Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier spent two months trying to shut down a Pensacola production of A Drag Queen Christmas, a holiday-themed show featuring former competitors from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Uthmeier called the show “demonic,” “anti-Christian,” and “harmful” to children — instead, the December 23 show sold out its 1,600-seat venue.

“We can’t thank Pensacola enough for showing out and showing up,” tour host Nina West said in a video alongside her other performers. The Florida performance marked the touring show’s 21st state in a 23-state run that goes through December 29.

Related

The history of drag goes far deeper than you might think

Despite Uthmeier’s attempts with local Christian conservatives to censor the show, Pensacola’s city council allowed the performance to proceed at the city’s Saenger Theatre, saying that cancelling it could create a costly legal battle and violate the city’s contract with the venue.

Hundreds of people showed up at city council meetings over the last two months to speak out in support of the show, WEAR-TV reported. Some of these speakers, who were also members of the local gay men’s chorus, showed up outside the Tuesday night performance to sing carols to ticketholders waiting in line.

Never Miss a Beat

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

Christian counterprotestors also demonstrated outside of the venue. A woman held a sign that said, “You need to repent.” Her bearded and bespectacled male associate wore a white shirt with letters in the colors of the rainbow and transgender Pride flags. It said, “They burned in their lust… committing what is shameful,” a paraphrased Bible verse.

“If you sinners don’t get right with the living God, God is going to put you in hell,” the man said, using a microphone and loudspeaker in front of the venue.

Pastor Kent Langham with The Cross Church said that the show was publicly blaspheming Jesus, “the lord of every human being.” He called the show a “mockery” of the Christian faith that celebrates “homosexuality [and] transgenderism.”

“The Bible calls those abominations very clearly, and God judges societies that accept those,” Langham added.

To protect the show, Police Chief Kristin Brown patrolled the venue with dozens of officers, live cameras on loan from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, and anti-vehicle barricades from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

In 2022, the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) investigated some of the venues hosting the show and threatened to prosecute them under the state’s “lewdness” laws. DeSantis baselessly claimed that the venues were hosting a “sexually explicit performance marketed to children.” His state’s drag ban was repeatedly struck down by judges who ruled it a violation of free speech.

Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.