Legislation to ban adult entertainment on public property was introduced Wednesday in the state House, and it could restrict drag shows.
Republican Representative Jeff Zenger says the proposal stems from a drag show held at Forsyth Tech Community College.
“They grabbed a minor student and did basically like a lap dance on this student. And we had parents blowing up all over the place about this," he said, "And so that's where we said, 'okay, well, what can we do here to tighten that up so that this kind of touching and different things doesn't happen?'”
The bill would also make it a crime to have adult entertainment when someone under age 18 is present.
Representative Marcia Morey, a Democrat from Durham, says the legislation could affect events like the city’s annual Beaver Queen Pageant, which includes drag performers.
She said, “It's good fun, but I'm worried some of the provisions in here, it would outlaw it.”
The bill’s definitions for adult entertainment include nudity and physical contact, but don’t specifically list drag performances.