Hamburger Mary’s Sunday Broadway Brunch in June 2018. (Photo by Jake Stevens)
ORLANDO | Owners of Hamburger Mary’s in downtown Orlando filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Florida and Governor DeSantis over his signing of SB 1438, a bill recently passed prohibiting children from attending “adult live performances,” specifically drag shows.
Mike Rogier and John Paonessa, owners of the restaurant, made the decision to sue DeSantis after he signed the “Protection of Children” bill, SB 1438, into law May 17. The legislation will allow the state to fine, suspend or even revoke any establishments’ liquor license if they knowingly allow children to attend drag shows.
“With all the recent legislation, this is just one more step that the legislators are deciding for parents what’s best for their children. Parents can’t decide for themselves if they want to bring their kids to a very G-rated drag show. Just the drag queens being there is enough for the state to take away your liquor license,” Paonessa says.
Hamburger Mary’s has been showcasing drag performances in Orlando since 2008. Their Sunday brunch drag show is advertised as “family friendly,” but due to the legislation, they have seen a 20% drop in reservations. They filed the lawsuit claiming that the bill is a violation of their First Amendment rights.
“It certainly has an impact on our business. The state is creating problems where there are none and solving problems where there are none,” Paonessa says.
In their statement on Facebook, the owners said that they believe the bill “has nothing to do with children, and everything to do with the continued oppression of the LGBTQ+ community.”
“What I know is that the right is creating a false narrative that kids are being groomed here, that we are pedophiles, we’re recruiting, and people buy into that. Parents come with their kids, so nobody is talking to them and grooming them, but people buy into that narrative and are upset about it. If it were true, I would be mad too, but it’s not. There’s no speck of validity in those comments at all. Those people haven’t been here to experience our show,” Paonessa says further.
Many supporters of the cause reached out to offer financial support to the restaurant’s legal defense fund on GoFundMe. It has already raised more than $10,000 and the number is continuing to grow.
“I want to thank everyone for their support. We have been here for 15 years, and we knew that the community supported us but when this came out and there was just an overwhelming gush of positivity and love, it just means the world to us,” Paonessa says. “It keeps us going.”
