Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Dem Lawmaker Expertly Shames Arkansas Bill Classifying Drag Shows The Same As Strip Clubs

screenshots of Senator Greg Leding from TikTok
@indivisiblerca/TikTok

State Senator Greg Leding pointed out how the state ranks on more pressing child welfare issues in an impassioned speech on the Senate floor.

Democratic Arkansas state Senator Greg Leding expertly tackled GOP-sponsored legislation to classify drag shows the same as strip clubs.

He pointed out Arkansas has a low ranking on more pressing child welfare issues in an impassioned speech on the Senate floor.


Leding stood up for LGBTQ+ rights in the process at a time when the right-wing has ramped up attacks against LGBTQ+ people and used drag shows as a scapegoat.

You can hear what Leding said in the video below.

@indivisiblelrca

Democratic Senator Greg Leding drops the mic on the senate floor in opposition of SB43 which bans drag and gender nonconformity in Arkansas #ARLeg #ARpx #Drag #SB43 #StopTheBans #DragIsBeautiful

Leding said:

"How many kids do we think in Arkansas are unintentionally witnessing drag performances? How often do we think this is happening?"
"Where do we think Arkansas ranks in children who have seen a drag show?"
"I know we're number two in child food insecurity, we're fifth in child mortality, we're seventh in child death by firearm, and 16th in teen suicides."
"Where do we think we rank in the number of children who have seen a drag show?"

The state senator added:

"Our daughter has seen one. My wife and I, both Christians, took our daughter to one at The Momentary in [the town of] Bentonville. She had a great time [and] the room was full of families."
"All people saw were people who clearly put a lot of work and time and expense into performing for people."
"There was loud music, there was dancing, all anybody experienced was the joy of watching people do what they love in a room of people to support them. And maybe loud music and dancing is not your thing."

Leding addressed the harm the bill will cause.

"I'm an introvert who likes a quiet room all myself but I really can't say this bill is going to do anything to protect kids."
"It will hurt kids, particularly kids who struggle to feel welcome and safe and accepted as though they belong in Arkansas and they do belong in Arkansas regardless of who they love, how they identify, or what they wear. They very much have the right to feel welcome and safe and loved as the rest of us."
"I can't imagine how they feel when they watch their legislature demonize their community and make them feel as though they're somehow a threat to their peers just by being who they are."

He concluded:

"So who does this help? Who does this hurt?"
"It's going to hurt a lot of people."

Many praised Leding for his spirited opposition to the legislation and criticized Republicans for backing it.





The bill in question—Senate Bill 43—ultimately passed, putting drag performances in the same category as strip clubs and porn shops.

It was sponsored by Republican Gary Stubblefield of District 26 and co-sponsored by Republican Representative Mary Bentley of District 73.

Stubblefield said "I can't tell you" when reporters asked him to identify any instances of children witnessing "adult behavior" at drag shows.

Bentley said she heard of a drag parade in Little Rock where "emergency contraceptions" were "tossed into the crowd where children were present" but reporters could not verify her claim.

More from News/lgbtq

JD Vance; Jen Psaki
Johannes Simon/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Vance Gets Brutal Reminder After Accusing Jen Psaki Of 'Attacking' People For Praying Following School Shooting

Vice President JD Vance was criticized after he lashed out at MSNBC host Jen Psaki for saying that "prayer is not freaking enough" to end school shootings after a shooter killed two children and wounded 17 others during the first week of classes at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.

Psaki spoke out on X shortly after the shooting occured, to stress that "thoughts and prayers" don't actually address or prevent mass shootings and gun violence overall:

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @andydouglas.trumpboy's TikTok video; President Donald Trump
@andydouglas.trumpboy/TikTok; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Video Of Little Boy Sobbing After Finding Out Trump Is A Real Person Goes Viral—And We Totally Get It

Whether it was Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, or some other important facet of childhood, most of us found out when we were kids that something we loved did not exist, and it was absolutely devastating and world-changing.

But imagine there being something that you deeply disliked or feared, only for you to find out that it actually exists on the same plane and in the same timeline as you.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @originalsugarphly's TikTok video
@originalsugarphly/TikTok

Woman Stunned After Best Friend Of 23 Years Ends Friendship Over Her 'Mom Shorts'

We will all have friends who come into our lives for a reason, for a season, or for a lifetime. There are those situational friendships, like from work or school, that dissolve when we exit that space, and there are friendships that might form from knowing the same people.

Then there are those tried-and-true friendships that we think will truly stand the test of time—but even those sometimes fracture under pressure. And sometimes for the most ridiculous reasons.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @nurse_xtina129's TikTok
@nurse_xtina129/TikTok

Woman Sparks Debate By Putting Out Small Fire At Dunkin' Donuts After Workers Ignored It

Imagine hitting that afternoon slump and seeking out your favorite caffeinated beverage: a highlight in an otherwise dumpster fire kind of day. But then you arrive at your coffeehouse of choice—and there's literally a fire.

TikToker Cristina Conklin was waiting in line for a beverage at Dunkin' Donuts in Warwick, New York, when she became either a villain or a hero, depending on who was watching her TikTok video.

Keep ReadingShow less
Former Republican congressman and Fox News host Trey Gowdy
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

MAGA Fumes Over Fox Gun Control Talk

The nation is reeling after yesterday’s mass shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, where a gunman opened fire during a Catholic school Mass, killing two children and injuring more than a dozen others. The tragedy has not only shaken the community but also reignited the national debate over guns in America—this time sparked by an unlikely voice.

Former Republican congressman and Fox News host of Sunday Night in America, Trey Gowdy—long seen as a staunch defender of gun rights and a past recipient of National Rifle Association contributions—surprised many of his own allies when he called for a national reckoning on firearms access.

Keep ReadingShow less