LEXINGTON, Ky. — Senate Bill 115 has received a lot of backlash from the LGBTQ community because of its provisions to not allow drag performances within 1,000 feet of parks, libraries, schools and more.
There are several businesses that host drag shows and brunches that are concerned with the impact this bill might have on them. One of those businesses is Wise Bird Cider, which hosts bi-monthly drag brunches. If the bill passes, staff at Wise Bird Cider are concerned that they won’t be able to host the brunches because of the cidery’s proximity to a walking trail and residential buildings.
“If you’re on the trail, it just doesn’t seem to make sense that just in the proximity to the homes, how does that affect them when we have a show inside of our building?” said Emily Mayworm, the general manager at Wise Bird Cider who also helps to organize the drag brunches.
According to one of Wise Bird’s owners, Tim Wright, the brunches are the most popular event they host and bring in a lot of revenue.
“We’re running a small business and this is a successful event for us and it’s an event that our community and our customers demand,” said Wright.
Alastor Jolie was one of the performers at the cidery’s latest drag brunches. It was her first time performing there, and she enjoyed the environment.
“I don’t understand how something like this can go through when something like a business’ intention to operate freely is such a highly regarded thing in this country and then all of a sudden because it involves queer people, that gets thrown out the window,” said Jolie.
According to the lawmakers that are sponsoring the bill, the intention is to protect minors. State Sen. Adrienne Southworth is among the six senators that sponsored SB 115.
“The focus really is if it’s not going to be suitable for kids then it needs to be covered up in someway or the other,” said Southworth.
However, those who are against the bill argue that drag performances where children are present are not obscene.
“My act is generally for an adult audience but if someone hires me to do an all-ages show, I also have enough sense to know what is and what isn’t appropriate in that kind of a setting,” said Jolie.
The bill is still being debated in a Senate Committee and its sponsors say there are some wrinkles they wish to iron out.
In the meantime, Wright said that “we will continue to host monthly drag brunches for as long as we can and hope that this bill doesn’t pass.”