Anna Eskamani slams Ron DeSantis’ ‘homophobic’ targeting of Christmas drag shows. (Florida Politics)

Our Boy Governor has flipped his lid. 

Is DeSANTIS just a few Freedom Fries short of a Happy Meal at McDonald's?

Our unhip, uncool, unkind, uncouth, unhinged Flori-DUH Boy Governor sounds like a miserable small town hick, like a character out of the movie Footloose.  Older generations were made of sterner stuff.  We watched drag performances ob television, by nationally and internationally renowned and rated comedians, from Flip Wilson to Benny Hill.  My parents loved them, and so did I.  No one ever called the cops.  No one ever called in Mrs. Grundy or her local equivalent. 

In fact, my South Jersey high school's 1974 Senior Class play, F.L.I.P.P.E.D was a women's lib satire that featured some of our finest high football player seniors playing characters were in drag; not one student or parent complained.  We liked it. We laughed and had a good time.  (Footnote: I played the male lead, "Clyde Pendleton," a stuffy stern Congressional candidate who could not control his wife and daughters, who finds enlightenment in the denouement, which takes place in a night court in a big city.)

We did not grow up in a cultural desert.  We did not worship bumptious bigots. We read books and newspapers and enjoyed movies and our popular culture,

Where did this perfervid pervert, RONALD DION DeSANTIS grow up?  In backwoods provincial Florida, with brief forays into the Yale Baseball Team and Harvard Law School. He's no fun and no expert on anything, whether education, psychology, diversity or science. 

I don't recall ever seeing our erstwhile Congressman from Ponte Vedra, Governor RONALD DION DeSANTIS at any cultural events here in St. Johns County -- not at a play, or a movie or an art walk.

I can't imagine DeSANTIS laughing unless it is to show his animus and animadversions. He's cold.  He's past his expiration date. Color him colorless, a wacky windbag with no class. 

Like DONALD JOHN TRUMP, RONALD DION DeSANTIS is all anger and contempt, all of the time. His lack of a sense of humor, his whiny voice and his fascistic foibles make me want to laugh at him.  Our former Congressman from St. Johns County is all hate and no cattle, a snaky sneaky partisan hack.  In the words of Mr. T, "I pity the fool."

Should we ask our bumptious Boy Governor, and other hubristic hypocritical candidates for President, to sit for psychiatric fitness for duty examinations?

Shall we challenge DeSANTIS to take a drug test, or an IQ test?"

From Florida Politics:

Anna Eskamani slams Ron DeSantis’ ‘homophobic’ targeting of Christmas drag shows. (Florida Politics) 

By Jacob Ogles, December 29, 2022

The state threatened liquor licenses of major venues if they allow minors into shows.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is sending letters to major venues planning to host holiday drag shows. In response, Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani is framing those potential investigations as selective outrage meant to gin up homophobia.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) on Wednesday sent a letter to The Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation. That message cited the organization’s liquor license and a performance of A Drag Queen Christmas scheduled the same evening the letter was sent.

“To avoid action being taken against your license, it is your obligation to ensure that minors are prohibited from attending the Drag Fans drag show,” reads the letter from DBPR Secretary Melanie Griffin. “If minors are allowed to attend this drag show, the Department will take any and all actions available to ensure that you do not pose a threat to minors in the future.”

Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat, slammed the letter, arguing the administration is inciting faux anger over a non-issue and is taking a hypocritical stance on parental rights.

“DBPR could spend their time cracking down on human trafficking taking place in Florida hotel rooms. Instead they’re pursuing a homophobic agenda in targeting drag shows,” Eskamani wrote.

“It’s a waste of money, time and an attempt to create political outrage when none has existed before. In fact, this specific drag show has been taking place for eight years — and no harm has been caused.”

The move from DBPR comes after DeSantis’ Office publicly targeted similar performances, also hosted by Drag Fans, held Dec. 26 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and Dec. 27 at Miami’s James L. Knight Center. A similar event is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 29, in Clearwater at Ruth Eckerd Hall.

“Exposing children to sexually explicit activity is a crime in Florida, and such action violates the Department’s licensing standards for operating a business and holding a liquor license,” tweeted DeSantis Press Secretary Bryan Griffin.

The shows are marketed as “all ages,” though the Orlando show was reportedly marketed locally as open to patrons age 18 and up.

Regardless, Eskamani said it should be parents, not the DBPR, who decide whether drag performances pose a threat to their own children.

“It’s clear that Gov. DeSantis practices an ideology of convenience. He preaches parental rights and freedom only when it’s convenient to him,” Eskamani said. “If you don’t like drag shows, then don’t go to one. Instead, we see events getting canceled out of safety, and LGBTQ+ people living in fear. We’ll continue to push back against these homophobic attacks and stand for freedom for all.”

Before Halloween, a drag queen story hour event was canceled at the LGBT+ Center Orlando following threats by neo-Nazi groups.

Officials within the DeSantis administration say the recent Christmas shows contain sexually explicit material, some of which has been shared by right-wing critics on social media. A Fort Lauderdale show was disrupted by protesters.

“The Department has reason to believe that this drag show is of a sexual nature, involving the exposure or exhibition of sexual organs, simulated sexual activity, and/or the sexualization of children’s stories,” wrote DBPR Secretary Melanie Griffin in her letter to the Orlando venue.

“The Department has also become aware that drag shows by Drag Fans have been marketed to and attended by minors, including young children. Sexually explicit drag show performances constitute public nuisances, lewd activity and disorderly conduct when minors are in attendance.”

Jacob Ogles

Jacob Ogles has covered politics in Florida since 2000 for regional outlets including SRQ Magazine in Sarasota, The News-Press in Fort Myers and The Daily Commercial in Leesburg. His work has appeared nationally in The Advocate, Wired and other publications. Events like SRQ’s Where The Votes Are workshops made Ogles one of Southwest Florida’s most respected political analysts, and outlets like WWSB ABC 7 and WSRQ Sarasota have featured his insights. He can be reached at jacobogles@hotmail.com.