COVINGTON, Ky. — Covington city leaders recently opened up about their stance on Senate Bill 115 and are strongly condemning this piece of legislation. 

What You Need To Know

  •  Covington leaders recently condemned Senate Bill 115

  •  Senate Bill 115 addresses adult-oriented businesses and activities, including drag performances

  •  Those with the city say this could impact businesses, community members and the annual pride parade

  • The NKY Pride Center also feels this bill attacks the LGBTQ community

Leaders said in a release from Feb. 15 that the bill’s addressing of drag performances as adult-oriented would affect several businesses that host drag shows and Pride, held each year in June in Covington.

The bill calls for a 1,000-foot perimeter of any residence, park, school and other locations where these adult-oriented activities and businesses can’t exist.

NKY Pride Center’s President Bonnie Meyer said the bill could impact Pride because drag performances are part of it and part of the culture.

“Here in Covington, our parade goes down Madison Avenue and goes in front of Braxton and winds down here on Pike Street, and ends in the village and there are houses and parks and schools,” Meyer said.

Covington city leaders said this also negatively affects the Covington image and all the efforts they’ve made to make the city an inclusive space for all to live and work.

“When this sort of legislation comes along, it poses a significant obstacle to our continued revitalization and economic growth,” Mayor Joe Meyer told Spectrum News 1.

Bonnie Meyer said the bill puts a ban on drag.

“When you look at the regulations, when you look at the way we’ve written the bill, I don’t see where drag shows could take place.”

Meyer also pointed out a part in the bill where it connects biological sex with clothing.

“You look at Senate Bill 115 and see how they are attaching biological sex and gender expression and the clothes that we wear, the way we do our hair, whether or not we wear makeup, it feels like further regulation and criminalization of trans people,” she said.

Meyer said feels like an attempt to erase the LGBTQ community, and stresses they aren’t going anywhere.

“I think that there’s a lot of misperceptions. It feels like this is an attempt, an attack, on LGBTQ people, that they’re trying to push us back into the closet, that they’re trying to erase our community erase our visibility, and we’re not going to stand for it,” Meyer said.

Spectrum News 1 reached out to the sponsors of the bill for statements and got this response:

“Drag shows are adult-oriented businesses and this bill classifies and regulates them as such,” State Senator Gary Boswell (R-Owensboro) wrote.

“The overall intent of the bill is to keep minors from being casually or accidentally exposed to adult-oriented content… There are 15 states across the country with similar legislation in progress, I am confident as we work through the legislative process, the bill will accomplish the goal protecting minors from adult-oriented content,” State Senator Lindsey Tichenor (R-Smithfield) wrote.

Bonnie Meyer said she encourages people to register to vote and get out the vote and to call their representatives about legislation that could negatively impact the LGBTQ community. She also mentioned allyship and education as being key in lawmaking.

“I encourage our elected officials who maybe have some misperceptions about the LGBTQ community to have conversations with this community. We need more than ever allyship and support,” Meyer said.

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