A gay pride parade was canceled in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and other pride events are now restricted to people who are at least 21 years old.
These actions were taken in anticipation of the signing of a bill by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis that will prevent children from attending drag shows.
The Pride Alliance of the Treasure Coast explained in a post that was published on Facebook on Wednesday that the decision to change the events that will take place at Pridefest on Saturday was made after multiple conversations with officials from Port St. Lucie. About 50 miles to the north of West Palm Beach is where you’ll find the city.
The post included the following statement: “We hope that everyone understands that this is definitely not what we wanted at all and that we are working with the city to assure both our safety and produce a positive event.”
On Wednesday, the Florida House of Representatives handed Governor DeSantis a bill that would prevent children from attending adult performances. The bill is a response to the governor’s opposition to drag shows.
The House passed a separate bill that would make it a crime to use a restroom designated for the opposite gender. They had proposed legislation the day before that would put age limits on receiving treatment for gender transitioning as a minor.
The legislation, which is currently awaiting the signature of the governor, would give the state the authority to revoke the food and beverage licenses of establishments that allow children to attend adult performances.
The DeSantis administration has taken steps to revoke the hotel’s liquor license over allegations that children were present during “lewd” displays. The hotel in question was the one in Miami that hosted a Christmas drag show.
