Lawmakers rewrite Senate Bill 43 to remove “drag” references, passes House

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KAIT) - Senate Bill 43 can no longer be referred to as the “anti-drag” bill after the Arkansas House rewrote the measure on Monday, Jan. 30.

The bill, which was proposed earlier in January, intended to classify drag performances in the state as “adult-oriented performances”.

The original Senate Bill 43 stated the following:

As of Monday, the bill now says the following:

The bill goes on without a trace of “drag” or “assigned to gender at birth” in the verbiage. The amended bill passed the House on Feb. 6 and goes back to the Senate.

Instead, it states adult performances as a person who appears in a state of nudity or seminude, the purposeful exposure of a specific anatomical area or prosthetic genitalia or breasts, or a specific sexual activity.

Senate Bill 43 now also states an adult-oriented performance shall not take place on public property, admit any minor for attendance, or be funded with public funds.

You can read more about the original proposal of the bill by clicking here.

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