A federal judge in Montana on Friday halted a ban on drag performances in the state, days before one of the largest Pride events starts, reported KTVH.
U.S. District Judge Brian Morris issued a temporary restraining order, arguing that Montana's House Bill 359, passed by the state majority GOP Legislature and signed into law by GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte in May, was an unconstitutional threat to speech that will "disproportionately harm not only drag performers, but any person who falls outside traditional gender and identity norms."
"Constitutional violations, moreover, never serve the public interest," he wrote in the filing on Friday.
Helena's Pride celebration marks its 30th anniversary in two days.
The law seeks to ban minors from attending what it calls "sexually oriented" performances, and bans such performances in public places where minors might be present. However, it does not adequately define many of the terms used in the law, causing people to self-censor out of fear of prosecution, plaintiffs' attorney Constance Van Kley with Upper Seven Law argued Wednesday. Numerous organizations and individuals filed suit earlier this month.
"Plaintiffs, along with the approximately 15,000 Montanans who wish to attend the [Montana Pride] events, cannot avoid chilled speech or exposure to potential civil or criminal liability" without the temporary restraining order, Morris wrote.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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