Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody blasted the organizers of a holiday drag show in Fort Lauderdale Thursday after reports circulated that children were reportedly admitted.
In a Thursday appearance on Fox and Friends First, Moody offered harsh words for the organizers of the show, saying, “this governor [Ron DeSantis] and our executive branch will not sit back while children or anyone else is harmed.”
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“When there are complaints being made, when there’s an allegation that children are being exposed to inappropriate material, whether that’s with a parent or not … that doesn’t exempt anyone — a parent or a business — from liability for such behavior,” she said.
Moody’s comments came two days after a spokesman for DeSantis (R-FL) confirmed Tuesday that the state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation was investigating the incident and would potentially make criminal referrals.
The show, “A Drag Queen Christmas,” was hosted at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 26. The show was generally restricted to adults, but children were allowed to attend if they were accompanied by a parent, according to the Hill.
Reports of the show said that it included provocative and sexualized dancing, as well as prosthetic body parts.
“Exposing children to sexually explicit activity is a crime in Florida, and such action violates the department’s licensing standards for operating a business and holding a liquor license,” DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin said in a statement.
https://twitter.com/BryanDGriffin/status/1607840286591406080?s=20&t=iaC6a7vVbmYldpKUMgyTMQGriffin said any evidence collected by the department would be passed on to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement “for potential criminal liability.”
“The department frequently conducts investigations into these matters upon tips provided by the public, and we thank the public for continuing to bring attention to these incidents,” Griffin said. “Investigations of such allegations will remain a priority for the department and, indeed, are ongoing.”
The investigation by the governor’s administration is the latest clear-cut indication of DeSantis’s willingness to engage in culture war issues.
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The governor, who is widely seen as a likely 2024 presidential contender, engaged in a very public battle with the Walt Disney Company earlier this year after the company announced it would push for the repeal of the Parental Rights in Education Act, which banned classroom instruction of gender identity and sexual orientation from kindergarten to third grade. The law had been derided by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, despite the word “gay” never appearing in the legislative text.
In November, DeSantis cruised to a 20-point reelection victory as Republicans in the Sunshine State swept races up and down the state.
