Governor Ron DeSantis’ Florida is taking action to show that sexually explicit events for kids will not be tolerated. How so? By yanking the liquor license of the Orlando venue that hosted the sexually explict “Drag Queen Christmas” show marketed toward families and young children.
According to Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, which handles liquor licensing, the venue, the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation Inc., “did not provide notice as to the sexually explicit nature of the Show’s performance or other content.”
That lack of a notice came despite the venue advertising the show to families with young kids, butting “all ages welcome” in marketing material for the show. In the words of the complaint filed by the division:
“Respondent promoted the Show using targeted, Christmas-themed promotional materials that did not provide notice as to the sexually explicit nature of the Show’s performance or other content.”
“Rather than call attention to the Show’s sexually explicit content or acknowledge that it might not be appropriate for children, Respondent’s promotional material unequivocally stated “all ages welcome.”
Yet worse, the venue had been given notice that minors were supposed to be prohibited from lewd displays, which the drag queen Christmas event by many accounts was, yet it still didn’t take action to keep kids out and kept the “all ages welcome” line in marketing materials. As the complaint said:
“Prior to the Show occurring and based on media reports about the Show at other locations, Petitioner sent a letter to Respondent notifying Respondent that ‘sexually explicit drag show performances constitute public nuisances, lewd activity and disorderly conduct when minors are in attendance’ and that, if Respondent failed to ensure that minors were prohibited from attending such performances, its license would be subject to penalties up to and including revocation.”
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The Epoch Times, reporting on how DeSantis’ Florida responded to the sexually explicit event for kids, said:
The complaint charges the arts center with six counts: allowing performers to expose themselves in a lewd or lascivious manner and simulate sexual activity in the presence of children under 16; operating a “place of lewdness”; “allowing performers to expose prosthetic genitalia and breasts in a vulgar or indecent manner in the presence of children”; knowingly selling tickets to an obscene performance to an audience including children; disorderly conduct; and maintaining a nuisance.
In the complaint, the division’s attorney asks its director, Sterling Whisenhunt, to revoke the center’s liquor license.
The complaint describes examples of the show’s sexually explicit content, which The Epoch Times does not include in this account.
The Epoch Times also quoted an independent journalist who had attended by one of the events and horrified by what he saw as saying that he was glad someone finally took action to stop the pushing of things like “simulated sodomy” on young children. In his words:
“I’m thankful to see someone taking action regarding the sexually explicit ‘all-ages’ Drag Queen Christmas Tour that I reported on earlier this month.
“Simulated sodomy, exposed fake breasts, and sexually explicit language has no place around children. There is no such thing as a ‘family-friendly’ or ‘all-ages’ drag show. Florida has once again continued to lead the way when it comes to protecting children.”
By: Will Tanner. Follow me on Twitter @Will_Tanner_1