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An effort to restrict drag shows from performing sexually in front of children on public property was upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday.
BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales praised the ruling as the vice president of the Texas Family Project, an organization that was involved in crafting the language of the bill.
'To be clear, Texas children will not be sexually indoctrinated on our watch.'
"Texas Family Project has worked tirelessly to expose the 'all-ages' drag shows happening across the state because we knew no one would believe that scantily clad grown men were performing strip-club routines in front of young children unless we showed them directly," she wrote in a statement to Blaze News.
"We worked with legislators to craft language that would hold up on appeal, and we are so thrilled with today’s long-awaited outcome," she added. "To be clear, Texas children will not be sexually indoctrinated on our watch.
The ban had been blocked by a lower-court judge, but two of the three judges on the appeals panel ruled to restore the ban while the case proceeds through the court process.
The judges disagreed whether the performances were protected free speech under the First Amendment.
"We have genuine doubt ... that pulsing prosthetic breasts in front of people, putting prosthetic breasts in people’s faces, and being spanked by audience members are actually constitutionally protected — especially in the presence of minors," wrote Judge Kurt Engelhardt, joined by Judge Leslie Southwick.
Judge James Dennis partially dissented from the ruling.
"Drag — a costumed, choreographed, and frequently parodic performance that speaks in the idiom of gender — plainly participates in that protected tradition," wrote Dennis. "The majority’s effort to collapse an entire art form into a few salacious acts turns these principles on their head."
The ruling directs the lower court to review the case in light of a Supreme Court ruling on social media, but allows the ban to stay in place while the process plays out.
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The Texas Family Project also released a statement about the ruling on social media.
"Texas law that prevents children from attending sexually explicit drag shows is now in effect!" read the statement. "We have worked for years exposing these events all over the state and the hard work has paid off! Thank you for your continued support of our mission."
Judge Engelhardt was appointed by President Donald Trump, while Southwick was appointed by former President George W. Bush. Judge Dennis was appointed by former President Bill Clinton.
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