Ron DeSantis Is Now Attacking the Hyatt Regency Because It Hosted a Drag Show
The Florida governor has been waging a war on drag and on LGBTQ people in his state.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis moved Tuesday to strip the Hyatt Regency of its liquor license for allegedly allowing minors to attend a Christmastime drag show.
DeSantis, who has been cracking down on LGBTQ rights, filed an administrative complaint through the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation accusing the hotel in Miami of allowing people under age 18 to attend a “sexually explicit” drag performance.
The complaint did not provide any evidence that minors had been in attendance other than one blurry photograph of a person’s face.
DeSantis had previously warned any venues that hosted the touring show A Drag Queen Christmas that his administration would seek legal action against them. He has also mentioned the possibility of having child protective services investigate parents who take their children to drag shows. A Drag Queen Christmas required individuals under the age of 18 to be accompanied by an adult in order to attend.
In February, DeSantis threatened to strip the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation of its liquor license for allegedly allowing children to attend its production of A Drag Queen Christmas.
DeSantis has gone to all-out war with anything he deems “woke,” and with LGBTQ rights in particular. He enacted the state’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law, banned transgender women from playing women’s sports, and vowed to defund diversity, equity, and inclusion programs on college campuses.
He is also part of a larger trend of Republicans demonizing drag queens and trans people. Tennessee recently became the first state to ban drag performances in public, while more than 20 similar bills move through state legislatures across the country.
Republicans accuse drag performers and trans people of being pedophiles as a way to fearmonger about the LGBTQ community. Many on the right say that attacking the LGBTQ community is a means to protect children, but their actions actually expose people—including children—to violence.