Library cancels trans speaker after Montana bans drag readings

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.