DeSantis yanks liquor license after drag show
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration revoked the liquor license of one of Orlando’s most popular concert venues for allowing minors into a Christmas-themed drag show late last year.
Themove — slammed as “fascism in action” by Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) — came as state Republican leaders announced plans next week to finalize a takeover of Disney’s self-governing district in retaliation for the entertainment giant’s criticism of Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law that forbids discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation in primary schools’ classrooms.
In the six-count administrative complaint filed Friday against the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation, the state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation says the venue violated state law by allowing a person to “commit lewd or lascivious exhibition” in the presence of children under the age of 16 after it hosted and supported a Dec. 28 performance of “A Drag Queen Christmas,” a traveling show featuring stars of the Emmy-winning reality series “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
According to the 27-page document, the department sent the foundation a letter prior to the show saying “sexually explicit drag show performances constitute public nuisances, lewd activity, and disorderly conduct when minors are in attendance.”
The foundation “promoted the show using Christmas-themed promotional materials that did not provide notice as to the sexually explicit nature of the show’s performances of other content,” the complaint said. If the foundation failed to ban minors from such performances, “its license would be subject to penalties.”
“Governor DeSantis stands to protect the innocence of children, and the governor always follows through when he says he will do something,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
Civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo, a prominent LGBTQ rights advocate, wrote on Twitter that the DeSantis administration is “weaponizing the state to eliminate queer existence.”
An additional count claims that businesses that host drag performances are a “nuisance,” she noted. “They are attempting to criminalize speech by reinforcing obscenity and morality laws and thus not protected by the 1st amendment,” Caraballo wrote.
“Queer celebration is anything but obscene,” tweeted Frost. “We cannot tolerate DeSantis and his attempt to erase our communities. I wholeheartedly condemn this attack and remain in solidarity with our beautiful LGBTQ+ family in Orlando.”
The Orlando performance of “A Drag Queen Christmas” was the next-to-last stop in a 36city tour of the popular holiday celebration.
Reps for the show’s producers, Drag Fans, and the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation did not immediately respond to a comment from the Daily News on Saturday.
Next week’s special session by lawmakers to discuss the Disney issue will also consider legislation focused on the relocation of immigrants — two incendiary topics that typically fires up conservative voters as DeSantis is widely expected to begin positioning himself for a run at the White House in 2024.