The Bartlesville City Council had a rare split vote Monday on approving a controversial resolution with Oklahomans For Equality Bartlesville over drag queen shows at the annual Pride Festival.

City Councilors voted 3-2 in favor of the resolution, which calls for any drag shows to be moved indoors, or be held on private property instead of outdoors at a public park like Unity Square, where the show was held last fall. Council members Trevor Dorsey and Billie Roane were the two dissenting votes on the resolution.

More than 20 citizens spoke at the council meeting, with the overwhelming majority of community members speaking out against drag shows in Bartlesville.

Samantha Williamson of Bartlesville says drag shows in public were indecent and violated the law.

Bartlesville citizen Jonathan McCormick says he was in favor of the resolution because it would not be wise for the city to infringe on other people’s rights.

City Attorney Jess Kane says he has been shocked by the opposition to the resolution because it did exactly what many Bartlesville residents wanted by moving the drag shows indoors. He says the resolution with Oklahomans For Equality Bartlesville is a compromise that will allow for other laws to be examined during this period to see if there are constitutional issues with the laws by banning drag shows in public.

Roane says the issue over drag queen shows in public parks has harshly divided the community and she was surprised by how others with differing viewpoints have been treated.

The resolution is in effect until 2024 to allow the laws to be examined and to see if there are other steps that need to be made to address public drag performances.