Ohio lawmakers are considering House Bill 249, the “Indecent Exposure Modernization Act,” a proposal that would create a new criminal offense called “unlawful adult cabaret performance.”

HB 249 has already passed the Ohio House of Representatives and is now before the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee. It has not become law.

Under the House-passed bill, a person could face criminal penalties for knowingly and recklessly engaging in an adult cabaret performance outside an adult cabaret. Depending on the circumstances, violations could be charged as a first-degree misdemeanor, fifth-degree felony, or fourth-degree felony.

This proposal goes beyond enforcing Ohio's existing laws against obscenity and indecent exposure. By creating a new criminal category for adult cabaret performances, HB 249 raises serious concerns about how broadly the law could be interpreted and applied to drag performers and other forms of lawful artistic expression.

Drag is a form of performance and expression. Ohio should be able to protect children and enforce existing laws against genuinely unlawful conduct without adopting vague restrictions that could criminalize constitutionally protected performances or disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ artists and communities.

HB 249 is not inevitable. Because the bill remains before the Ohio Senate, senators still have the power to stop it.

We call on the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Ohio Senate to reject HB 249 and protect lawful artistic expression in Ohio.

Sign this petition and urge Ohio senators to vote NO on HB 249.