With the bill sponsor saying children can鈥檛 鈥渦nsee鈥� indecent behavior, the Senate approved a measure aimed at blocking venues from admitting kids to 鈥渁dult live performances.鈥�
While the proposal () doesn鈥檛 specifically mention drag shows, the bill defines 鈥渁dult live performances鈥� as 鈥渁ny show, exhibition, or other presentation that is performed in front of a live audience and in whole or in part, depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, specific sexual activities, 鈥� lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts.鈥�
It also has moved forward after Gov. Ron DeSantis鈥� administration took steps such as filing a complaint against the Hyatt Regency Miami hotel for hosting a 鈥淒rag Queen Christmas鈥� event in December, alleging minors were allowed to see the show. The complaint seeks to have the hotel鈥檚 liquor license revoked.
The Republican-controlled Senate voted 28-12 along party lines to pass the bill, a day after Rep. Webster Barnaby, R-Deltona, likened transgender men and women to 鈥渕utants,鈥� 鈥渄emons鈥� and 鈥渋mps鈥� during debate on a separate proposal that would restrict which bathrooms people can use.
The live-performance bill, sponsored by Jacksonville Republican Clay Yarborough, also would prohibit local governments from issuing public permits for events that could expose children to the targeted behavior. Critics said that could effectively shut down local pride parades.
The bill 鈥� one of more than 400 pieces of legislation nationwide aimed at transgender people and the LGBTQ community 鈥� is among a number of proposals being considered during Florida鈥檚 60-day legislative session, which is scheduled to end May 5.
The bill would allow state regulators to immediately suspend or revoke licenses of restaurants, bars and other venues that violate the law.
During debate Tuesday, Senate Democrats warned that arguments used to boost support for the restrictions could have dangerous consequences for trans people, who already are at risk for violence.
Drag shows and trans people are the 鈥渢arget du jour鈥� of Republican-led legislatures across the country, Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, said.
鈥淭he bill is, as usual, so purposefully vague as to create an administrative nightmare and seeks to chill all of those (drag) shows,鈥� Polsky said. 鈥淭his bill feeds into that kind of dangerous rhetoric, and it will lead to violence. Here is yet another example of big government going too far to take away our freedom. There鈥檚 no other way to describe it.鈥�
Polsky and other Democrats pointed to comments made Monday by Barnaby during a House committee discussion of a bill that seeks to prevent transgender men and women from using bathrooms that don鈥檛 align with their sex assigned at birth.
鈥淲e have people that live among us today on planet Earth that are happy to display themselves as if they were mutants from another planet,鈥� said Barnaby, calling himself a 鈥減roud Christian conservative Republican.鈥�
Barnaby spoke after trans men and women testified against the bill. Citing the Bible, Barnaby called them 鈥渄emons and imps who come and parade before us and pretend that you are part of this world.鈥�
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Sen. Shevrin Jones, a West Park Democrat who is gay, called Barnaby鈥檚 鈥渄emonization鈥� of trans men and women 鈥渟hameful鈥� and railed against Republicans for failing to censure the remarks.
鈥淭hat type of vitriol is coming because that is the type of climate that has been created in this country. That is the type of climate that we are creating in this state to where we are basically giving people a hall pass to say crazy things like that,鈥� Jones said.
Pointing to the Bible, Jones, whose father is a pastor, urged Barnaby and other lawmakers to 鈥済ive grace to people. And that does not mean grace to people you agree with. God-dog it, that means grace to even people you don鈥檛 agree with.鈥�
Yarborough, who was the only Republican who participated in Tuesday鈥檚 Senate debate on the bill, said 鈥渢he violence and the name calling 鈥� is not acceptable. And I condemn that. That is not a Christ-like response, and I鈥檓 totally proud and fine with saying that on the record.鈥�
But, Yarborough argued, the bill is necessary to protect children, likening the proposed restrictions to covering electrical outlets to prevent kids from being physically harmed.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 unsee, we can鈥檛 unhear and we can鈥檛 un-experience the stuff that goes into our minds,鈥� Yarborough said. 鈥淎s lawmakers we have a responsibility to protect children from conduct that is patently offensive to prevailing standards in our communities.鈥�
Jon Harris Maurer, public policy director of LGBTQ-advocacy group Equality Florida, told The News Service of Florida the bill 鈥渟eeks to put the government in place鈥� of parental decision-making about content children see.
A House committee is expected to consider a similar bill (HB 1423) on Wednesday.
The Senate last week also passed a plan that would bar doctors and other health-care providers from offering treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy to transgender minors.
Maurer said the measures targeting drag shows and LGBTQ people are politically motivated to help DeSantis, a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2024, in a GOP primary against former President Donald Trump.
鈥淚t is about partisan politics. And the anti-drag bill is an illustration of this manufactured moral panic,鈥� Maurer said.
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