Hello, Watermark readers! It is an honor to be able to share my views with you all here in this iconic publication. In this article, I hope to explore a topic very near and dear to my heart, as I’m sure it may also be to yours: the many negative misconceptions surrounding drag shows in Florida and their immediate effect on LGBTQ-friendly establishments.
As a business owner, entertainer and comedian, I beg you to consider the ramifications of the recent political attacks and negative portrayals of the drag community on our businesses, entertainers and the LGBTQ community as a whole.
Just last month, The Plaza Live hosted “A Drag Queen Christmas,” where protesters gathered outside the venue in anger. Attendees were met with roaring protests as a crowd expressed rage that “ all ages” were “encouraged” to attend the show. State officials then threatened to take action and revoke The Plaza Live’s license if any children were permitted to see the holiday special. The false outrage is completely unfounded, as these performances are simply not marketed to minors. This specific drag show — which tours all over the state — even noted on their website that there are adult themes and that admission is limited to those 18 or older.
Right-wing politicians are seeking to demonize the drag community, and the LGBTQ community as a whole, by creating and circulating false images of drag queens performing on public streets and patios inappropriately dancing in front of children. Many of these photoshopped images include drag queens with their legs wide-open in front of young children or entertainers mimicking sexual acts in front of a crowd of horrified young onlookers.
In reality, nothing can be further from the truth. Most drag shows are almost exclusively 18+ and usually include performances on stages and enclosed spaces that are not open to the public. Though many nighttime shows do include comedic elements, performances that take place in the daytime and in the public arena are typically very subdued, professional and are aimed more at providing upbeat, positive entertainment.
Just after Christmas, the DeSantis administration launched an investigation into a holiday drag show which took place at the Broward Center for Performing Arts, claiming that their holiday drag show (which was limited to those ages 18+, unless accompanied by a parent) had been “sexually explicit” and “marketed to children.” The venue is now at risk of losing its liquor license and its ability to operate as a business.
DeSantis and other right-wing politicians’ attempts to falsely portray the drag community as clowns, whores and strippers in order to further encourage their homophobic views and under the guise of “child safety” is directly having a trickle-down effect on our Florida businesses and entertainers. When businesses begin to operate under a fear of persecution, they lose the revenue stream that these shows offer the establishment and their employees, which in turn cuts into their bottom-line.
Soon, any Florida business that allows drag shows may be required to have an Adult Entertainment License — the same licenses that strip clubs must receive. This is a real possibility.
I would like to encourage drag performers to be more cautious and aware of where we are performing, and to be selective about their performance venues. Performing at an indoor venue on a stage with proper lighting, music, air conditioning and the proper ambience is always ideal. As drag queens, we should not fall into the trap that these politicians are setting. We need to not cheapen our craft so that politicians can demonize our art and use it for political purposes.
Within our community, we must also encourage local restaurants and eateries to cherish and respect their entertainment by allowing them to perform for decent pay and the ability to perform in an appropriate venue. Since the closing of Parliament House, legitimate drag venues are few and far between. The Central Florida drag community has had to book gigs at outdoor eateries, on patios and other more public locations. Our local drag queens deserve to perform at venues with a stage, proper lighting, air conditioning and other conditions that most entertainers are used to. We need to encourage both performers and venues to stop and think about how some of these more public performances can arguably cheapen the art of drag.
I’m looking at this all with the perspective of a business owner, a longtime entertainer and a person who has run for office and believes in advocating for our rights. Our rights will be stripped from us if we allow ourselves to be used as tools to motivate extremism and feed into the false narratives that radical, extreme politicians are pushing.
As the Trump-wave continues to fizzle out here in Florida, we must keep our eyes turned toward DeSantis and his own political ambitions. This is his opportunity to ramp up the evangelical vote by creating a call to action against drag shows and LGBTQ performers of all kinds.
It is up to us to put an end to this demonization and to re-shift the narrative. By more closely regulating our audiences, venues and ambience, we may work to dispel many of the misconceptions currently in the media and help unburden our community’s businesses and entertainers from the hefty price they have been forced to pay.
It is also very odd to me that so many Republicans seem to be using drag shows as a way to “fight for parental rights.” Under the guise of parental rights, they simultaneously wish to restrict and tell other parents which places they can and cannot take their own children. They wish to ban books that they find controversial and control what literature other children have access to. If someone truly wants to fight for parental rights, they should support policies which allow parents to make their own choices for their kids without any government interference.
I was also shocked to hear that a gig I have coming up for a sold-out show of about 300 guests has just hired security and a police presence to keep the entertainers safe. This performance is at a retirement home, certainly not aimed at children or minors. While I appreciate that the venue is working hard to keep us safe, I am truly sad that it has come to this. This demonization has now led to fear and intimidation by political extremists, and we cannot let this stand.
As we begin to fight back against these false narratives, the boldest thing we can do is to encourage young people to be themselves and demonstrate in our own daily lives that we should accept all people for who they are.
Martin “Leigh Shannon” Fugate is a local business owner, actor, comedian and entertainer best known for hosting the No. 1-rated female impersonation show in Florida. He has run for political office and has a wide, diverse fan base. Learn more at LeighShannon.com.
