Ground Zero: Florida
When it comes to political predictions, I am always wrong! The exception is the ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who I called Camilla on national TV. Potato/Potahto. Way back when, I was sure that America would vote for Michael Dukakis, despite wife Kitty’s penchant for shots of Bathroom Duck! Then in 2008, LA Pride asked me to go onstage and remind people to vote against Prop 8. I did so, but added, “Eh, nobody’s taking away our legal right to marry. So vote, don’t vote – whatever.”
My instinct tells me to not worry about Ron DeSantis – so worry! Because when you fuck with Gay Pride, that’s going too far. DeSantis is not banning Pride; but he’s banning drag queens from participating. How the hell do you commemorate the Stonewall riots without drag queens? This all stems from his edict that drag performers fall under “adult entertainment”, and anyone in drag in front of a minor could be fined…or worse. That means we should ban most Shakespeare plays, plus musicals like Hairspray, Mrs. Doubtfire, La Cage, and Chicago.
But DeSantis is standing firm. “We are going to remain a refuge of sanity and a citadel of normalcy.” In Florida? The land known for gators, giant bugs, and Goofy? Alas, most local municipalities fear taking on DeSantis. Wilton Manors – arguably the largest gay city in the country – has reluctantly agreed to enforce a “no drag” policy at their Stonewall Pride Parade for fear that not complying will result in council members and even the mayor being replaced by DeSantis’ cronies. Isn’t this how Hitler started? Or was it Mussolini? I always get my dictators mixed up.
Then there’s Hamburger Mary’s in Orlando. They’ve filed a suit against the governor and the State of Florida for infringing on their First Amendment rights – and since Citizens United, businesses have First Amendment rights, just like people. Hamburger Mary’s is known for drag servers and performers – especially during Sunday brunch. The suit claims that the eatery is losing customers due to the law. There are even calls for other venues to join forces in a class action suit.
Leave a Reply