Franklin Graham Praises DeSantis For Punishing Hotel That Hosted Kid-Friendly Drag Queen Event

Rev. Franklin Graham, leader of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, praised Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over reports that his administration will revoke the Hyatt Regency Miami’s alcohol license after it hosted “A Drag Queen Christmas” with minors present in the audience.

“Governor Ron DeSantis doesn’t mess around,” Graham wrote on social media. “He’s revoking the liquor license of a major Miami hotel because they hosted a drag queen show with children present, even after being warned.”

“It’s so refreshing to see a leader who is willing to stand up for what is right!” Graham added. “May God bless and help him as he leads this state.”

Graham included a link to a Business Insider report that said Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco filed a 17-page complaint this week against the venue that hosted the event, the James L. Knight Center, which is affiliated with the hotel. The event was held on December 27.

“Sexually explicit content is not appropriate to display to children and doing so violates Florida law,” said DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin. “Governor DeSantis stands up for the innocence of children in the classroom and throughout Florida.”

The complaint filed by the state said that Hyatt “promoted the Show using targeted, Christmas-themed promotional materials that did not provide notice as to the sexually explicit nature of the Show’s performances or other content.”

“Rather than call attention to the Show’s sexually explicit content or acknowledge that it might not be appropriate for children, Respondent’s promotional materials unequivocally stated ‘[a]ll ages welcome,’” the complaint said.

The complaint noted that the state of Florida sent a letter to Hyatt prior to the event that warned them that “[sexually explicit drag show performances constitute public nuisances, lewd activity, and disorderly conduct when minors are in attendance” and that if the hotel “failed to ensure that minors were prohibited from attending such performances, its license would be subject to penalties up to and including revocation.”

The complaint said that the show featured numerous segments where performers engaged in acts of sexual conduct, simulated sexual activity, and lewd, vulgar, and indecent displays, including but not limited to:

  • performers forcibly penetrating or rubbing their exposed prosthetic female breasts against the faces or oral cavities of audience members;
  • intentionally exposing performers’ prosthetic female breasts and genitalia to the audience;
  • intentionally exposing performers’ buttocks to the audience;
  • simulating masturbation through performers’ digitally penetrating prosthetic female genital; and
  • graphic depictions of childbirth and/or abortion.

The complaint said that videos played in the background behind the performers included “images of exposed female breasts with less than a fully opaque covering, portrayals of simulated masturbation, and other sexually explicit content.”

“The Show also contained sexually explicit themes and prurient content presented through perverted versions of popular children’s Christmas songs,” the complaint added. “These included an adaptation of ‘All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth’ that contained portrayals of oral fellatio, as well as the line ‘I’ll sit on his lap, he can put his milk and cookies all between my gap.’”

The Show also featured a performance of “Screwdolph the Red-Nippled Reindeer,” which included the following lyrics:

  • “You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen Vomit and Stupid and Dildo and Dicks-in…”
  • “But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? Screwdolph the Red-Nippled Reindeer, had a very shiny bust…”
  • “Then one soggy Christmas Eve Santa came to say ‘Screwdolph with your nipples so bright won’t you guide my sleigh tonight.”

“At all times material to this Complaint, Respondent maintained dominion and control over its Licensed Premises, the performances conducted at the Licensed Premises, and the persons admitted onto its Licensed Premises,” state officials alleged. “Accordingly, Respondent authorized, permitted, and maintained the Show to occur on its Licensed Premises, and, as a direct result of its admission policies, knowingly exposed minor children to the conduct alleged herein.”

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