Queerguru wants to send its congratulations (and love) to Hamburger Mary’s in Florida sued DeSantis on May 23, saying that the law targeted the business’s First Amendment rights to free speech. In the lawsuit, the company said it had lost 20% of its reservations since announcing that minors could no longer dine at the restaurant in the presence of drag performers.
The restaurant chain which features drag waitresses and family-friendly drag performances, has won a legal victory after convincing a federal judge to place a temporary injunction against Florida’s drag ban. The law will be blocked until a court case decides on the ban’s constitutionality.
Federal Judge Gregory Presnell pointed out that the law’s text specifically forbids children from seeing live performances featuring “lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts,” but the law neither defines what is considered “lewd” nor what constitutes a “live performance.”
“A live performance… could conceivably range from a sold-out burlesque show to a skit at a backyard family barbecue,” Presnell wrote. “What are the implications for cancer survivors with prosthetic genitals or breasts?”
As a result of this “vague and overbroad” language, Presnell added, Hamburger Mary’s and other businesses “cannot know with any confidence whether its shows will expose it to liability under the Act.”
“The state claims that this statute seeks to protect children generally from obscene live performances. However… Florida already has statutes that provide such protection. Rather, this statute is specifically designed to suppress the speech of drag queen performers.”
This ruling marks the third recent loss for DeSantis’ anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Another federal judge recently issued two rulings against Florida’s ban on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth.
What makes this all even more horrific to Queerguru as a Florida Resident/Taxpayer is that De Santis has already cost the State MILLIONS OF DOLLARS pursuing his personal vindictive campaign,
P.S. Pete Buttigieg mocks how Ron DeSantis is trying to ‘prove’ his ‘manhood’ The Transportation Secretary, who is openly gay, criticized a video re-posted by DeSantis’ team that goes after Trump on LGBTQ issues and features images of “shirtless bodybuilders.”
Labels: 2023, court case, De Santis, Drag QDueens, Hamburger Marys, win
I live In FL I love going Hamburger Marys great food great fun.