Florida attorney general demands record of drag show attendees

Florida’s attorney general has demanded the records of a restaurant after it hosted an LGBTQ+ drag event to mark Pride.

Florida politician James Uthmeier subpoenaed documents from the Kilted Mermaid in Vero Beach after claiming that it had subjected children to “adult” performances.

The venue hosted a Pride tea dance event on 29 June to celebrate LGBTQ+ history in Florida and beyond. The event featured family-friendly performances from a set of drag artists.

Earlier this month, Uthmeier reportedly demanded copies of the event’s guest list, reservation logs, surveillance footage and contracts identifying performers.

The 37-year-old claimed in a Tuesday (29 July) statement that the event’s organisers had subjected children to “adult, sexualised performers.” The attorney general’s office has not clarified what evidence it has obtained to suggest the performances were “adult” or “sexualised.”

Florida attempted to ban family-friendly drag shows in 2023 as part of a set of laws further restricting LGBTQ+ rights.

Venues in violation of the law faced hefty fines and the possibility that their liquor licenses could be suspended or revoked. Additionally, performers and organisers could have faced misdemeanour crimes or further fines.

Famous Orlando LGBTQ+ restaurant Hamburger Mary’s challenged the law shortly following its introduction. The venue regularly hosts drag events, including family-friendly performances.

In response, a federal judge blocked the provisions, which aimed to sanction venues or performers that allow under-18s to witness drag performances, in July of the same year, arguing the law is unconstitutional.

A three-judge panel for the Florida Court of Appeals voted to maintain the injunction blocking the law in a 2-1 May 2025 vote, arguing the ban is an “egregiously unconstitutional” attempt to “censor the speech and expression of citizens.”

Democratic state senator, Shevrin Jones, said in 2023 that Florida governor Ron DeSantis’ laws and rhetoric are deeply anti-LGBTQ+, adding that he was only promoting “freedom for some parents, but not all parents.”

“They have cloaked themselves in being the party of less government and parental rights, and what we’re seeing now is the total opposite,” Jones said. “Every other parent has the right to raise their child the way that they want to as long as your child is not gay, trans, bisexual.”