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Florida Burger Joint Sues DeSantis Over Drag Show Law

The owners said the bill was about the “oppression of the LGBTQ+ community.”

The owners of a restaurant in Florida that hosts family-friendly drag shows sued Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday in an effort to block a law banning children from attending such shows. The owners of Hamburger Mary’s in Orlando also sued the state of Florida in their lawsuit. At issue is the enforcement of Senate Bill 1438—signed by DeSantis last week—which allows the state to remove the liquor license or impose fines on any business that allows minors to a show that “simulates nudity, sexual conduct or specific sexual activities.” Writing on their Facebook page, the restaurant’s owners said: “This bill has nothing to do with children, and everything to do with the continued oppression of the LGBTQ+ community.” The lawsuit alleges that the new law violates the First Amendment in that it “prohibits protected speech based on the identity of the speaker.” The filing also claims the law mistakenly targets drag as deviant when the shows are already “part of mainstream culture.” “It is a form of family entertainment, enjoyed by all,” the lawsuit says.