8 Important Facts About Hamburger Mary's and The DeSantis Drag Ban Against Bathing Suits That Show Too Much

Bathing suits that show – Learn more with Healthier Me Today! A well-known Orlando restaurant that frequently hosts drag shows is fighting back less than a week after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis approved a bill that targets the acts of drag drives.

On Monday, Hamburger Mary’s filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Florida and Governor Ron DeSantis, asserting that this new policy has significantly harmed their companies and targeted the LGBTQ community.

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1. Who is Governor Ron DeSantis?

As he gears himself to run for the Republican presidential nomination, DeSantis has made anti-LGBTQ legislation a significant component of his campaign, as if the country does not have more important issues than bathing suits that show too much.

Four bills that either directly or indirectly harm transgender people and the larger LGBTQ community were recently signed by him, which ultimately brings an end to various drag drives.

2. What is Hamburger Mary’s?

Hamburger Mary’s is a well-known burger joint with a drag motif; Hamburger Mary’s Bar & Grille has San Francisco roots, which all dive deep into drag drives.

The famous LGBTQ hangout has established over a dozen locations nationwide since 1972, with the Orlando restaurant debuting in 2008 and drag drives not long after.

The restaurant conducts several themed events and drag brunches for the neighborhood in keeping with its eccentric ambiance because who wouldn’t like to see an absolute queen wearing bathing suits that show too much?

3. What Is Hamburger Mary’s Suing DeSantis For?

According to Hamburger Mary’s, the bill violates its First Amendment rights. Thus, it has filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Florida and DeSantis.

Mike Carpenter and John Paonessa, co-owners of the Orlando restaurant, claim in their case that they were compelled to cancel a Sunday series of family-friendly shows and that families have already stopped visiting the restaurant due to a 20% decline in reservations. The lawsuit also claims that the law restricts free speech and is too ambiguous.

The business owners say in a Facebook post that this bill has nothing to do with kids and “everything to do with the continued oppression of the LGBTQ+ community.”

Let’s face it, kids going to the beach or public pools are exposed to more than bathing suits that show too much.

“Our legislators often claim that a group is out to get your children whenever they want to accuse them.

In this instance, fabricating a story that drag queens are enlisting and grooming your kids without any evidence or background to support these claims,” the post claims.

“Our legislators refuse to take the time to comprehend the significance of gender-affirming care for these people, which is why our transgender friends are being disparaged.

It can mean the difference between life and death regarding depression and suicide.”

4. What Does The Dubbed’ Florida Anti-Drag’ Bill Say?

Florida’s SB 1438 is the relevant law forbidding kids from attending “adult live performances.”

The bill’s language, sponsored by Sen. Clay Yarborough in April, does not specifically include drag acts or Pride parades.

Instead, it focuses on outlining what constitutes “any show, exhibition, or other presentation that… depicts or simulates bathing suits that show too much, nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, specific sexual activities,… lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts” that may be present in such events.

Will this ban, however, be implemented for exotic dancers with implanted breasts and bathing suits that show too much, or will it only target a specific demographic?

5. What Supporters of the Ban Had to Say?

Supporters of the ban argue that it’s essential to protect kids from seeing live performances that aren’t acceptable, with many alleging that doing so exposes them to live pornography.

Yet, these children are allowed on beaches where individuals wear bathing suits that show too much.

The LGBTQ community, according to opponents, would be further marginalized by the ambiguous language that will be used to attack family-friendly drag drives and Pride celebrations.

What Florida SB 1438 does:

Official bodies cannot issue general permits to anyone who would break the law. The legislation prohibits any state, county, district, etc., from giving the permit or, in any other way approving someone to hold a performance that would contravene the new legislation.
Businesses that let children into an “adult live performance” risk fines, license revocation, or suspension for breaking the law. Companies that break the law risk paying penalties of up to $10,000 and losing their ability to operate.

6. What Is The Definition Of Drag?

Drag is a style of performance art where a performer dresses in ornate clothing and makeup to present an exaggerated, over-the-top representation of a man or woman, frequently of the opposite sex.

Drag drives have a long history; ancient Greek plays featured men dressed as women.

The technique of female impersonation evolved from simple cross-dressing to performance as the 19th century crept in, with female impersonators appearing in vaudeville shows as solo acts rather than as part of a more extensive production.

During the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, drag drives played a significant role in the underground dance culture of New York City and grew to be identified with the underrepresented and hidden LGBTQ+ community.

Drag culture has recently received positive coverage in popular culture, including “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar.” Drag drives are becoming widespread across the country.

7. Drag Shows and Children

There is a perception that drags performers, many of whom are gay men, prey on young people and are, therefore, dangerous by nature.

In a recent Fox News interview, Tucker Carlson argued that bringing kids to drag shows constitutes child molestation because it turns them into “props in the sexual fantasies of adults with bathing suits that show too much .”

Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, has threatened to investigate parents who bring their kids to these gatherings by using child protective services.

All of this offensive rhetoric has no factual basis. Children who attend Drag Queen Story Hour are exposed to tales like “I Am Enough,” which instills confidence in children, or “Harriet Gets Carried Away,” about a girl who adores penguins and happens to have two fathers.

They perform the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”

8. What Other Recent Legislation Has DeSantis Aimed At Drag Performers And LGBTQ Residents?

Along with SB 1438, DeSantis also signed three more pieces of legislation on May 19 that either directly or indirectly target the transgender population and the larger LGBTQ community:

Florida’s “abduction” law, SB 254, which limits gender-affirming care for transgender adults and children, has been denounced as such by opponents who assert that it permits parents to “legally kidnap” their children.
Florida’s contentious Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law by opponents, has been extended to cover grades four through twelve.
Florida HB 1521 mandates that persons use toilets that correspond to the sex assigned to them at birth.

Facts to Know About Hamburger Mary’s and The DeSantis Drag Ban…

Some Pride events in Florida have already been canceled or reduced in size due to SB 1438 and the state’s crackdown on youngsters at drag shows.

This ban does not correlate with protecting children but rather with condoning homophobia.

Bans such as these are harming a community that fought tooth and nail for their rights today by implying that things such as shows are all about bathing suits that show too much and depict crude implications.