Last month, it seemed like a time for rejoicing with the Respect for Marriage Act. While it wasn’t a ringing endorsement for same-sex marriage, it did codify that if one state conferred two people with the same gender a marriage license, that marriage needed to be recognized in the other 49. People came together and hailed it as progress for the LGBT community.

This month, however, feels like one of those “Meanwhile, back at the ranch” moments. While the Respect for Marriage Act seemed like a step forward for folks like me, there are lawmakers still determined to make us out to be abominations and trying to curtail us whenever they can. The latest targets are the drag queens of America.

Over 140 protests and threats against drag events took place in 47 states, according to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Texas seemed particularly perturbed against the idea of dudes in dresses, with an armed demonstration in San Antonio and the firebombing of a Tulsa donut shop that had hosted a drag event in October. In all, 20 documented incidents took place in the Lone Star State.

Protests are one thing, but legislation is another. Arkansas is targeting drag performances and wanting them to be labeled as adult entertainment, on the same level as escort services or erotic films. The bill would ban drag shows on public property or anywhere where there’s the potential that someone under 18 could view them.

Part of this backlash comes from the recent phenomenon of drag queen story hours. The idea of gender bending to entertain children while reading them stories has bigots clutching their pearls and calling out the 21^st century version of witchcraft in this country. Ironically, society didn’t lose their minds or turn gay when Dustin Hoffman dressed as a woman in “Tootsie” or when Robin Williams became “Mrs. Doubtfire.”

It’s not just in Arkansas, though. My home state is also pushing legislation to restrict drag events, although their approach is rather curious. Senate Bill 1030 would forbid drag shows from 1-8 a.m. daily, with the exception of Sundays, when the ban extends to noon. I had to do a double take at first, wondering when drag queens started doing sunrise services. However, drag queens are doing brunches, and the bill seems to be aimed at quashing them.

Add in the constant attacks of late on public libraries that host drag queen story hours and have LGBT books anywhere in their hallowed halls, and it’s no wonder that gay seems to be the new black. Just when you think the world is spinning in the right direction, it snaps back and makes you feel like you never left.

It’s easy to feel secure when you have something like the Respect for Marriage Act become law. However, it’s not fair to grant some freedoms while curtailing others. Why should gay people be allowed to marry but not become entertainers in dresses when the straight folks have been allowed to do that for ages? Many of the folks claiming drag events are out to corrupt the children have never been to one, and it shows.

These are the same folks who claim LGBT literature is corrupting the children and yanking library funding, many of whom have not read the books that they claim to be evil. If you’re going to butcher something, do the research first.

Drag has existed for ages, and while it’s mostly prominent in the gay community. My first couple of years in Wisconsin, I covered a small town parade that included a float from an amateur baseball team complete with—drum roll, please—drag queens. They weren’t pros by any means, more like straight dudes in bad makeup and cheesy attire. Still, they weren’t turning kids gay or trans, and so it’s hard to imagine the real drag queens are doing the same.

There has been progress made in the realm of LGBT rights, and for that, we should rejoice. However, we’re deluding ourselves if we believe this fight is anywhere close to over, and for that, we should continue to push for what’s right. Let the guys put on the lipstick and pumps, and let the stories flow freely at your public library.