Texas Senate Limits Access to Drag Shows and Defunds Libraries with Drag Queen Story Time.

The Texas Senate has preliminarily voted to defund public libraries where drag queens are allowed to read to children, as part of a push to restrict drag shows. The bill does not tie its financial penalties to the performers’ behavior and essentially targets all libraries’ drag queen story hours, which are aimed at promoting literacy and encouraging children to read. Lawmakers, most of whom are Republicans, are pushing a bevy of bills during this legislative session that threaten to upend the lives of many LGBTQ Texans.