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Three Florida parents are taking action to protect the innocent children who frequent a local playground that has now become the site for "a proposed, grossly inappropriate, and sexually explicit drag show," a non-profit legal group reports.
Liberty Counsel has filed a motion on behalf of three Collier County parents to help keep the obscene LGBTQ performance show indoors and for adults only at an upcoming June "pride" festival.
The nonprofit legal group had previously filed an amicus brief in Naples Pride v. City of Naples but is now seeking "party status" to directly defend parents' rights to shield their children from indecent material and uphold Florida Law.
In April, the Naples City Council voted 5-2 to move the proposed drag show indoors away from Cambier Park, which is frequented by children, and to restrict the event to adults only.
However, Naples Pride, an LGBT advocacy group, and the ACLU sued the city, claiming it violated their First Amendment rights by moving the event. The ACLU sought a preliminary injunction to overturn the city's location and age restrictions.
Earlier this month, a preliminary injunction hearing took place in U.S. District Court, where the city of Naples offered only one defense to its restrictions on the drag show, Liberty Counsel explained in a press statement.
"The city noted that Cambier Park, which has a children's playground a mere 100 feet away from where Naples Pride wants to hold its drag show, is a limited public forum where permits are subject to reasonable and viewpoint neutral criteria," the group said in the statement.
"While this is true, Liberty Counsel argues this defense leaves out more significant arguments that would require the court to deny the injunction in the interest of protecting children," it continued.
They point out that Florida's "Protection of Children Act" of 2023 expressly outlaws public drag shows held in view of minors.
"Allowing a drag performance in open air and in full view of a busy children's playground would violate Florida law," Liberty Counsel said, noting that although a federal judge narrowly blocking enforcement of that law for a single Florida agency, it is being appealed and therefore "does not erase or suspend" the law itself.
The group says the city failed to challenge Naples Pride's description of the drag show as "family friendly," and provided photos of a 2022 event held by the group just 100 feet from the playground that shows otherwise.
The images depict men in obscene drag costumes "performing lewd poses" and "simulating sexual acts" that are unsuitable for children.
"The drag performers also invited children to place money in their waist bands like strippers in a bar as the men shook their over-stuffed brazier tops and 'twerked' their fish net-covered hind ends mimicking sexual activities no child should ever see," Liberty Counsel explains.
"The scenes are revolting and totally inappropriate for children," the group added.
Parents who attended a Naples City Council meeting on May 8th said they opposed the drag show for those same reasons.
"They are not actually talking about pride… we are talking about whether or not we are going to allow the sexual grooming of children in public parks," Florida resident John Strand said.
Erika Donalds, wife of U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, urged Mayor Teresa Heitmann and council members to take action against Naples Pride, Florida's Voice Now reports.
"This cannot—absolutely cannot— happen in the city of Naples," she said. "So I would encourage you, with everything you have to put all of your resources, both political and financial, behind fighting this battle."
Liberty Counsel pointed out the City of Naples previously revoked the group's permit to use the park after its lewd performance in 2022, but now finds it "inexplicable" why the city would not address the issue of "obscenity, lewdness, or harm to minors posed by the proposed drag performance in view of children altogether."
The non-profit legal group says they must intervene.
"Liberty Counsel is intervening in this case to give parents who wish to protect their children from obscene drag performances a fuller defense on the legal and constitutional issues left unspoken by the city of Naples," said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver.
"The First Amendment does not protect an obscene drag performance in full view of a children's playground, and Florida law outright bans it," he continued. "Restricting speech for children that is otherwise protected for adults passes constitutional muster in the interest of protecting their well-being."
Staver added, "Citizens do not have to tolerate obscene drag shows in view of their children."
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