Montana judge keeps in place a ban on enforcement of law restricting drag shows, drag reading events

By AMY BETH HANSON
Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge in Montana is continuing to block enforcement of a law that puts restrictions on drag shows and bans drag reading events in public schools and libraries. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris said the law targets free speech and expression and that the text of the law and its legislative history reveal “anti-LGBTQ+ animus.” The preliminary injunction extends a temporary restraining order Morris granted in July and blocks enforcement of the law while the challenge moves through the court process. Morris said Montana law already protects minors from exposure to obscenities, and the drag law does not include adequate definitions of what it set out to prohibit.