
The editorial board of the Miami Herald pens an op-ed comparing Gov. Ron DeSantis to 1970s anti-gay orange juice maven Anita Bryant.
Here’s just part of the op-ed:
They carried signs saying “Protect our children” and “Don’t legislate immorality.” Their leader said she spoke as a mother and a Christian, her “Save our children” campaign proclaiming to save Florida’s youth from the influence of gay people.
It was 1977, and singer Anita Bryant, known for her Florida orange juice commercials, became the face of an effort to repeal a Dade County ordinance that prohibited discrimination against gay men and lesbians.
Almost 50 years later, the same rhetoric has resurfaced in Florida Republicans’ fight against teaching LGBTQ issues at schools, transgender treatment and their threats against businesses that host drag shows.
Like Bryant in 1977, they say they are acting in the name of “Protection of Children” — to name a bill targeting drag shows. It’s under that premise that the DeSantis administration has threatened essentially to shut down drag-show venues that allow minors. The state is going after their liquor licenses.
[snip]
In the free state of Florida, parental rights reign unless a parent’s choice doesn’t align with state bureaucrats. Whose job is it anyway to parent children?
If Florida’s real issue is with exposing minors to sexually explicit content, then they should also vet every artist who performs at big concert venues, such as the Miami-Dade Arena. Will they ban teens from attending Madonna’s upcoming concert?
Read the full op-ed here.
Know what’s a real drag? The ‘free’ state of Florida’s tired old tropes to attack LGBTQ community | Opinion https://t.co/1OV4ZjjkYb
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) March 16, 2023