Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took motion on Tuesday, March 14, to revoke the liquor license of the Hyatt Regency Miami lodge in Downtown Miami over accusations that the lodge allowed minors to attend a vacation drag present on the James L. Knight Middle, which is affiliated with Hyatt.
DeSantis filed an administrative grievance by way of the state Division of Enterprise and Skilled Regulation in opposition to the lodge. In December 2022, the James L. Knight Middle hosted “A Drag Queen Christmas,” which, in line with the grievance, “simulated masturbation” in addition to “graphic depictions of childbirth and/or abortion” with performers “forcibly penetrating or working their uncovered prosthetic breasts in opposition to the faces or oral cavities of viewers members.”
In December, the Florida Division of Enterprise and Skilled Regulation warned the Hyatt Regency in opposition to internet hosting a present that included sexual content material in entrance of minors, in line with a duplicate of the letter included within the grievance. The present, which options RuPaul’s Drag Race performers carrying “prosthetic feminine genitalia” throughout parts of the present, added a “Advisable for audiences 18+” disclaimer to the advertising supplies with a further disclaimer that “an grownup should accompany minors.” The grievance alleges minors beneath the age of 16 have been knowingly admitted into the present, however supplied no proof apart from a blurry {photograph} of an individual’s face within the grievance.
In keeping with Amir Blattner, the final supervisor at Hyatt Regency Miami, the occasion came about on the James L. Knight Middle, which is managed by third-party operators, whereas the lodge serves because the meals and beverage concessionaire. He confirmed to Eater that the lodge’s liquor license stays energetic and has not been revoked. Blattner added that they’re at the moment reviewing the grievance and will likely be dealing with the scenario immediately with the state’s Division of Enterprise and Skilled Regulation as a part of the executive overview course of.
Extra venues could lose licenses following complaints filed by the DeSantis administration, together with R Home, a Miami bar that hosted a drag present with minors current in July 2022, and the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Basis in February. This newest incident is a component of a bigger nationwide pattern that has known as for drag occasions to be banned. Conservative teams and politicians have more and more attacked drag tradition, claiming that these occasions promote “inappropriate” and “immoral” habits to kids. Earlier in March, Tennessee enacted what’s thought of the most-restrictive anti-drag regulation within the nation, sparking protests by artists and throwing the way forward for drag exhibits at eating places and bars into query.
DeSantis, a rumored 2024 presidential candidate, has taken an more and more hardline stance in opposition to what he views as “woke” tradition in current months, particularly with regard to LGBTQ rights. His insurance policies have included the controversial “Don’t Say Homosexual” regulation, prohibiting transgender ladies from competing in ladies’s sports activities, and threatening to lower funding for variety and inclusion initiatives at universities.
