The DeSantis administration on Tuesday filed a complaint against a Miami bar that hosted a sexualized drag show in which partially nude performers engaged with children.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) issued the notice to the R House bar, located in the artistic district known as Wynwood in Miami, giving it 21 days to respond, Breitbart first reported. If the authorities determine that the bar violated local ordinances, it could have its liquor license revoked.
The complaint was issued after a video of a recent performance at the bar’s drag brunch went viral. A topless drag queen wearing lingerie stuffed with money can be seen in the video attempting to dance with a young girl, who the DPBR estimates is “between three and five years old.” Twitter account “Libs of Tik Tok” originally found the footage on Tik Tok, posted by a user who wrote, “Children belong at drag shows!!!! Children deserve to see fun & expression & freedom.”
The department cited multiple incidents of inappropriate drag performances with kids in the audience in recent weeks, including one in which a child “between the ages of ten and twelve” was “seen recoiling and turning away in her seat as a Brunch performer climbed on the back of the child’s bench, squatted, and gyrated a couple of feet above the child’s head.”
The R House drag brunch menu offers special discounted items for children under 12.
Governor DeSantis spoke out against the sexualization of children trend at a press conference Wednesday.
“I’m sensitive to this, I’ve got a five, a four, and a two year old, my wife and I back home, and we get our money’s worth out of that. Being a parent is the most important thing we do. It’s also very challenging enough as it is. And so I think parents, particularly this time in society’s history, should be able to have their kids go to kindergarten, watch cartoons, just be kids, without having some agenda shoved down their throats all the time. And that’s what we’re fighting for. That’s what we’re fighting for,” he said.
First Lady Casey DeSantis, who recently launched a grassroots parental-rights initiative called “Mamas for DeSantis,” also condemned these episodes, tweeting: “Speaking on behalf of A LOT of moms across the state, we do not want our children exposed to inappropriate sexualized content. Full stop.”