State taxpayer funds could soon be removed from libraries that host “drag queen story hours,” in which men dressed as women read books to young children.
Senate Bill 18 by State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R–Mineola) would cut off state and local funding to libraries that facilitate such events, which Hughes says are a form of political activism rather than education.
“A municipal library may not receive state or other public funds if the library hosts an event at which a man presenting as a woman or a woman presenting as a man reads a book or a story to a minor for entertainment,” the bill states. “The state and a political subdivision of the state may not provide funds to the municipal library for the fiscal year following the year in which the library hosts an event described by this section.”
Laying out the bill in committee in the Senate State Affairs Committee on Thursday, Hughes pointed to past instances in Texas where public libraries have hosted drag queen story hours, including in cities like Houston, Dallas, and Austin.
He noted that the founding organization of these events has openly stated its goal is to introduce young children to “gender fluidity” and provide them with “queer role models.”
Hughes also referenced a case in Houston where it was discovered that a library had allowed a registered sex offender to participate in the program without conducting a background check.
“The library is supposed to be a safe place where children can learn, where parents don’t have to worry about what they’re being exposed to,” Hughes said. “This bill is very simple: if a library chooses to host these events, they will lose public funding.”
Testimony on the bill was significantly less contentious than similar measures heard in past legislative sessions, where large numbers of drag performers and left-wing activists flooded the Capitol in protest. While this hearing featured witnesses on both sides, the turnout was noticeably lower.
Among those testifying in favor of the legislation was Vanessa Sivadge, a registered nurse and whistleblower who accused Texas Children’s Hospital of illegally billing Medicaid for gender mutilation procedures on minors. She now leads Protecting Texas Children, a group advocating against gender ideology targeting kids.
“No library should be used to promote gender ideology and inappropriate content to minors,” Sivadge said. “Across Texas, public libraries have hosted events where adult men dress as women and entertain young children—not as educators, but as performers. These events are not about literacy; they are about pushing a political agenda onto impressionable children in taxpayer-funded spaces.”
Sivadge argued that public funds should be used to support education, not activism. “If a library wants to prioritize gender ideology over educational integrity, they should do so without taxpayer dollars,” she concluded.
On the other side, Brigitte Bandit, a self-described “female drag queen,” testified against the legislation. Bandit, who previously spoke at the Texas Democrat Convention advocating for child mutilation procedures, claimed that drag queen story hours are no different than other forms of children’s entertainment.
“This bill would impact my ability to work with children simply based on a subjective and ill-defined expectation of how I should look,” Bandit argued. “Drag is simply a form of art, and like any form of art, it can be modified for different kinds of audiences.”
She also framed the bill as an attack on the First Amendment. “Drag story times promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusivity—things that threaten those who seek power through hatred, intolerance, and division,” she claimed. “Regardless of what happens to this bill, I will continue my drag story times.”
Maxine LaQueene, a full-time drag performer, also spoke against the bill, claiming it was another attempt to target drag after a federal judge ruled a similar law unconstitutional last year.
“Drag is a form of creative expression and a constitutionally protected exercise of free speech,” LaQueene said. “If the true concern here is the well-being of Texas children, I can say with absolute certainty that drag queens reading fairy tales are not a legitimate threat to them.”
However, Jamie Haynes, an activist with Texans Wake Up, pushed back on those arguments, emphasizing that the debate isn’t about artistic expression—it’s about the rights of children.
“Children have natural rights,” Haynes said. “They have the right to the unique roles of both a mother and a father in their development. Drag performances aimed at children encourage them to discard the biological roles of men and women in society.”
Haynes accused opponents of prioritizing the desires of adults over the well-being of children. “We are prioritizing adult desire above children’s natural rights,” she said. “Adults need to make sacrifices so that children don’t have to.”
The bill follows legislation passed last session that sought to ban sexually oriented performances in front of minors, including drag performances, but was challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union and remains tied up in the legal system.
SB 18 remains under consideration in the Senate committee.
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