'Do we start showing Triple X movies?' Kentucky Republican equates drag queen story hour with porn

Last March, Kentucky State Senator Stephen Meredith (R-5th District) drew the ire of country singer Dolly Parton's sister Stella after he insulted the Imagination Library initiative that the legendary entertainer founded to provide free books to young residents of the Commonwealth.

"Lawmakers including Meredith, R-Leitchfield, discussed Senate Bill 164, which proposes a state partnership with the program, during a legislative committee meeting in Frankfort on Wednesday. Meredith spoke in favor of adding safeguards to ensure children receive appropriate content through the program," the Louisville Courier-Journal reported that day.

According to Parton, Meredith feared that Imagination Library would "indoctrinate our children." Indeed, Meredith confirmed that "I think that certainly is warranted, given today's environment. But I wonder if that's enough. You know, should it be subject-appropriate as well? Because I have seen some literature that's considered preschool that ... I think is inappropriate content for children that age."

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The Courier-Journal noted that "Meredith went on to vote in favor of advancing the Imagination Library legislation." Now, a year later, Meredith is engaging in right-wing fearmongering about drag performers.

On Thursday, the Republican-dominated State Senate in a 29-4 vote passed Senate Bill 5, which seeks to "create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define 'harmful to minors'; require local boards of education to adopt a complaint resolution policy to address parent complaints about materials that are harmful to minors; require the school to ensure that a student whose parent has filed a complaint does not have access to the material; require the Kentucky Department of Education to promulgate model complaint resolution policy; EMERGENCY."

The first section of SB5 states that "as used in this section, 'harmful to minors' means materials, programs, or events that: (a) Contain the exposure, in an obscene manner, of the unclothed or apparently unclothed human male or female genitals, pubic area, or buttocks or the female breast, or visual depictions of sexual acts or simulations of sexual acts, or explicit written descriptions of sexual acts; (b) Taken as a whole, appeal to the prurient interest in sex; or (c) Is patently offensive to prevailing standards regarding what is suitable for minors."

While not explicitly mentioned in SB5's language, Meredith revealed that he intends to use it to prevent drag queens – whom he equated to prostitutes – from reading to kids and then declared drag queen story hours the same as pornography.

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"I never imagined in my life we would have drag queen story hour in our libraries for children. Where do we draw the line? Is next do we bring prostitutes to school to talk about career day? Now, you may laugh about that, but think about it. That's not that far of a stretch," Meredith said.

"If we're having drag queen story hour. Exactly, why not? Do we start showing Triple X movies, under the guise of art appreciation? Why not?" he asked. "This is not a bridge too far."

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