PUNTA GORDA, Fla.–Gov. Ron DeSantis is considering using child safety laws to protect children from drag shows.
“It used to be kids would be off-limits ... everybody agreed with that,” DeSantis said at a June 8 press conference at Fort Myers Beach. “Now it just seems like there’s a concerted effort to be exposing kids more and more to things that are not age-appropriate.”
This comes after a post on social media went viral where children in a Dallas gay bar were seen actively participating in a show called “Drag the Kids to Pride.” The show was not a private event and tickets were available for purchase.
The show at Mr. Misster’s, a bar and club venue, was marketed to families as part of “Pride Month.” The video showed scantily clad drag queens dancing provocatively under a large sign that read “It’s not gonna lick itself.” Young children were seen clapping while seated at the bar, with some placing paper currency in the dancers’ clothing.
This got the attention of one Florida lawmaker, who told reporters he wants to call an emergency legislative session to ban children from drag shows or adult entertainment, saying children should not be “exposed to sexual content.”
Republican State Rep. Anthony Sabatini said he believes an emergency session is warranted because an event like the one in Dallas is planned for West Palm Beach.
“If people want to do these drag shows on their own time, that’s fine,” he told reporters. “But not involving kids, not aimed at kids, not tailored for kids because we need to protect kids. And it’s not normal; it’s not good to have them exposed to sexual content.”
Sabatini referred to the drag events as “perverted sex shows” that should not be “aimed at kids.”
