Library cancels trans speaker after Montana bans drag readings
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By AMY BETH HANSON
Associated Press
Montana’s new law banning drag reading events at public libraries has led to the cancellation of a transgender speaker in a southwestern Montana city on Friday. Butte-Silver Bow Public Library director Stef Johnson says the library canceled speaker Adria Jawort at the recommendation of county attorneys. On Monday, Jawort posted online about the event at a library on Friday. But she also joked that her speech might be considered illegal because it was being made by a “flamboyantly dressed trans woman.” State law defines a drag queen as a performer who adopts a “flamboyant … feminine persona with glamorous or exaggerated costumes and makeup.” Jawort says she’s a fashionista, but doesn’t dress in drag.