Ron DeSantis’ Investigation of Florida Drag Shows

Ben Arnoldussen

In his latest round of threatening drag shows, Ron DeSantis and his administration announced an investigation into Christmas drag shows in Florida Wednesday, after reports accusing the show of exposing children to “sexually explicit content.” Another performance by the same company, Drag Fans, was set to hold soon after the prior investigation, and DeSantis plans to look into that one as well.

“A Drag Queen Christmas” features numerous stars from the competition show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and the holiday-themed show goes on tour all over the U.S. While the investigations on these shows have been due to allegations of children in the audience, the Ruth Eckerd Hall (where the performance took place) is limited to people 18 or older, according to the venue’s event details. They even card attendees at the door to allow entrance, just for good measure. In their letter claiming a potential investigation, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation said that they are aware of the age requirement, and if children are being allowed to attend the event, Ruth Eckerd Hall’s business license to alcohol may be at risk. “To avoid action being taken against your license, it is your obligation to ensure that minors are prohibited from attending the Drag Fans drag show,” Melanie S. Griffin, the Secretary of Business and Professional Regulation, stated in the letter. “If minors are allowed to attend this drag show, the Department will take any and all actions available to ensure that you do not pose a threat to minors in the future.” 

While The Drag Queen Christmas tour from Drag Fans has already performed in multiple locations like Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Orlando, it appears that the tour may be taking an indefinite stop.