A protester makes a sign during a protest in San Francisco. Drag performances have because a flash point in culture wars, particularly in Florida where a local official is under investigation for possibly exposing children to a sexualized performance. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo
A small town elected official in Florida is under investigation by state Attorney General James Uthmeier for hosting a drag show that may have exposed children to a “sexualized performance.”
Uthmeier announced Tuesday he had subpoenaed Linda Moore, the vice mayor of Vero Beach, over a “Pride Tea Dance” held last month at the Kilted Mermaid, a wine bar she owns in the town on the Atlantic coast. However, it’s unclear what charges Moore might face and questions remain concerning Uthmeier’s legal basis for the investigation.
Uthmeier’s office cited evidence that the event was promoted as being open to all ages and included sexualized adult performers who “wore revealing attire and burlesque outfits while interacting with the children.”
“In Florida, we don’t sacrifice the innocence of children for the perversions of some demented adults,” Uthmeier said in a statement.
The subpoena demands Moore turn over employee schedules, surveillance videos, contracts with performers, ticket sales records, the bar’s age-verification protocols and other documents by Aug. 8.
Moore told NBC News that the subpoena did not make sense to her because it did not accuse her of a crime.
“We have the event every year; it’s our gay pride event, and it is all ages,” Moore told the news outlet, adding that the bar has hosted it for at least the past five years. “It’s a family-friendly event, and then once the drag show actually starts, we tell the parents who have small children that they can’t stay for the show.”
She said that the performances can be a “little racy” but do not include any nudity.
Jennifer Pippin, a member of a local chapter of conservative parents group Moms for Liberty, called attention to the events at the Kilted Mermaid on social media.
She alleged that Moore had violated Florida’s “Protection of Children Act,” which was signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023. However, the law has been held up in court as federal judges have suggested it is likely unconstitutional.
