No sex shows for kids in Texas: Why is this controversial?
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign a bill that would ban staging "sexually explicit shows in front of children," reports William Melhado in the Texas Tribune.
So, "adult" entertainment will be for adults only.
Business owners who host a sex show and performers would face fines and possible jail time, if children are in the audience.
The legislation started out as a ban on drag shows for kids, but was amended to deal with any lewd behavior. “You want it to cover inappropriate drag shows, but you [also] want it to cover if a stripper starts doing stuff in front of a child,” Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano, said.
"LGBTQ lawmakers applauded the removal of the direct reference to drag performers," writes Melhado.
However, advocates note the definition of sexual conduct includes the use of “accessories or prosthetics that exaggerate male or female sexual characteristics,” accompanied with sexual gesticulations, which they say targets drag performers.
The ACLU warns that terms such as "prurient interest in sex" might be defined broadly.
Tennessee's law banning "adult cabaret entertainment" -- topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators, or similar entertainers -- on public property or in the view of minors was overturned by a federal judge, who ruled it was an unconstitutional infringement on free speech.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker ruled that the law was “both unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad," reports Reuters. "No majority of the Supreme Court has held that sexually explicit — but not obscene — speech receives less protection than political, artistic, or scientific speech,” Parker wrote.