OK Gov: Drag Shows Are Banned. OK AG: No, They're Not.

Is this as bad as Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond reportedly walking a waffled line on transgender surgery bans? No, but once again, we have the state attorney general and Gov. Kevin Stitt clashing, this time on drag shows. The state Republican leadership has touted HB 1217 as a crackdown on drag shows involving minors. Oklahoma Senate Majority Floor Leader Julie Daniels, a Republican, sought clarification on the language, which she deemed vague. Mr. Drummond then weighed in, offering his opinion yesterday. It carries no legal weight, but it has long been viewed as a guide toward enforcement. For those hoping that this could crack down on drag shows involving minors, it does no such thing.

According to Drummond, drag is not banned, the bar for obscenity could scale the summit of Everest, and later says enforcement of HB 1217 is up to localities. Still, the opinion ripped the rug from what some top Oklahoma Republicans have said about the new law (via The Oklahoman):

Drummond's opinion also arrives as he positions himself as a front-runner in the 2026 governor's race. A recent CHS and Associates poll of likely Republican primary voters showed him with support from more than 40% of respondents — far ahead of former House Speaker Charles McCall, Stitt's speculated preferred successor. In Oklahoma, where the GOP dominates statewide politics, the Republican primary is often the deciding contest.
Daniels formally asked Drummond to weigh in after concerns surfaced over how broadly the law could be interpreted. Although the bill never explicitly mentioned drag, Stitt and other lawmakers promoted it as a crackdown on public drag events, particularly those involving minors.
Daniels, however, told the Examiner-Enterprise the law's vague language created confusion.
"The law we passed is confusing — some people think we have banned drag performances in public places in front of children, because drag performances are obscene material," Daniels said. "Some people think we did not do that because the obscene material statute lays out exactly what has to be part of any performance by anybody to be considered obscene."
"I appreciate the Attorney General issuing the opinion and the clarity that it provides," Daniels told the EE after receiving the opinion.
Her district — and specifically the city of Bartlesville — has become a flashpoint in Oklahoma's drag culture wars.
In recent years, drag events in Bartlesville have drawn protests, petitions and national media attention. After a 2022 Pride event featured drag performances at Unity Square, conservative activists urged the City Council to ban what they called "adult-oriented entertainment" in public spaces.