Ron DeSantis, Byron Donalds question rulings allowing Naples Pride to host outdoor drag show

Naples Pride. Image via Facebook.

Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed Florida will resist allowing children to attend a drag show at Naples Pride. The vow came a day after U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds urged the city of Naples to fight a court ruling permitting the show.

U.S. District Judge John Steele, an appointee of Democratic President Bill Clinton, ruled earlier this month that Naples city officials cannot prohibit a drag performance from being held at an outdoor venue, Cambier Park. He also declined to stay his ruling while Naples appeals the decision. The Pride festival is scheduled to kick off June 7.

But Donalds issued a statement to WINK News urging the city to challenge that ruling to the highest court in the land.

“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,” Donalds said. “This ruling is atrocious and the City of Naples should appeal this case to the Supreme Court.”

An attorney for Naples Pride said the drag show is protected by the First Amendment.

“Drag performances are a protected form of expression — period. The district court’s decision is thoughtful, well-reasoned, and firmly rooted in longstanding constitutional principles,” said Callhan Soldavini, an attorney with Legal Aid Service of Collier County who represents Naples Pride.

Importantly, state courts struck down an anti-drag law signed by DeSantis, and a federal appellate court upheld that decision this month.

But DeSantis, when asked at a Fort Myers press conference about the Naples show, promised Florida will continue fighting any attempt to open a drag show to all ages.

“We are going to protect the innocence of our children,” he said. “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.”

Notably, Naples Pride has promised its show will be appropriate for all ages.

DeSantis characterized the fight as part of an effort to extend parental rights in Florida, though notably no one is forcing any children to attend Naples Pride.

“We laid down the marker here so parents in Florida should know that we’re on their side,” he said. “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.”

Naples Pride organizers expressed confidence they will win in court at all levels where the case is heard.

Soldavini questioned Donalds attacking Steele by name, and said it was part of a larger trend of politicians attacking the judiciary branch.

“When politicians attack a federal judge simply because they disagree with the outcome, they contribute to a troubling and dangerous trend — one that seeks to erode public trust in the judiciary and undermine the very foundations of our democracy,” Soldavini said. “Naples Pride will continue to stand for free speech and the rule of law, which safeguards the rights of all people.”