DeSantis files complaint against Orlando Philharmonic for hosting ‘sexually explicit’ drag event
The Republican governor announced last month that the department was investigating the event
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Your support makes all the difference.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has filed a complaint against the Orlando Philharmonic after it allegedly hosted a drag event.
Ms DeSantis’ administration made the complaint in regards to the 28 December “A Drag Christmas” event. In the Friday filing, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation accused the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation of exposing minors to performances with a “sexually explicit nature,” The Hill reports.
The Republican governor announced last month that the department was investigating the event. According to the documents first made available by The Floridian, the foundation used “Christmas-themed promotional materials” and welcomed “all ages” to the gathering.
Before the event, the administration reportedly warned the venue that its license would be subject to penalties if it refused to ban children from attending the performances. Some of the children in attendance “appeared to be younger than six years old” and alcohol was allegedly sold.
In response to the warning, organisers reportedly placed a sign saying that while minors were not restricted, “some may think that the context is not appropriate for [people] under 18.”
The department also accused performers of “intentionally exposing prosthetic breasts and genitalia, buttocks” and “depictions of childbirth and abortion.”
The complaint alleges that the show violated six statutes in the state. The Independent has contacted the Orlando Philarmonic Foundation for comment.
In July, DeSantis’ administration also filed a state complaint against the R House in Miami, claiming that the restaurant in the Wynwood neighbourhood had hosted weekend brunches in which minors are exposed to “sexually explicit drag shows.”
The bar was accused of disorderly conduct, and the complaint argued that “the nature of the performances ... particularly when conducted in the presence of young children, corrupts the public morals and outrages the sense of public decency”, according to The Miami Herald.
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