After being refused insurance, Houston’s sole lesbian bar owner Pearl Bar is in danger. The owner, Julie Mabry, attributes this refusal to a Texas Legislature anti-drag bill. The underwriter sent Mabry’s agency an email citing drag shows as the cause for the refusal. Mabry feels the current political climate is worsening her situation and has asked Pearl Bar’s Instagram followers to contact politicians and fight Texas anti-LGBTQ measures, including one that might limit drag shows in various venues.
Senate Bill 12 passed the Texas Senate and was scheduled for a House committee consideration. The law could fine violators up to $10,000. Mabry’s demand for action emphasizes that Pearl Bar’s survival and drag shows depend on it. The Instagram post calls for public uproar against all anti-LGBTQ+ laws and an inclusive state.
Equality Texas’s field director, Brad Pritchett, stressed Pearl Bar’s predicament. He blamed politicians’ hysteria over drag, which is permitted in Texas. Pritchett encouraged Texans to speak up against anti-LGBTQ+ laws by directly contacting politicians and making their voices known.
Republican-led laws targeting LGBTQ+ people nationwide mirror Pearl Bar’s situation. Drag show prohibitions are among over 470 similar laws filed in state legislatures this year. A federal judge halted Tennessee’s drag performance ban. Pearl Bar is one of the few remaining lesbian bars in the country and one of two in Texas. Mabry hopes Texas will continue to have more than one.
Mabry’s message of watchful and active resistance to legislative threats resonates with the LGBTQ+ community and supporters. Pearl Bar’s insurance refusal due to drag performances highlights how such measures may hurt companies and a state’s inclusion.
