“A Drag Queen Christmas,” a nationally touring drag show featuring Rupaul’s Drag Race stars Bosco, Lexi, Suzie Toot, Shea Coulée, and host Nina West, is being attacked by James Uthmeier, Florida’s Attorney General. Uthmeier asks the Pensacola City Council to cancel the performance at the city-owned Saenger Theater on December 23 for being obscene and “openly anti-Christian,” according to Them.
“(The drag queens are) men dressed as garish women in demonic costumes,” Uthmeier says in his letter. He further calls Toot a “demonic Betty Bop,” misspelling and referring to Toot’s Vogue photoshoot as Betty Boop. Showcasing his drag knowledge even more, Uthmeier denounces Crystal Methy’d’s glamorous devil drag in Rolling Stone and alleges that Trinity “The Tuck” Taylor (who is not on the show) takes a “not-so-subtle stab at the fundamental doctrine of Christianity” with her name.
Uthemeier’s letter has also been posted on X. “Such city-sanctioned religious mockery may amount to religious discrimination,” he claims, not grasping the irony of his own discrimination against an actual marginalized group. It’s unclear what drag shows he watches, but he claims that the performers could “expose themselves to the kids innocently enjoying Christmas festivities.” Uthemeier focuses on a baseless claim instead of the more than 100 priests accused of sexual abuse in four Florida cities.
“The show’s content is designed to inflame religious strife; its timing is intentional, and its proximity to children is unacceptably problematic,” Uthmeier claims, even though the Christmas-themed show is advertised for adults over the age of 18.
“Honestly, if this were a nativity play and we were ‘men in dresses’ portraying the wise men or angels, no one would bat an eye,” Lexi tells The Advocate. “They’d probably praise it. The double standard is obvious.”
Uthmeier’s letter is his opinion, though not an official one from the AG’s office, as noted by the Pensacola News Journal. Thus, it carries less legal weight. Canceling the show’s contract could lead to lawsuits against the city.
Photos courtesy social media
