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Lawsuit claims Montana law restricting drag performances limits free expression

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Lawsuit claims Montana law restricting drag performances limits free expression


HELENA — A new state law putting limits on drag performances in Montana is now being challenged in federal court. Plaintiffs say it’s too broad and could restrict their rights to free expression.

House Bill 359 was passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte this year. The law prohibits schools and libraries that receive state funding from hosting “drag story hours” during regular operating hours or a sponsored extracurricular activity. It also bans “sexually oriented performances” in front of minors – either on public property or at a business – and it bans them altogether in locations that receive state funding.

Nine plaintiffs filed suit this week, saying the definitions in the bill were too vague. They said it left them in an uncertain position – unable to know what might put them at risk of legal liability.

One of the plaintiffs, Adria Jawort, is a Native American transgender woman and activist. She was scheduled to give a talk on the history of “two-spirit” people in tribal cultures at the Butte Public Library last month. However, city-county authorities canceled the event out of concern that it would violate HB 359.

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“This is a definite chilling of free speech,” said Jawort. “I’ve hosted lots of panels, reading events and all types of things at libraries.”

The lawsuit says canceling the talk was discriminatory and violated Jawort’s rights to free speech and equal protection, as it appeared to be based either on her identity or the LGBTQ+ theme of her lecture.

According to the plaintiffs’ complaint, other organizations and businesses have also had to face questions about whether planned events can go forward since the law took effect.

“Jawort may be the first to have a planned event publicly cancelled as a result of HB 359, but she will not be the last,” the complaint said. “No one knows what HB 359 actually prohibits.”

The lawsuit says the definitions in HB 359 are impermissibly broad and could encompass much more than supporters said it was intended to. For example, the bill defines drag story hours as when a performer with “a flamboyant or parodic” persona and “glamorous or exaggerated costumes and makeup” reads children’s books or does other learning activities with children present. Plaintiffs questioned whether that could interfere with a variety of other educational events where teachers or others use costumes.

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The bill defines “sexually oriented” to include “stripping, salacious dancing,” and any other “lewd or lascivious depiction or description.” However, because it doesn’t include an exception for artistic, literary or other merit, the lawsuit says it could restrict many works that aren’t obscene but contain sexual themes.

The lawsuit says Montana already has laws that protect children from obscene materials.

“Thus, there are only two options: either HB 359 is superfluous, or it redefines ‘obscene’ beyond constitutional limits to include drag performances, drag story hours, and a spiraling list of nebulously defined ‘sexually oriented performances,’” it said.

Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, sponsored HB 359 in the Legislature. He told MTN Friday that he wasn’t surprised by the lawsuit, and that he didn’t believe most of the situations plaintiffs had proposed would actually be restricted by the law.

“I think it’s pretty clear what those definitions mean and what it entails,” he said.

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During debate on the bill, Mitchell frequently argued drag performances could not be separated from sexuality and that the state has a legitimate interest in regulating them when minors might be present and in publicly funded locations.

“Like I said from the beginning, I don’t believe that there’s any type of First Amendment violation by saying that in a taxpayer-funded school or a library,” he said.





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Joe Montana turns out for national championship game to support alma mater Notre Dame

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Joe Montana turns out for national championship game to support alma mater Notre Dame


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Editor’s note: Follow Ohio State vs. Notre Dame live updates from the CFP national championship game.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are playing for their first national football championship since 1988. Going up against a fearsome Ohio State Buckeyes team, the Irish were going to need as much luck and support as they could muster.

Luckily, Notre Dame fans came out to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in droves for their team, including arguably the greatest quarterback in program history, 4-time Super Bowl champion Joe Montana.

Montana was the Fighting Irish’s quarterback between 1975 and 1978, even helping the team win a national championship in 1977. Now, he has returned, hoping to see his alma mater earn their first title in more than three decades.

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Joe Montana college stats

In parts of three seasons, Joe Montana played in 27 games for the Irish, including nine during their championship 1977 season.

In 1978, Montana threw for over 2000 yards alongside ten touchdown passes and nine interceptions.

For his career, Montana completed 52% of his passes for 4121 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions.

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Where was JoeMontana drafted?

Joe Montana was selected in the third round (82nd overall) by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1979 NFL draft. He would go on to win four Super Bowls with the team and earn three MVP awards.

Many football fans consider Montana the greatest quarterback in NFL history not named Tom Brady.



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Iconic Hollywood actress reveals she now lives in ‘modest’ Montana home

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Iconic Hollywood actress reveals she now lives in ‘modest’ Montana home


Award-winning actress Glenn Close has traded the glitz and glam of New York City for a ‘modest’ Montana home.

