Another Republican Lawmaker Trying To Ban Drag Shows Apparently Once Dressed In Drag

<div class="js-react-hydrator" data-component-name="YouTube" data-component-id="2457" data-component-props="{"itemType":"video","index":0,"contentListType":"embed","code":"

","type":"video","meta":{"author":"GLAAD","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZmLgxP2N3Vj0XaQtohLT-A","cache_age":86400,"description":"\"RuPaul’s Drag Race\" celebrated its 200th episode on February 24 with a special viewing event at Heart in West Hollywood. Season 15 queens Sasha Colby (who was the winner of last week’s episode) and Marcia Marcia Marcia were on hand for the festivities alongside Drag Race alums\nAngeria Paris VanMichaels (Season 14), Heidi N Closet (Season 12), Jackie Cox (Season 12), June Jambalaya (Season 14), Kerri Colby (Season 14), Kylie Sonique Love (Season 2 & All Stars 6 winner), Laganja Estranja (Season 6), Priyanka (Drag Race Canada Season 1 winner), as well as Vanessa Vanjie Mateo (Season 10 & Season 11).\n\nThe event, which included a performance from Sasha, was a fabulous and sickening celebration of the Emmy Award-winning reality competition and the ground it has broken for the LGBTQIA community. Although things have progressed since Drag Race aired its first episode on Logo TV in 2009, the queer community continues to be the target of discrimination.\n\nDrag story hour has been protested by numerous people and Tennessee seems to be leading this charge. The state has introduced bills to ban public drag performance as well as gender affirming care for minors. Montana also approved legislation to ban minors from attending drag shows.\n\nAs of February 2023, state legislators have already introduced 300 anti-LGBTQ bills – and that number continues to rise. This news isn’t something that the queens are taking lightly. At the 200th episode celebration, the queens gave some fighting words of support and courage during this time.\n\n“It’s wild to see what’s going on as all these anti-trans bills being disguised as anti-drag bills,” said Sasha Colby. “You know what we’re not gonna do? We’re not gonna let them take us down. We’re going to keep doing what we need to do. Because you know what? Drag is for us and drag is art.”\n\nShe continued, “We’re doing something right when the government is nervous about us… if it wasn’t for drag, not only would I not be Sasha Colby, but I think I would be a very broken person, alone person. Without drag, I wouldn’t be able to figure out who I really am and my voice. And that’s what they want to stop from us, so let’s not do that.”\n\n“Stay woke, stay brave, and stay in drag,” Sasha punctuated.\n\nKerri Colby, Sasha’s drag daughter, continued that sentiment saying, “This is all just a game and a ploy to distract… this is nothing but a distraction to break people’s focus from being about their life and being about their truth. If you’re not focused on what you need to do, you’re going to get caught up in everything that you are not meant to be caught up in.\n\nKerri, like Sasha, sees drag as a touchstone that saved her life – and they are not the only ones. “That’s why this tradition has gone back for hundreds of years and it’s brought so much positivity,” she said. “I’m on here to just continue to spread that positivity because we need more of that.”\n\nDrag was a life saver for Laganja Estranja. “If it wasn’t for drag, I would have never found my truth as a trans woman,” she said.\n\nJackie Cox (aka the Persian Princess of Drag Race) and June Jambalaya also offered words of encouragement for people to unite and fight against the negativity and these laws. And like the other queens, the joy and art of drag helped Jackie and Jambalaya find acceptance and live authentically.\n\nKylie Sonique Love bluntly said, “This isn’t the first time they tried to do this shit and it won’t be the last. So we’re going to keep just doing what we do and inspire and encourage everybody and do it with a smile on your face.”\n\nHeidi N Closet shared that she has been on the frontlines when it comes to protesting. “It has truly brought out a side in the world that I have not seen in many many years,” she said. “Being a gay, Black man from the south, I’ve seen such bigoted behavior and such disrespect and racism and every time those things come to light it tears us apart.”\n\nLike her sisters, she sees drag as an art that brings people together and helps people be their authentic self. “We’ve really got to stop this attack.”\n\nSeason 15 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” airs Fridays at 8pm ET/PT on MTV.","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Vfpnnbxn8gw/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"WATCH: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Queens Speak Out Against Anti-Trans, Anti-Drag Legislation","type":"video","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfpnnbxn8gw","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://www.huffpost.com","locale":"en_US"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isMt":false,"entryId":"63ffe95ee4b0d14ed6a59e4e","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/texas-republican-lawmaker-nate-schatzline-anti-drag-bill-dressed-in-drag_n_63ffe95ee4b0d14ed6a59e4e","entryTagsList":"republicans,drag,texas-legislature,@queer_voices,@voices","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":"politics-news","sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"queer-voices","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065"},"customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":5},"before_you_go_slideshow":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"63ffe95ee4b0d14ed6a59e4e","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Republicans","slug":"republicans","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/republicans","permalink":"https://www.huffpost.com/topic/republicans","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffpost.com/topic/republicans"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Republican Party","slug":"republican-party","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffpost.com/news/topic/republican-party"},{"name":"drag","slug":"drag","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/drag","permalink":"https://www.huffpost.com/topic/drag","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffpost.com/topic/drag"},"url":"https://www.huffpost.com/topic/drag"},{"name":"Texas Legislature","slug":"texas-legislature","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/texas-legislature","permalink":"https://www.huffpost.com/topic/texas-legislature","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffpost.com/topic/texas-legislature"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"U.S. News","slug":"us-news"},"topic":{"title":"Texas","slug":"texas","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffpost.com/news/topic/texas"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-1\", \"entry_paragraph_1\", false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-2\", \"entry_paragraph_3\", false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-infinite\", \"repeating_dynamic_display\", false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"isLiveblogEmbed":false}”>

[embedded content]

Trying to outlaw drag shows is turning out to be a real drag for yet another Republican politician.

Nate Schatzline, a pastor and Texas state representative, has authored legislation that would restrict drag performances, according to NBC News.

However, a video surfaced this week apparently showing Schatzline as a teenager wearing a mini-dress for a school project.

The 90-second video shows Schatzline in a black sequined dress and red mask skipping, running and dancing in a park with three other young men also dressed in drag to the tune of “Sexy Lady” by Javi Mula.

All four characters have nicknames, and Schatzline’s is “The Virgin.”

Some people checked in with Schatzline to see if it really was him in the video, and his initial response, though negative, suggested it was him.

Other people claimed Schatzline was just joking…

But the person who posted the video pointed out the words in Schatzline’s own bill could be interpreted to suggest that his behavior in the video could be criminal if his bill were to pass.

NBC News noted that although Schatzline’s performance in the video “would meet most dictionary definitions of ‘drag,’ it is unclear whether it would be prohibited under the legislation Schatzline introduced in January.”

Schatzline’s bill, HB 1266, seeks to redefine a venue that hosts a “drag performance” and “authorizes on-premises consumption of alcoholic beverages” as a “sexually oriented business.”

It also defines a drag performance as “a performance in which a performer exhibits a gender identity that is different than the performer’s gender assigned at birth using clothing, makeup, or other physical markers and sings, lip syncs, dances, or otherwise performs before an audience for entertainment.”

Schatzline eventually commented on the video, claiming that “wearing a dress as a joke back in school for a theatre project” is not “a sexually explicit drag show.”

He also posted this video response.

The resurfaced video comes just days after a 1977 photo of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in drag resurfaced just as the Republican planned to sign legislation to make it illegal for “male or female impersonators” to perform in public.

In addition, Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) admitted last month that he dressed in drag in Brazil but claimed he was not a “drag queen.”