ORLANDO, Fla. — Drag show performers can get back to work without establishments getting shut down or losing permits after the Supreme Court refused to reinstate Florida’s law targeting drag shows, giving a win to the LGBTQ+ community.
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Thursday, the conservative majority high court voted 6-3 to keep the preliminary injunction in place while the case is under appeal.
The vote was after Florida asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow its “Protection of Children Act” to be enforced after a district judge blocked the law.
“I think when that was ripped away it was painful. You lost so many meaningful members of our audience,” said Hunter Hall, “Davi Oddity” AFAB drag and burlesque performer.
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Back in May, Governor DeSantis signed a law stopping children from going to any shows that were considered sexually explicit and obscene based on the age of the child.
The law stated any establishment allowing children into adult live shows could have their licenses and permits pulled.
“For a while, they were taken away. My shows are primarily at a family restaurant, and you lose a lot of those families. That crowd, that connection,” said Hall, “Davi Oddity”.
The governor said the law included drag shows even though it wasn’t mentioned in the bill.
Orlando Restaurant, Hamburger Mary’s sued. It said the law infringed on its First Amendment rights and targeted the LGBTQ-plus community.
In June U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell sided with Hamburger Mary’s, issuing a preliminary injunction blocking the law.
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The Eleventh Circuit will hear the case before the law is enforced in the state.
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