On Tuesday, a step was taken by the Senate Judiciary Committee to create sharper lines around what is deemed acceptable in public performances. The committee approved a bill aimed at barring any adult entertainment deemed obscene from being performed in public places or where children might watch. According to the Oklahoma State Senate's official website, House Bill 1217 is looking to outlaw performances that involve sexual material, using a broad benchmark by considering "the average person" to determine what is “patently offensive.”
Authored by Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, and coauthored by Senator Bullard, this proposal, if passed, would also restrict local governments from authorizing or hosting such events on public property. While shaping this legislation, Senator David Bullard said, “Public spaces should be places of common decency, where families can feel secure and kids are protected from sexually explicit or offensive material.” He emphasized the importance of safeguarding children against exposure to crude content in environments that should be safe and family-friendly, as written in a statement obtained by the Oklahoma State Senate's news release.
Violators of HB 1217, if the legislation becomes law, risk being charged with a misdemeanor, which carries up to one year in jail and fines that could reach $1,000. The bill, with its passage through the Senate Judiciary Committee, will soon be under scrutiny on the Senate floor where it will likely ignite further discussion on public decency, freedom of speech, and the mechanisms by which we protect or expose society's most vulnerable - the children.
With the bill now eligible to be debated in the Senate, those advocating for the legislation assert its necessity as a bulwark against the erosion of societal norms. They fear, without such laws, public spaces could become fraught with performances unfit for the eyes of children stumbling upon them. Such thoughts echo the underpinnings of the bill itself, as Senator Bullard believes, “There is no excuse for exposing children to crude or inappropriate content in environments that are meant to be safe and family friendly,” as mentioned on the Oklahoma State Senate's site.
