Florida governor Ron DeSantis's crusade against gays, drag performers and trans people resulted this week in the Hyatt Regency hotel in Miami losing its liquor license after hosting a show titled "A Drag Queen Christmas".
"A Drag Queen Christmas" is a holiday-themed drag show that tours in 36 different cities and features stars from the reality show "RuPaul's Drag Race."
The state's business department accused the Miami venue of several violations, including a prohibition of "lascivious exhibition" before people younger than 16, though it's not clear to what extent this law is generally enforced.
Protecting the "innocence of children," his press secretary told media.
Equality Florida, an LGBTQ rights organization, said that DeSantis was "selectively weaponizing" state agencies against businesses to target drag performances, saying such decisions should be left to parents.
"How far will he take this anti-LGBTQ crusade in his desperate attempt to outrace his inevitable presidential primary opponents? Will he raid movie theaters because parents take their teenagers to see R-rated movies? Will he punish electronics stores because parents buy their children certain video games?
He will do those things as soon as he gets to it.
"What next? Something worse?!" is dismal rhetoric. It's like pointing out conservative hypocrisy: you think you've got them but they have in fact got you, because it shows that you took what they said in good faith, that you accept their frame of reference, that you will always triangulate with imaginary referees ("moderates," perhaps) who you think pick who "wins," and that you can't quite get your head around the idea that they really do hate you and think nothing of lying or worse to get rid of you.
