business owners who host sexually-orientated drag shows in front of children, while the other would withhold state funds from municipal libraries that host drag story time events.