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Florida to investigate drag Christmas show

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Drag queen Nina West hugs a child in the audience at a recent performance — Image courtesy of Murray & Peter
Drag queen Nina West hugs a child in the audience at a recent performance — Image courtesy of Murray & Peter

The state of Florida is investigating a drag Christmas show on charges of exposing children to sexually explicit activity.

The show, titled A Drag Queen Christmas, debuted in Fort Lauderdale on December 26, played in Miami on December 27, and will also hit the stage in Orlando and Clearwater.

A local family poses with the cast of A Drag Queen Christmas The production company posted on Facebook "FLORIDA PARENTS ARE AMAZING! Thank you for supporting us as we stand by you!" — Photo courtesy of Murray & Peter Present  

The production company advertises the show as an "all ages" event, as does the website advertising the Orlando show. But the site listing all the tour stops warns that potential patrons might be barred depending on local regulations.

Miami's show, for example, is advertised with the caveat "Adult content. Recommended for audiences 18+. Minors must be accompanied by an adult." The Clearwater ads say that only those older than 18 will be admitted.

According to the traveling production's website, Dragfans.com, the show has been touring for eight years. Posters displayed on the website's "Past Tours" page show that the production has made stops in Florida for five previous Christmases.

Right-wing critics of the show tweeted videos showing a full house at the December 26 opening at Fort Lauderdale's Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The December 22 event in Knoxville, Tennessee, was sold out, according to Tennessee state Representative Gloria Johnson's Twitter account.

According to a post on the website Florida Politics, the state's Department of Business and Professional Regulation is investigating the production. DBPR head Bryan Griffin tweeted that the investigation is based on what he terms "multiple complaints about a sexually explicit performance marketed to children held in Fort Lauderdale on December 26."

"The Department is actively investigating this matter, including video footage and photographs from the event," Griffin added in the tweeted statement.

"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," Griffin's tweet warns.

The tweet promises state officials will review evidence and turn it over to the Florida department of Law Enforcement if necessary. Griffin also used his Twitter account to post a letter the DBPR sent to the show's Miami venue host, warning the business to "avoid action being taken against your license."

A state investigation into a July complaint involving a drag show in Wynwood, Florida, is still pending. In that incident, the complaint was based on a video of a small child dancing with one of the drag queens.

At that time, Florida governor and GOP presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis threatened to revoke the venue's liquor license, but the venue's website shows the weekend drag brunch as still scheduled every Saturday and Sunday.

In July, DeSantis said his criticism of the drag brunch's entertainment is part of his fight to make Florida a place "where kids can be kids." That includes efforts to pass the Parental Rights in Education law, which closely regulates classroom discussions.