We are very blessed in Ohio to have some great pro-family legislators in Columbus at the Statehouse, and one of them just introduced a bill to address an emerging threat to children.
It’s House Bill 180 and is the brainchild of State Representative Tim Schaffer from the city of Lancaster and the Fairfield County area. This bill is a response to a recent horrifying situation where a young boy performed in a Lancaster bar. He dressed as a female, danced in a provocative way and was even given money by his cheering adult admirers. He is billed as "Miss Mae Hem" and for this event was wearing a pink leotard trimmed in black fringe, fishnet stockings, a woman's wig, high-heel booties, and full makeup.
The incident got major attention when a video of it surfaced and went viral last month.
Sadly, this was not the boy’s first appearance but his parents have been promoting him all over the state, which is child exploitation and in my view, abuse. And for those who follow the sex trafficking issue, the dangers here should not be casually dismissed.
House Bill 180 addresses such a situation by prohibiting a performance where a child simulates sexual activity from taking place in an establishment that is a D liquor permit holder, which is what a bar that stays open late holds in the state of Ohio. Under the proposed law, the permit would be revoked if this kind of performance takes place.
It’s outrageous that the mayor of Lancaster, when informed about this incident, did not seem too concerned. But thank God we have other officials who are.
And now, the Toledo Blade and other media are publishing articles that spin this situation in a very sleazy direction. In the Blade's coverage, the mother's claim that it's her son's "right" as an "LGBTQ" youth to express himself in "drag" is left unquestioned.
Sorry, mom, we are not buying this as a defensible activity for your 9-year-old.
There is no valid research showing any human is born to dress in "drag" or to pretend to be the opposite sex. If boys are not given permission to dress as girls and perform before adults, this is a good thing, not a bad one. Boys should be directed to more appropriate things to do. Has this mom ever heard of books? Baseball? Climbing trees?
As most of you know there are similar situations cropping up all over the country now where young boys are dressing as females and dancing at public events in an age inappropriate and sexually-suggestive way. When this happens, there are always corrupting adults in the background who have encouraged the child in such heartbreaking behavior.
One boy appeared on Good Morning America and gyrated down a runway to the cheers of the studio audience. What a horrible example for our country and for the millions of parents watching—and their children.
Let’s be sure to tell our state lawmakers to support House Bill 180. It now has bipartisan support and we should thank Tim Schaffer for his leadership on this.
