Photo: AFP
A bill that could lead to restaurants and other establishments losing their licenses if kids are allowed to attend raunchy drag shows will go before the full state Senate on Tuesday. The sponsor is Republican Clay Yarborough of Jacksonville.
"We're want to send a strong message that Florida's a safe place to raise children and we're setting a standard in this state that protects children from being exposed to live performances that depict nudity and sexual activities."
He says the bill is not directed specifically at drag shows and there is no verbiage about "drag queens" in the bill, but supporters of the drag community spoke up during a committee hearing last week, claiming they feel the state is attacking them.
"The drag queens I know are kind, honest, caring, hard-working Floridians like you and myself who are trying to do what we all try to do...and that's to live their lives as authentically as possible. And you all are threatening to take that away."
South Florida Democrat Sen. Shevrin Jones, who is gay, walked out of the Senate Rules Committee, after he believed a supporter of the bill called drag queens "groomers."
Before leaving the chamber, Jones, whose father was a pastor, said this...
"No drag queen molested me. Let me repeat that. No drag queen molested me. That happened in church, not from a drag queen."
A House version has a couple of stops before a possible full House vote.