Butte library cancels transgender speaker in deference to new drag ban bill
Public officials in Butte made headlines last week for enforcing House Bill 359 — Montana’s ban on broadly defined drag performances and story hours in schools, libraries, and other places where minors are present — when they canceled a Friday presentation about the history of transgender and Indigenous two spirit people in the West at the Butte Public Library.
To be clear, the presentation was not a drag performance or a drag story hour, where people in elaborate costumes typically lip sync, dance or read children’s books. Rather, the event was to be hosted by writer, activist and transgender woman Adria Jawort — wearing her usual clothing and perhaps holding books — and feature discussions about gender and sexuality in a historical context.
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Joyce acknowledged that the county’s actions could be seen as discriminatory toward transgender people and possibly even grounds for a lawsuit. She said the county is open to rescheduling the event in the future, pending further conversations and clarification about its content.
Jawort could not be reached for comment before publication. In a Friday morning Twitter post, she framed Butte-Silver Bow’s decision as reactionary and based in fear.