Authored by Dan M. Berger via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
The state of Florida is yanking the liquor license of an Orlando performance venue, saying the “Drag Queen Christmas” show it hosted in December was sexually explicit while being marketed to families and children.
Advertising for the event “did not provide notice as to the sexually explicit nature of the Show’s performance or other content,” the state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco said in its complaint against the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation Inc., filed Feb. 3.
“Respondent promoted the Show using targeted, Christmas-themed promotional materials that did not provide notice as to the sexually explicit nature of the Show’s performance or other content,” the complaint said, referencing a photo of the event’s listing online included as evidence.
“Rather than call attention to the Show’s sexually explicit content or acknowledge that it might not be appropriate for children, Respondent’s promotional material unequivocally stated “all ages welcome.”
“Prior to the Show occurring and based on media reports about the Show at other locations, Petitioner sent a letter to Respondent notifying Respondent that ‘sexually explicit drag show performances constitute public nuisances, lewd activity and disorderly conduct when minors are in attendance’ and that, if Respondent failed to ensure that minors were prohibited from attending such performances, its license would be subject to penalties up to and including revocation.”
Notice on Door
The center nevertheless allowed minors to attend, the complaint states. Its only response was to post a notice on its door that said, “while we are not restricting access to anyone under 18 please be advised some may think the context is not appropriate for under 18.”
The notice was barely visible, as it was printed in small font on a piece of paper taped to the door, the state said in the complaint.
The complaint includes photos of children attending the event and some of the objectionable content as evidence.
The complaint charges the arts center with six counts: allowing performers to expose themselves in a lewd or lascivious manner and simulate sexual activity in the presence of children under 16; operating a “place of lewdness”; “allowing performers to expose prosthetic genitalia and breasts in a vulgar or indecent manner in the presence of children”; knowingly selling tickets to an obscene performance to an audience including children; disorderly conduct; and maintaining a nuisance.
In the complaint, the division’s attorney asks its director, Sterling Whisenhunt, to revoke the center’s liquor license.
The complaint describes examples of the show’s sexually explicit content, which The Epoch Times does not include in this account.
Efforts to reach the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation Inc. were unsuccessful. The nonprofit group has yet to respond to an email from The Epoch Times.
“Governor (Ron) DeSantis stands to protect the innocence of children, and the governor always follows through when he says he will do something,” his spokesman, Bryan Griffin, said in an email on Feb. 3.
Griffin had said on Dec. 27 that the Department of Business and Professional Regulation was investigating the show. The department was aware, he said, of multiple complaints about a performance of the show in Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 26.
By contrast, Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater clearly stated for a Dec. 29 performance of the show that attendance was restricted to those 18 or older, and proof of age would be required.
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