Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law the "Protection of Children Act" in May to ban "children" from any "adult live performances" that feature sexual or lewd conduct. The penalty for restaurants or other venues that violate the statute is potential license revocation or even criminal charges. While the law does not explicitly refer to drag shows, it is widely seen as aimed at them.
Hamburger Mary's Restaurant and Bar in Orlando, Fla., challenged the law in court, contending that it violates the First Amendment right of free speech. The restaurant frequently hosts drag show performances, comedy sketches, and dancing. In July a federal judge in Florida temporarily blocked the law from going into effect, and the state of Florida asked the Supreme Court to reinstate it while appeals are carried out in the lower courts.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, joined by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, filed a short statement, explaining that the state did not raise the First Amendment issue in the case and the court's action on Thursday thus "indicates nothing about our view on whether Florida's new law violated the First Amendment."
[
add
]
[
|
|
...
]