DeSantis, Florida agency go after Miami hotel for drag show

Under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' anti-'woke' agenda, Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation moved to have a Miami hotel stripped of its liquor license after it provided alcohol to patrons of a Christmas-themed drag show. 

In a new court filing submitted Tuesday, the state agency argued that the Hyatt Regency Miami should be punished as the liquor vendor for the December 27 performance of 'A Drag Queen Christmas,' a touring production that made several stops in Florida last year. 

The queens performed at the adjacent James L. Knight Center in downtown Miami, but the Hyatt Regency provided the alcohol. 

The filing described the Christmas-themed show as 'lewd, vulgar and indecent' and presented evidence that minors were present.

It said that performers were 'penetrating or rubbing their exposed prosthetic female breasts against the faces or oral cavities of audience members' and sang songs including 'Screwdolph the Red-Nippled Reindeer.' 

A Florida agency is going after the Hyatt Regency Miami after the hotel provided alcohol at a December 27 performance of 'A Drag Queen Christmas.' An Instagram post shows some of the queens who performed in the show  

An advertisement for the drag show that is endangering the liquor license of a Miami hotel. A Florida agency called the show 'lewd, vulgar and indecent' and presented evidence that minors were present

The legal complaint also points out that Florida's DBPR had reached out to the Hyatt Recency Miami on December 27 - the date of the performance - warning the hotel that the liquor license would be in jeopardy if any minors attended the show.

'Sexually explicit drag show performances constitute public nuisances, lewd activity and disorderly conduct when minors are in attendance,' wrote DBPR's Secretary Melanie S. Griffin. 

'To avoid action being taken against your license, it is your obligation to ensure that minors are prohibited from attending the Drag Fans drag show,' the letter continued.  'If minors are allowed to attend this drag show, the Department will take any and all actions available to ensure that you do not pose a threat to minors in the future.' 

An advertisement for the show originally said 'all ages' were welcome and later said the performance was recommended for age 18 and older. 

A photograph was included in the court filing that showed two female attendees, one of whom had her face blurred out as she was purportedly underage.

Spokespeople for Hyatt did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment. 

The move is the latest way DeSantis' Florida agencies have targeted the LGBTQI community, accusing drag performers of presenting sexually lewd content to minors.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd in Davenport, Iowa on Friday as he tests the presidential waters. At the event, DeSantis went after the teaching of transgenderism in schools. His government continues to go after drag performances in the state 

DeSantis, as he potentially readies a 2024 presidential bid, has also gone after transgenderism being taught in schools and female trans athletes participating in women's sports. 

'It is wrong to tell a second-grader that they were born in the wrong body. It is wrong to have gender ideology imposed in our schools, and in Florida we don't let it happen,' DeSantis said Friday during a stop in Davenport, Iowa. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre went after DeSantis and other 'extreme' Republicans during Friday's press briefing, saying that their attack on 'woke' isn't a policy position, but 'despicable' and actually 'hate.'  

'This is about attacking - we're talking about young kids and their parents. Because of how they view themselves. Because of how they see themselves. Because of how they want to live. Kids and their parents,' Jean-Pierre said.