FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Governor Ron DeSantis announced his office will investigate a Christmas drag show accused of being indecent for children.
On Monday, the event was held at Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center for the Performing Arts, as part of the national tour of “A Drag Queen Christmas.”
There was also a show that was held on Tuesday at the James Knight Center in Miami.
The show has been accused of exposing children to sexually explicit content.
After Monday’s show, state officials released a statement that reads as follows, “The Department of Business and Professional Regulation is aware of multiple complaints about a sexually explicit performance marketed to children held in Fort Lauderdale on December 26th. Exposing children to sexually explicit activity is a crime in Florida, and such action violates the Department’s licensing standards for operating a business and holding a liquor license.”
And just before Tuesday’s show, another letter by the state read, “In short, if you allow children to attend the Drag Fans drag show at your facility, you are putting your license in jeopardy.”
Javier Manjarres, writer for the Floridan said the letter was sent to organizers of Tuesday’s show.
“I don’t think the issue is kids going to drag shows, I think it’s just the sexual acts there,” Manjarres said.
He attended Tuesday’s performance.
“They put on a good show, but would I bring my 10, four, let alone 2-year-old daughter to the event, [no],” he said.
Other parents felt differently.
7News spoke with a woman who took her daughter to the show.
“I loved it, I thought it was amazing,” said the woman. “I’m a huge fan of drag. I’m a huge fan of theater of any kind of performance.”
She feels the state investigation is unnecessary.
“By placing laws, it teaches kids that there is something wrong with different lifestyles,” the woman said. “Instead we should be teaching that diversity exists. Not everyone’s the same and that is OK.”
In a past incident involving the R House in Wynwood, DeSantis indicated that parents taking children to these events could be targeted by state child protective services.
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