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Ron DeSantis (left); drag performer (center); Byron Donalds (right)
The two are upset that a judge ruled in favor of Naples Pride and against proposed restrictions from the Florida city.
Florida Republicans Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds want to stop Naples Pride from allowing drag shows. However, the Pride organization still plans to continue with the show on June 7.
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A U.S. District judge who ruled Naples city officials could not force the family-friendly drag show indoors said this week that even if the local government appeals the decision, his decision should not be stayed before the festival begins next weekend.
That angered Donalds, a conservative Republican running to replace DeSantis, who criticized U.S. District Judge John Steele for saying Naples Pride has a First Amendment right to host its show in a public venue.
“You have to be an adult to enter a strip club, but Clinton-appointed Judge John Steele wants sexually-explicit drag shows to take place next to a popular children’s playground in Naples,” Donalds posted on X. “This ruling is atrocious and the City of Naples should appeal this case to the Supreme Court.”
He did not mention that Naples Pride has said the show would be family-friendly.
Related: Florida judge won't let city stop Naples Pride from celebrating outside
Naples Pride leaders feel confident, however, that they will win the day in court, and that the show would take place in Cambier Park as it has in past years without incident.
“Drag performances are a protected form of expression — period. The district court's decision is thoughtful, well-reasoned, and firmly rooted in longstanding constitutional principles,” said Callhan Soldavini, an attorney for Naples Pride.
“When politicians attack a federal judge simply because they disagree with the outcome, they contribute to a troubling and dangerous trend — one that seeks to erode public trust in the judiciary and undermine the very foundations of our democracy. Naples Pride will continue to stand for free speech and the rule of law, which safeguards the rights of all people.”
On Wednesday, reporters in nearby Fort Myers asked DeSantis about the fight, and he said the state would fight allowing an all-ages drag show.
“We are going to protect the innocence of our children. Why would it be problematic to say you can't do this stuff that's sexually explicit in front of minors that used to not even be something that would be questioned,” DeSantis said. “Now, somehow you have folks going into court and they really want to push the envelope on this stuff, and I want Florida to be family-friendly.
Again, the planned drag show is family-friendly.
But he did not mention that so far, Florida’s laws focused on stopping minors from attending drag shows have failed in court. An appellate court this month upheld a lower court decision tossing an anti-drag law signed by DeSantis that forbid venues from allowing minors into live shows with sexual content, a statute widely seen as targeting drag performances.
