ACLU Settles With MA Town Over Drag Show Ban

NORTH BROOKFIELD, MA — North Brookfield's select board will give up its power to approve events in town following the settlement of a lawsuit with the ACLU of Massachusetts after select board members made another attempt to prohibit a drag show.

For the second time in 2023, the North Brookfield Select Board tried to prevent a drag show by refusing to approve a permit after the Rural Justice Network told the board members it would not hide the show inside a tent. Two of the three members of the select board then told organizers they would not approve a permit for the event. That prompted the ACLU of Massachusetts to sue.

In 2023, those same two select board members moved to block a drag performance as part of the Rural Justice Network's 2023 event. The select board overturned that decision when the ACLU threatened to sue. The settlement should prevent bans on drag shows and other forms of expression in the future, the ACLU said.

"North Brookfield has now taken steps we hope will ensure that groups like the Rural Justice Network can exercise their right to express themselves equally and openly in public spaces. We look forward to celebrating Small Town Pride this year and for many years to come," ACLU of Massachusetts senior managing attorney Ruth Bourquin said in a news release.

The duty to approve events will now be transferred to the North Brookfield Planning Board. The town also agreed not to interfere with the Rural Justice Network's Small Town Pride event ever again, and will pay legal fees and attorney costs related to the lawsuit.

Small Town Pride will be held on June 29.