The ‘Back in Action’ star, 77, shared she moved out West in 2019 to be closer to her family. 

‘Today, my home is in Bozeman, Montana. All of my siblings live here. My modest, 1892 brick house has a porch where I can see the mountains and say hi to neighbors,’ Close told The Wall Street Journal.

Her three-bedroom, three-bathroom, 2,316 square-foot home is just steps from downtown.

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The humble abode features several brick walls, an open floor plan, a sunny backyard, a kitchen with stainless steel appliances and an island.

Close revealed she is expanding her Bozeman real estate portfolio with a new property.

‘I’m building a larger house about a half-hour outside of town. It’s going to be my Zen farmhouse and our family sanctuary,’ she said.

‘In the back will be a stone cottage, reminding me of the best years of my childhood.’

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Glenn Close’s Montana three-bedroom, three-bathroom, 2,316-square-foot home is just steps away from downtown Bozeman

The humble abode features several brick walls, an open floor plan, a sunny backyard, a kitchen with stainless steel appliances and an island

The humble abode features several brick walls, an open floor plan, a sunny backyard, a kitchen with stainless steel appliances and an island

Award-winning actress Glenn Close has traded the glitz and glam of New York City for a 'modest' Montana home

Award-winning actress Glenn Close has traded the glitz and glam of New York City for a ‘modest’ Montana home

Close left the Big Apple for Big Sky Country a full year before the coronavirus pandemic prompted thousands of Americans to reevaluate their living situations.

‘I shot a film in Canada during the winter. It was fun and lovely, but I was homesick, and I never used to get homesick,’ she told Mountain Outlaw in 2021. 

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‘Not only is Bozeman my home, but I couldn’t wait to get back here. When I left to go to that job, Jessie and Tina [her sisters] were there to see me off at the airport. It was so great. I’ve come to realize how much I dread going away.’

The Hollywood legend wanted to reconnect with her roots and get in touch with nature.

‘When I was little, I got solace in nature, and that has never changed,’ Close said. ‘I always tried to create that same potential for my family, especially now to come back here and be with my siblings and have a piece of land outside of town that will always be here for my daughter and her children. 

‘That’s my legacy. I just feel incredibly lucky. I do think these will be the best years of my life.’

Close stars in the newly released Netflix film ‘Back in Action,’ alongside Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx.

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The actress is set to star in Kim Kardashian and Ryan Murphy’s upcoming Hulu series All’s Fair.

Close left the Big Apple for Big Sky Country a full year before the coronavirus pandemic

Close left the Big Apple for Big Sky Country a full year before the coronavirus pandemic

She is part of a star-studded cast that includes Kim, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash, Teyana Taylor and Sarah Paulson,

The show will follow Kim, playing a powerful Los Angeles-based attorney who runs a successful women-led law firm.  

Last week, Close got candid about her love life and explained why she has refused to pursue a relationship in nearly a decade during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show.

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When Drew asked the actress if she had entertained another relationship since her September 2015 split from the biotech engineer, Glenn bluntly replied ‘no.’ 

‘I don’t know. I mean, I’m always up for anything, but I’m very happy right now,’ the three-time Golden Globe Award winner added.

‘I’m not searching. Because I’m actually — I’m not a hugely comfortably social person, so I don’t leap to go to a party at all. So yeah, I’m okay.’

Close said she is embracing a life focused on personal fulfillment and professional success. 



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'Back in Action' star Glenn Close enjoying 'modest' life in Montana, hasn't looked back

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'Back in Action' star Glenn Close enjoying 'modest' life in Montana, hasn't looked back


“Back in Action” star Glenn Close is enjoying life in Bozeman, Montana.

During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Close explained that since moving to Montana in 2019, she has adapted to the lifestyle.

“Today, my home is in Bozeman, Mont. All of my siblings live here. My modest, 1892 brick house has a porch where I can see the mountains and say hi to neighbors,” she told the outlet.

GLENN CLOSE CONFESSES BIGGEST REGRET ABOUT ON-SCREEN KISS WITH ROBERT REDFORD

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Glenn Close left New York City for Montana in 2019. (Getty Images)

After several years in Big Sky Country, Close is looking to expand her property portfolio.

“I’m building a larger house about a half-hour outside of town,” she said. 

“Today, my home is in Bozeman, Mont. All of my siblings live here. My modest, 1892 brick house has a porch where I can see the mountains and say hi to neighbors.”

— Glenn Close

“It’s going to be my Zen farmhouse and our family sanctuary. In back will be a stone cottage, reminding me of the best years of my childhood.”

