'Drag story hour' comes to the Arizona House, and Republicans faint dead away

Break out the smelling salts.

On Tuesday, the Arizona Legislature was, as usual, not working, and so the Arizona LGBTQ+ Caucus met in the House basement for a “drag story hour.”

There were no children present, according to Rep. Lorena Austin, D-Mesa, who organized the event in conjunction with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona.

There was nothing sexually explicit or even vaguely provocative, based upon videos posted to social media. Just a person dressed in makeup, a sparkly suit and what looked to be a rather cool hat that Zorro would have totally worn, reading a story to adults about issues confronting the LGBTQ+ community.

Republicans were in immediate need of oxygen.

GOP freaks over drag, but not forgery claims

“This is a desecration of the people’s house,” Rep. Rachel Jones, R-Tucson, huffed. “I am LIVID!!!”

“She should be #Expelled!” Jones’ seatmate Sen. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, thundered. (If, in fact, you can thunder on social media.) “I call on the members of the House to file an ethics complaint immediately.”

“I second that motion,” chimed in indicted Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, who awaits trial on nine felony charges.

Well, goodness.

Let’s review, shall we?

Rep. Austin Smith, R-Wittman, ran for the hills on April 18 when he was accused of forging 100 signatures on his nominating petitions to get on the July 30 ballot.  Rather than fighting the legal challenge to his petitions, Smith quickly withdrew his reelection bid.

Given that forgery is a serious accusation, you might think that some Republican legislator might have called for an ethics investigation to dig into whether this elected official engaged in election fraud, and if so, whether he meets the Legislature’s ethical standards.

Nope.

Indicted senators skate. Democrats must pay

How about Sens. Kern and Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek?

On April 24, they were each criminally charged with nine felonies, accused of forgery, fraud and conspiracy for passing themselves off as phony Trump electors in the scheme to overthrow Arizona’s vote in the 2020 election.

Given the state grand jury indictments, you might think that some Republican legislator might have called for an ethics investigation — or at least suggested that perhaps the pair shouldn’t be chairing the Senate’s Judiciary (Kern) and Government (Hoffman) committees while they are awaiting trial.

Nope.

But Rep. Lorena Austin?

“OUTRAGEOUS: Democrats are promoting a Drag Story Hour at the State Capitol and using YOUR TAXES to do it,” the Arizona Republican Party fumed.

House Speaker Ben Toma, who is running for Congress in a crowded Republican primary, immediately stripped all Democrats of access to House meeting rooms, claiming Austin “deliberately misled” House leadership when reserving a conference room.

“Use of House facilities for radical activism to promote dangerously perverse ideology will not be tolerated while I am Speaker,” Toma announced. “As a result, I’ve ordered that Democrats have lost the privilege of accessing House meeting rooms until trust can be restored.”

Arizona Legislature must stop this madness

Austin countered that she was “completely transparent ... and the content was not, or should not be, controversial.”

“This is the people’s House and that includes the LGBTQ+ community, whether my colleagues on the other side of the aisle like that or not ...,” said Austin, who is nonbinary. “I hosted a drag performer who read stories about LGBTQ+ history and inclusion. There were no minors present, but also no content that would offend a minor.”

So, Democrats are in the doghouse and Republicans are apparently in the ER, in need of medical intervention at the mere thought of a drag performer entering their — or should I say our — House.

Just in from the AZ GOP: We be crazy

Meanwhile, no word on whether Republicans will take action against Kern, who several weeks ago convened a prayer circle on the Senate floor wherein they “spoke in tongues” as they beseeched the Lord to preserve the state’s 1864 near total ban on abortions.

Yet a handful of consenting adults (read: Democrats) meet in the House basement, on a day when the Legislature isn’t even around, to talk about LGBTQ+ issues, and suddenly Winged Victory herself, atop the Capitol dome, is in need of a fainting couch.

“The madness must stop,” Senate Republicans moaned.

Actually, I agree. The madness must stop.

And given that this Legislature has no evident interest in solving any of the state’s most pressing problems — the need for affordable housing and reliable water and reasonable regulation of the state’s runaway school voucher program and such — I know just how to make the madness end.

May I suggest … adjournment?

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @LaurieRoberts or on Threads at @laurierobertsaz.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Republicans overreact to 'drag story hour' at the Arizona House