Just three years ago, DeShazo said he had never dealt with protesters or controversy. Unlike most drag artists, Momma is “100% family friendly” and never includes explicit content, not even curse words in pop songs. In Central Florida, drag queen and nonprofit founder Jason DeShazo said anti-drag bills and rhetoric have lead to threats of violence and pressure to cancel his family-friendly events.ĭeShazo, known as Momma Ashley Rose in drag, runs Rose Dynasty Foundation, a nonprofit that hosts all-ages events like drag queen story hours and provides a safe space for LGBTQ youth and their families in Polk County. “Governor DeSantis stands up for the innocence of children in the classroom and throughout Florida.” “Sexually explicit content is not appropriate to display to children and doing so violates Florida law,” Redfern said in an email. When asked if the state would pursue similar complaints against theater or concerts that include LGBTQ characters or drag artists, spokesperson Jeremy Redfern said he was “not sure what these questions have to do with exposing children to sexually explicit content.” The governor’s administration has also threatened to remove the liquor licenses of two other venues, the Hyatt Regency Miami and the Plaza Live theater in Orlando, for hosting “A Drag Queen Christmas,” a holiday-themed drag show that features contestants from reality competition show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Again, the state complained that there were children in the audience exposed to sexually explicit conduct, though investigators reported there were no “lewd” acts at the Orlando show.ĭeSantis, who is expected to run for president and has garnered national attention for his “anti-woke” agenda, has said the goal is to financially hurt venues that allow children to see drag. The state’s complaint alleges that the restaurant exposed minors to “sexually explicit” conduct that “corrupts the public morals and outrages the sense of public decency.” The restaurant refuted those claims. The performer said the girl’s parents asked her to walk with her because it was her birthday. The state took issue with a video of a drag performer wearing pasties and a g-string walking around the restaurant with a small girl. The DeSantis administration’s legal battles against venues that host drag shows began in August when it filed a complaint against R House, a popular Wynwood restaurant known for its weekend drag brunches, and threatened to rescind its liquor license. Man shot by police after ramming car into Plantation gas station dies in hospital, police reveal identity And some worry that theater may be the next battleground in DeSantis’ culture war. Drag artists wonder if venues that have hosted their shows in the past may now view them as a liability. Members of South Florida’s theater scene question what the implications may be for performances that include LGBTQ characters, actors in drag or themes that the state government may find offensive. Ron DeSantis’ onslaught against what he calls “woke ideology.” As the state government reprimands businesses and venues that have hosted drag shows where children were present, South Florida performance arts groups have watched with unease.Ĭonservative politicians’ increasingly inflammatory rhetoric and legislation targeting the LGBTQ community may have a chilling effect. Trunchbull in “Matilda” to Angel in “Rent.”ĭrag, particularly in the presence of children, is the latest target in Gov. In modern theater, a strong tradition of drag on stage remains, from Edna Turnblad in “Hairspray” to Mrs. Women were not allowed to perform on stage in England until 1660, which meant that men in wigs and dresses would depict female characters in Shakespeare’s most iconic plays. Before there was “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and drag brunch in Wynwood, there was Shakespeare.
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