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Residents urge council to classify drag performances as adult entertainment and criticize public-comment address rule
Summary
Multiple speakers during public comment urged the Monroe City Council to classify drag performances as adult entertainment to bar children from attendance, while others criticized a new requirement that speakers state full addresses aloud as a chilling tactic to suppress speech; speakers cited constitutional protections and state law.
A large portion of the Aug. 26 Monroe City Council meeting’s public comment period focused on residents’ concerns about drag performances and recent changes to public-comment procedures.
Several speakers urged the council to consider classifying drag performances as adult entertainment so children and teenagers would be prohibited from attending venues or events where those performances occur. Wayne Blanton (2306 Raccoon Run) told council he believed children exposed to provocative drag performances would be “confused” and urged council to reconsider prior inaction on the topic. Michelle Ball (1225 Cottage Green) cited documents obtained via a FOIA request and accused the council of a “backroom handshake” that failed to stop all-ages drag shows; she asked when the council stopped opposing children attending such events.
Other speakers raised concerns that the council’s procedural change — requiring speakers to state a full street address when giving public comments — was being used to intimidate critics. Julia Metzger (602 Main Street, Locust) and others argued the requirement chills speech and, in Metzger’s words, that the council’s policies had violated citizens’ First Amendment rights. Metzger also referenced the North Carolina General Assembly and the Open Meetings Act in arguing that meetings are a public forum and that time, place and manner rules must be narrowly tailored to preserve protected speech. Ethan Metzger (602 Main Street, Locust) said aloud that requiring addresses places speakers at risk because their addresses were already on the sign-up sheet.
Other public commenters urged unity and civility in civic discourse. John Kirkpatrick (1400 Virginia Avenue) called for inclusion and warned against divisive rhetoric. Several speakers framed their remarks in religious terms; others noted constitutional protections and freedom of speech as reasons to allow a wide range of public comment.
Mayor Burns closed public comment after the speakers on the list had addressed the council and the meeting adjourned.
