DeSantis’ Own Undercover Cops Find No Wrongdoing at Orlando Drag Show

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is willing to disregard his own undercover agents in his crusade against drag shows, according to the Miami Herald. In a very efficient use of state resources, a group of undercover cops from Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation sat in on “A Very Drag Queen Christmas” at Orlando’s Plaza Live Theater in December, eyes peeled for “lewd or lascivious” acts that cannot be performed in front of minors, according to Florida’s state decency law. What was their verdict? “Besides some of the outfits being provocative [bikinis and short shorts], agents did not witness any lewd acts such as exposure of genital organs,” the officers said in a report. Yet the state of Florida is still going after the historic venue, seeking to repeal its liquor license in a move that would likely force it out of business. DeSantis, who is expected to seek the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, has made his war on drag a centerpiece of his policy agenda, courting the anti-LGBT vote by openly seeking to financially hurt venues that allow children to see drag performances.