(C) Florida Phoenix This story was originally published by Florida Phoenix and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Transgender advocates fear FL legislation could ban or restrict drag shows [1] ['Danielle J. Brown', 'More From Author', '- March'] Date: 2023-03-02 The longstanding LGBTQ+ tradition of drag shows, where performers dress in elaborate costumes that caricaturize or amplify gender performance to heightened levels for entertainment, may soon be under threat. A piece of legislation entitled “Protection of Children” was filed Thursday by Florida Sen. Clay Yarborough, a Republican who represents Nassau County and part of Duval County. The bill, HB 1438, states that public lodging or public food establishments could lose their licenses to operate if an establishment “admits a child to an adult live performance.” In addition, an establishment’s liquor license could be revoked or suspended if there is a child present at an “adult live performance.” The establishments may be fined $5,000 upon the first violation and a $10,000 fine on the second violation. Emily Gray, the transgender outreach coordinator of the LGBTQ Center of Bay County, told a virtual press conference Thursday that she fears the bill will be used to target drag shows, similar to other states that are considering anti-drag show bills across the United States. At the time of the press conference, Gray said she had not yet looked closely at the freshly filed bill but: “The title is ‘the Protection of Children,’ so presumably to protect children from drag performers,” she said. The press conference was focused on a number of other bills in the upcoming session that could discriminate and target transgender individuals. The press conference was hosted by the Florida Coalition of Transgender Liberation. The Yarborough bill goes on to define an adult live performance as: “Any show, exhibition, or other presentation in front of a live audience which, in whole or in part, depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, specified sexual activities” as defined by state law (847.001), “lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts when it: /predominantly appeals to a prurient, shameful, or morbid interest; /is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community of this state as a whole with respect to what is suitable material or conduct for the age of the child present. /taken as a whole, is without serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for the age of the child present.” Florida law defines “child” as any unmarried person under the age of 18 who has not been emancipated by a court order. Drag performers can be people of all genders — men who dress in elevated-performances of women, women who dress in elevated-performances of men, or other variations of gender expression. Some drag performances are intended for adult audiences and can be provocative in nature, while others aimed to be more family friendly. But drag performances have recently become a target of conservative lawmakers, and several states already have legislation working to ban drag shows or “male or female impersonators,” such as a bill heading to the Tennessee governor’s desk, according to USA today. The DeSantis administration has recently investigated certain establishments for hosting drag shows that they claim are sexual in nature and not suitable for kids. In February, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation moved to revoke the liquor license of an entertainment venue in Orlando for hosting a drag show in December for allegedly “exposing minor children to lewd sexual acts,” the Orlando Sentinel reported at the time. [END] --- [1] Url: https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/03/02/transgender-advocates-fear-fl-legislation-could-ban-or-restrict-drag-shows/ Published and (C) by Florida Phoenix Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/floridaphoenix/