Pride Celebrations Threatened By Oklahoma Bills

While LGBTQ+ community members have been celebrating their pride since 1970, the year after the Stonewall riots; this June will be the 3rd official Oklahoma City sanctioned parade and celebration.

Organizers have started the process to plan this parade while two bills at the capitol, if turned into law, would curb festivities.

President of the OKC Pride Alliance, Kylan Durant, said the city welcomed the LGBTQ+ community with open arms, with the crescendo of the parade at the city's center, Scissortail Park.

Those two bills, SB 503 and HB 2186, have pride planners and community members worried this year they could be arrested for showing their pride. Kylan shared why Pride being in public is important.

"It is 100% meaningful. We have had a history of having to live in spaces where we were, in essence, in the closet," said Durant.

Now, out in the open Durant said it's time to get the wheels turning for the 3rd official OKC pride celebration at Scissortail Park.

"In such a space that's celebrated it feels affirming, it is affirming because it feels like the whole city is behind you," he said.

But, Durant said, he's planning with one eye on two bills as they move through the state Capitol. Senate Bill 503 casts a wide net and prohibits any lewd or obscene acts in public where minors can see it. The bill specifies that:

No political subdivision of this state shall allow or permit a public display of lewd acts or obscene material in a public place including but not limited to parades, shows, concerts, plays, or any other activity where a minor could witness such lewd acts or obscene material. No individual shall be allowed to show lewd acts or obscene material in a public place where any other individual could witness such lewd acts or obscene material.

It defines "lewd acts" as:

Any sexual behavior imitating sex or sexual acts, groping, indecent exposure of genitalia or sexual paraphernalia, display of replicas of genitalia, sexually touching oneself or someone else, or convincing or forcing someone else to sexually touch or observe sexual behavior.

That bill, if it makes its way to Governor Stitt's desk and is signed, would go into effect November 1st.

HB 2186 has the same sentiment but zeroes in on drag performers. The bill adds them to the list of "adult cabaret performances":

A performance in a location, other than an adult cabaret, that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, drag performers or similar entertainers, whose performance is harmful to minors, regardless of whether or not the performance is for consideration.

Violators of both bills would be charged with a felony. HB 2186 carries up to a two-year prison sentence, and up to a $20,000 fine. Under that bill, organizers can also be charged with a misdemeanor, face a year in county jail and up to a $1,000 fine. Representative Kevin West authored HB 2186 and is a Co-Author on SB 503. He said a violation would need to meet three criteria:

1. It has to be in a public space

2. Minors can see it

3. The performance is deemed harmful to minors.

When asked about who would determine if a performance was considered to be harmful to children, Representative West said, "Anybody can make an allegation against another person and then the police will investigate that. I trust the police. If they say ‘hey, we're not really sure, we're going to go ahead and file these charges’ like I said, from there it'll go to the district attorney."

"When we really talk about it, legislation like this is meant to instill fear," Durant said.

He also said drag performers, like any other performer, can read a room.

"Drag performers know their audiences, adjust to their audiences," Durant continued. "There is an assumption, for some people, that drag is automatically sexually explicit and that's just not true."

HB 2186 defines drag performers as:

A male or female performer who adopts a flamboyant or parodic feminine or masculine persona with glamorous or exaggerated costumes and makeup.

"The definition of what drag is, is so vague and so loose it can definitely impact our trans community," Durant said. “It feels like what they are saying is ‘we don't want queer people on display in any sort of public space.’"

To clarify, while trans people can do drag their gender identity is not drag.

Both bills passed their committees. HB 2186, if it makes it to the Governor's desk, would go into effect with his signature.