Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed legislation earlier this year protecting the state’s youngest children from being exposed to inappropriate sexual and gender-related materials in schools, is now vowing to protect them yet again.
The GOP governor said Friday that the state’s Child Protective Services (CPS) could be instructed to investigate and take action against parents who take their children to drag shows, American Wire reported.
His warning came after videos surfaced online in recent days of young kids cavorting with drag queens, and even tucking money into their skimpy costumes, at a Dallas nightclub called Mr. Misster. A large hot-pink neon sign behind the stage read, “It’s Not Going to Lick Itself.”
This didn’t happen in California.
It didn’t happen in Portland, Oregon.
It happened right here in the state of Texas.
The question: What are our state’s “Republican” leaders going to do about it?
pic.twitter.com/aZdT0tYT1B— APP Texas (@AppTexas) June 6, 2022
The Dallas “Drag Your Kids to Pride” event was protested by several people.
“Do you want to hit the stage with the queens?” read a promotion for the event. “We have FIVE limited spots for young performers to take the stage solo, or with a queen of their choosing!”
Speaking at Fort Myers Beach earlier in the week, DeSantis blasted the event while vowing to protect Florida children against similar exposure.
Referencing what he described as a “concerted effort” to expose young children to “things that are not age-appropriate,” the governor made it clear that parents who bring their kids to such events and expose them to those surroundings are violating the law.
“We have child protective statutes on the books,” he said. “We have laws against child endangerment.”
“It used to be kids would be off-limits — used to be everybody agreed with that,” he added. “Now it just seems like there’s a concerted effort to be exposing kids more and more to things that are not age-appropriate.”
American Wire continued:
Florida State Representative — and U.S. Congressional hopeful — Anthony Sabatini agrees, and has proposed legislation that would make it a felony for a parent to take their child to a drag show.
Fueled by a similar West Palm Beach affair called “Pride on the Block: Drag Show for Kids,” Sabatini’s bill could see the parental rights of those who violate it terminated.
“Drag Sex Shows aimed at children have come to Florida,” he tweeted after the event. “I will be proposing Legislation to charge w/ a Felony & terminate the parental rights of any adult who brings a child to these perverted sex shows aimed at FL kids.”
“When will the sexualization of children stop?” he asked.
BREAKING: Drag Sex Shows aimed at children have come to Florida
I will be proposing Legislation to charge w/ a Felony & terminate the parental rights of any adult who brings a child to these perverted sex shows aimed at FL kids
When will the sexualization of children stop? pic.twitter.com/m8cJ2ORNJo
— Rep. Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) June 7, 2022
SIGN the petition & make your voice heard if you believe it should be a Felony under Florida Law to send a child into a Drag Sex Show 👇 https://t.co/geWWNGUset
— Rep. Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) June 7, 2022
“I’ve asked my folks to look” at using CPS to police such child exposures and called the act of “very young kids” pushing dollar bills into the underwear of drag queens “totally inappropriate,” DeSantis said.
“That is not something that children should be exposed to,” he stated.
