June 24 (UPI) — A federal judge in Florida has temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a new law that bans minors from attending drag shows.
The restaurant chain Hamburger Mary’s had sued the state, saying that the law put a chilling effect on free speech. On Friday, Judge Gregory Presnell temporarily sided with the restaurant chain, saying a drag show doesn’t constitute an obscene performance.
He also said current laws “provide [Hamburger Mary’s] with the necessary authority to protect children from any constitutionally unprotected obscene exhibitions or shows.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for president, signed the bill into law in mid-May, arguing that drag performances “sexualize” kids. It was set to go into effect on July 1.
Hamburger Mary’s is a restaurant that also hosts “family-friendly” drag performances. The company argues that its business has been affected by the state’s new law.
Jeremy Redfern, DeSantis’ press secretary, said in a statement that the administration believes the “judge’s opinion is dead wrong and [we] look forward to prevailing on appeal,” Politico reported.
Earlier this month, a federal judge in Tennessee similarly ruled that state’s recently enacted law banning drag performances is unconstitutional.
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Parker said in a June 2 ruling that “despite Tennessee’s compelling interest in protecting the psychological and physical wellbeing of children,” the law known as the Adult Entertainment Act is an “unconstitutional restriction on the freedom of speech.”