Officials in Florida are investigating a Dec. 26 Christmas-themed drag show in Ft. Lauderdale, where children were in attendance as performers simulated sex on stage, and which included an act called “Screwdolph the Red-Nippled Reindeer.”
The show, called “Drag Queen Christmas,” has performances scheduled in three dozen cities around the country, including four in Florida. According to promoters, this is the eighth consecutive year for the show.
Independent journalist Taylor Hansen posted a mega-thread on Twitter earlier this month with videos showing the debauched drag show that was presented in Austin, Texas.
One performer, Hansen reported, “paraded around with his ‘tits in a box’ and shook his buttocks for the crowd. At one point the Drag Queen said ‘are you reaching for my titties are you hungry’ to a child in the audience. Throughout the Drag Queen talking he had multiple people spank him.”
During the “Screwdolph the Red Nippled Reindeer” segment of the show, the performers “simulated sex countless times, sexualized a child’s story, including Santa, and had sexual videos playing in the background. When the host asked a child what his favorite part of the show is he replied ‘nothing.'”
In another segment, “men with kink harnesses grab their privates, grind, and simulate humping. The Drag Queen talked to a 9-year-old named Major and then addressed the mother of the child. ‘You are such an awesome mom for bringing your kid out to a FAMILY FRIENDLY DRAG SHOW.'”
There’s much more in the thread if you can bear to watch it. Hansen concluded: “Over 20 children were in attendance at this show. These are the kinds of shows being marketed as ‘all ages’ and ‘family-friendly.’ Activists try to spin these shows as being educational and important to LGBTQ rights.”
Independent journalist Chris Nelson attended the show in Ft. Lauderdale and called out the performers for subjecting minor children to sexually explicit material.
After noticing MULTIPLE children in the audience at the explicit Drag Queen Christmas in Ft Lauderdale I called out performer Nina West for inviting and allowing children to come to her sexually explicit shows! pic.twitter.com/3XA4qqV0IR
— Chris Nelson 🇺🇸 🏝 (@ReOpenChris) December 27, 2022
The Floridian reported:
According to local activist Chris Nelson, the Show” A Drag Queen Christmas” displayed “sexually explicit” to attendees, including a handful of minors, several he says looked as young as 10 years old.
Nelson told The Floridian that the show and its “actors” stuck to the script of showing simulated sex acts to minors, even acting out that famous childhood story, “Screwdolph the Red-Nippled Reindeer.”
When Nelson opposed one of the show’s performers by yelling out, “This is not right. It is not right for children to be at this thing,” Nelson was signaled and told to leave the show.
Now, the show has raised the ire of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been an outspoken critic of those who would sexually groom children. His press secretary released a statement saying that the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) is “actively investigating” the performance.
Thank you to those who flagged the event for us. Please see the following statement: pic.twitter.com/D8N8a6SPNa
— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) December 27, 2022
“Exposing children to sexually explicit activity is a crime in Florida, and such action violates the Department’s licensing standards for operating a business or holding a liquor license,” the statement read.
In addition, the DPBR sent a letter to the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation, which owns the Plaza Live theater in Orlando, where a performance of the show is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m.
“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 Melanie S. Griffin, secretary of Business and Professional Regulation. “The Department has also become aware that drag shows by Drag Fans have been marketed to and attended by minors, including young children.”
The sexually explicit shows, Griffin said, constitute “public nuisances, lewd activity, and disorderly conduct when minors are in attendance.” She notes that Florida licensure laws provide “strict penalties” for such violations of the law and warned that if the venue continues to host such shows, they will be putting their license in jeopardy. “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.”
It’s a shame that the performers and the groomer parents who take their kids to these disgusting shows aren’t being investigated (yet), but going after the venue is a good start.