TAMPA, Florida (LifeSiteNews) — A large drag queen and “pride” celebration planned for September has been canceled by organizers due to fears it would violate the state’s new anti-lewdness law. This is the second LGBT event canceled because the organizers could not guarantee children would be protected from inappropriate sexual content.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation on May 17 that authorizes the state’s business regulators to “fine, suspend, or revoke the license of any public lodging establishment or public food service establishment” that “admits a child to an adult live performance.”
“We’re protecting kids,” Gov. DeSantis said when he signed the legislation. “And we’re going to protect kids when it’s popular, we’ll protect kids even when you take some incoming as a result of maybe offending some ideologies or some agendas out there, but that’s fine.”
“Adult live performance” refers to “any show, exhibition, or other presentation in front of a live audience” that “depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement or [other sexual activities] listed in the state code.”
These reasonable limits to protect the innocence of children posed a problem for the Tampa “pride” event, however, which could not guarantee minors would not be exposed to sexual deviance at the massive gathering of drag queens this upcoming September.
Tampa Pride President Carrie West “said drag queens perform in the open at the festival, which could be a violation of the new law,” according to WFLA.com. The local news outlet reported that 15,000 to 20,000 people were expected to attend.
A Port St. Lucie “pride” parade also canceled prior to this bill’s signing but in anticipation of the law going into effect, as LifeSiteNews previously reported.
“The city has decided that with the likelihood that the Governor will sign the latest bill into effect this evening [April 19], that we will need to be on the side of caution and has required us to make this necessary change,” the organizers wrote. “We are obviously upset and dishearten[ed] that it has come to this.”
Florida has also banned destructive transgender drugs and surgeries for minors and protected women’s sports by banning men from competing against women, under the leadership of Governor DeSantis. He is expected to announce his candidacy after the end of Florida’s current legislative session in May.