Florida conservatives expressed outrage after a federal judge ruled that an LGBT group holds a First Amendment right to host a drag show outdoors in Naples.
This week, U.S. District Judge John Steele refused to grant the city of Naples’s request to block Naples Pride from hosting a June drag show outdoors in a public venue and restrict event organizers from allowing anyone 18 and under to attend the show.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) attacked the decision Thursday, arguing that because Steele’s ruling allowed Naples Pride to hold its event at an outdoor park, it exposed children to sexually explicit material.
“We are going to protect the innocence of our children,” he said during a Fort Myers press conference. “Why would it be problematic to say you can’t do this stuff that’s sexually explicit in front of minors that used to not even be something that would be questioned? Now somehow you have folks going into court and they really want to push the envelope on this stuff, and I want Florida to be family-friendly.”
“We laid down the marker here so parents in Florida should know that we’re on their side,” he continued. “These kids should not be robbed of their innocence. So when you have some of this stuff where you’d have these establishments where you could have minors in there, and that’s not consistent with good policy, we stand for the protection of the children, and we’re going to continue to do that.”
The ruling marks the latest standoff between the DeSantis administration and Florida’s LGBT community over how much of the pride movement should play out in the public eye, and centers on fundamental disagreements about what constitutes “family-friendly” activities. DeSantis says protecting children from sexually explicit material has priority. LGBT supporters say the drag shows in question are “family-friendly” and should be permitted under the First Amendment.
Earlier this month, a federal appeals court struck a blow to a Florida law banning children from attending drag shows statewide, ruling that the DeSantis-backed policy was “substantially overbroad” and likely violated the First Amendment. The governor called that court ruling “dead wrong.”
The latest conflict between Naples Pride and the city began in April.
At the time, the LGBT group sued the city of Naples for denying a special event permit to hold its June 7 drag show at Cambier Park. The organization argued that requirements that the drag show be held inside a building with a 200-person capacity and that minors be barred from attending violated free speech rights. The LGBT group also alleged that the city was unfairly charging an exorbitant amount for security costs amounting to far more than other events of a similar size.
Steele handed Naples Pride a victory on May 12 when he ruled the group holds a First Amendment right to host the drag show in a public venue and agreed with the group’s claim that their show was “family friendly.”
Although the city made an emergency motion to appeal the ruling, Steele declined this week to stay his preliminary injunction as the case plays out in an appellate court.
In a decision handed down Tuesday, Steele argued in part that granting the city a stay would essentially rule out his previous preliminary injunction granting Naples Pride unfettered public access, with the event set to be held within the next two weeks.
“Since Pridefest 2025 and its drag performance are scheduled for June 7, 2025, and the preliminary injunction by its terms expires on June 8, 2025, granting a stay would essentially vacate the preliminary injunction,” Steele wrote.
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Rep. Bryon Donalds (R-FL), who is running for Florida governor, slammed the ruling, urging the city to appeal the “atrocious” decision to the Supreme Court.
“You have to be an adult to enter a strip club, but Clinton-appointed Judge John Steele wants sexually explicit drag shows to take place next to a popular children’s playground in Naples,” the congressman posted to X on Wednesday.