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In 2021, Close spoke to Mountain Outlaw about leaving New York City for Montana a year before the world paused because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I shot a film in Canada during the winter. It was fun and lovely, but I was homesick, and I never used to get homesick.

Glenn Close Oscars

Glenn Close is in the process of building her family’s “sanctuary” in Montana. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

CULT SURVIVORS COME TOGETHER TO REVEAL STORIES OF RESILIENCE: ‘PEOPLE CAN THRIVE AFTER THIS’

“Not only is Bozeman my home, but I couldn’t wait to get back here. When I left to go to that job, Jessie and Tina were there to see me off at the airport. It was so great. I’ve come to realize how much I dread going away,” Close told the outlet at the time.

Close’s sister, Jessie, lives in the home next-door, and her sister, Tina, lives in a property nearby. Close’s two brothers, Alexander and Tambu Misoki, also live in Montana.

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“When I was little, I got solace in nature, and that has never changed,” Close said. “I always tried to create that same potential for my family, especially now to come back here and be with my siblings and have a piece of land outside of town that will always be here for my daughter and her children.”

“That’s my legacy,” she added.

At the time, Close explained that her years living in Montana have been the “best” years of her life.

“You can wake up at four in the morning and think you’ve made every wrong decision in your life, and then you stay awake until dawn, which is an incredibly deadly place to be,” the award-winning actress said. “I just feel incredibly lucky. I do think these will be the best years of my life.”

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Glenn Close smiling

Close calls the last six years living in Montana the “best” years of her life. (Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)

Close’s life has not always been so peaceful. The “Hillbilly Elegy” star was infamously known to be a member of the Moral Re-Armament cult. 

GLENN CLOSE SAYS CULT UPBRINGING LEFT HER PSYCHOLOGICALLY TRAUMATIZED

During Close’s interview with WSJ, she explained that her “world changed” when she was seven, and her family joined the cult. It wasn’t until 1970, when Close was 22, that she broke away from the cult.

Moral Re-Armament, also known as MRA, was a religious movement that began in the 1920s when a man named Frank Buchman began evangelizing and became successful with it. Some of the beliefs he touted were the importance of surrendering oneself to a higher power and the practice of solitary silence. Over the years, he attracted thousands of followers from a number of countries.

A photo of Glenn Close at the Oscars

Glenn Close was a member of the Moral Re-Armament cult from seven to 22. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool)

When World War II loomed over the planet, Buchman made the decision to name the group Moral Re-Armament, explaining that he planned to use spirituality to unite the world and bring peace. The group’s critics scoffed at his simplistic vision, but others became enamored with it. One of those people was Glenn Close’s father.

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After he joined the group, he left to work in Africa, while Close and her siblings were placed in Switzerland at the MRA headquarters. In a 2014 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress detailed the strict rules and manipulation that took place behind the scenes.

“You basically weren’t allowed to do anything, or you were made to feel guilty about any unnatural desire,” she explained. “If you talk to anybody who was in a group that basically dictates how you’re supposed to live and what you’re supposed to say and how you’re supposed to feel, from the time you’re seven till the time you’re 22, it has a profound impact on you. It’s something you have to [consciously overcome] because all of your trigger points are.”

a photo of Frank Buchman and Mae West

Frank Buckman discusses Moral Re-Armament with legendary actress Mae West in 1939. (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone)

In a 2021 interview with Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey, she elaborated, saying, “It was really awful. We were so broken up. It’s astounding that something you went through at such an early stage in your life still has such a potential to be destructive. I think that’s childhood trauma.

“Everybody spouted the same things, and there was a lot of rules — a lot of control. Because of how we were raised, anything that you thought you would do for yourself was considered selfish,” she explained.

In 1970, when Close was 22, she left the group but still struggled.

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“I would have dreams, because I didn’t go to any psychiatrist or anything,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “I had these dreams, and they started with betrayal, a sense of betrayal, and then they developed into me being able to look at these people and say, ‘You’re wrong. You’re wrong.’ And then the final incarnation of those dreams was my being able to calmly get up and walk away. And then I didn’t have them anymore.”

Back In Action cast

Glenn Close as Ginny, Jamie Demetriou as Nigel, Cameron Diaz as Emily and Jamie Foxx as Matt in “Back In Action.” (John Wilson/Netflix © 2024)

Close continues to act. Her latest project, “Back in Action,” includes Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz and Kyle Chandler. The Netflix film debuts on the platform on Jan. 17.

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Fox News Digital’s Emily Trainham contributed to this report.

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