Originally Published: 08 FEB 23 14:40 ET

By Julie Koharik

COLUMBIA, Missouri (KOMU) -- Columbia's 2023 Columbia Values Diversity Celebration received pushback from both Columbia Public School parents and state legislators. Now, one of the drag performers at the breakfast is speaking out against legislation aimed to restrict drag shows in the state.

"It's an art form," David Hall, who performs under the name Kaycee, said. "It's very much like dance. Dance, you can have those very masculine or very feminine performances, but then there's those numbers that you can't tell. It's just movement."

House bill 498 seeks to "include businesses that host drag performances in the definition of a sexually oriented business." However, Hall says drag performances aren't inherently sexual. Like the performance at the diversity breakfast, many are family-friendly.

"They think it's all just sexual," Hall said. "In reality, that's a huge, huge lie. All of us are in multiple layers of tights. Everything is completely covered up."

House bill 494 seeks to restrict "adult cabaret performances," in a location other than an adult cabaret, and includes any male or female impersonation that provides entertainment that appeals to "prurient interest." If seen by a minor, this bill would make it a class A misdemeanor for the performers.

Attorney General Andrew Bailey recently wrote a letter to the Missouri School Board Association. In it, he asked for the organization to prohibit taking students to drag shows. Hall says legislators like Bailey should have been at the breakfast to see it for themselves.

"I wish you would've been there because it's a diversity breakfast," Hall said. "You can't exclude certain parts of the community and call it diversity and inclusion."

On Jan. 19, 30 CPS students attended the event, according to CPS spokesperson Michelle Baumstark. Students from private and parochial schools also attended. At the time, the district said it received two complaints from parents of children who attended the event, but many complaints from parents who did not have students at the event.

Last week, CPS Superintendent Brian Yearwood issued an apology to parents and said the district will review its permission slip policy.