{"id":2440581,"date":"2025-05-29T18:33:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T22:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-slams-ruling-blocking-restrictions-on-naples-pride-festival-i-want-florida-to-be-family-friendly-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-05-29T18:34:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T22:34:39","slug":"desantis-slams-ruling-blocking-restrictions-on-naples-pride-festival-i-want-florida-to-be-family-friendly-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-slams-ruling-blocking-restrictions-on-naples-pride-festival-i-want-florida-to-be-family-friendly-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis slams ruling blocking restrictions on Naples pride festival: \u2018I want Florida to be family-friendly\u2019 &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdesantis-slams-ruling-blocking-restrictions-on-naples-pride-festival-i-want-florida-to-be-family-friendly-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2440581&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has criticized a recent ruling by U.S. District Judge john Steele, which permits Naples Pride to hold an outdoor drag show this June. The judge&#8217;s decision is seen as a First Amendment right for the LGBT group,allowing minors to attend the event,which DeSantis argues could expose children to sexually explicit material. He emphasized his commitment to protecting children&#8217;s innocence and described the ruling as problematic for family-pleasant policies in Florida. DeSantis has been embroiled in ongoing tensions with Florida&#8217;s LGBT community over what constitutes acceptable public behavior regarding pride events.Steele&#8217;s ruling aligns with a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >recent federal appeals court decision deeming<\/a> other laws restricting children&#8217;s attendance at drag shows as likely unconstitutional. Amidst this controversy, there are calls from some Florida lawmakers to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, suggesting a broader struggle over the rights of event organizers versus parental concerns about children&#8217;s exposure to such performances.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">DeSantis slams ruling blocking restrictions on Naples pride festival: &lsquo;I want Florida to be family-friendly&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2129111\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Florida conservatives expressed outrage after a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iranian-dissidents-slam-nominee-for-top-defense-post\/\" title=\"Iranian Dissidents Slam Nominee for Top Defense Post\">federal judge ruled<\/a> that an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lgbt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">LGBT<\/a> group holds a <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/first-amendment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">First Amendment<\/a> right to host a drag show outdoors in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Naples\">Naples<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This week, U.S. District Judge John Steele refused to grant the city of Naples&rsquo;s request to block Naples Pride from hosting a June drag show outdoors in a public venue and restrict event organizers from allowing anyone 18 and under to attend the show.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3425792\/trump-tariffs-appear-destined-for-supreme-court-showdown\/\">Trump tariffs appear destined for Supreme Court showdown<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3425782\/catholic-bishops-sue-washington-mandatory-reporter-law-child-abuse\/\">Catholic bishops sue Washington over law requiring priests to break secrecy on child abuse<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3425259\/judge-blocks-trump-administration-effort-strip-harvard-foreign-student-ban\/\">Judge blocks Trump administration&#8217;s effort to strip Harvard&#8217;s foreign student visas<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Gov. <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ron-desantis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Ron DeSantis<\/a> (R-FL) attacked the decision Thursday, arguing that because Steele&rsquo;s ruling allowed Naples Pride to hold its event at an outdoor park, it exposed children to sexually explicit material.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are going to protect the innocence of our children,&rdquo; he said during a Fort Myers press conference. &ldquo;Why would it be problematic to say you can&rsquo;t do this stuff that&rsquo;s sexually explicit in front of minors that used to not even be something that would be questioned? Now somehow you have folks going into court and they really want to push the envelope on this stuff, and I want Florida to be family-friendly.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We laid down the marker here so parents in Florida should know that we&rsquo;re on their side,&rdquo; he continued. &ldquo;These kids should not be robbed of their innocence. So when you have some of this stuff where you&rsquo;d have these establishments where you could have minors in there, and that&rsquo;s not consistent with good policy, we stand for the protection of the children, and we&rsquo;re going to continue to do that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The ruling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3410052\/florida-drag-show-ban-children-law-unconstitutional-federal-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">marks the latest standoff<\/a> between the DeSantis administration and Florida&rsquo;s LGBT community over how much of the pride movement should play out in the public eye, and centers on fundamental disagreements about what constitutes &ldquo;family-friendly&rdquo; activities. DeSantis says protecting children from sexually explicit material has priority. LGBT supporters say the drag shows in question are &ldquo;family-friendly&rdquo; and should be permitted under the First Amendment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-ags-call-for-biden-admin-to-crack-down-on-gas-stoves\/\" title=\"Democrat AGs urge Biden to regulate gas stoves.\">federal appeals court struck<\/a> a blow to a&nbsp;Florida law banning children from attending drag shows statewide, ruling that the DeSantis-backed policy was &ldquo;substantially overbroad&rdquo; and likely violated the First Amendment. The governor called that court ruling &ldquo;dead wrong.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The latest conflict between Naples Pride and the city began in April.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, the LGBT group sued the city of Naples for denying a special event permit to hold its June 7 drag show at Cambier Park. The organization argued that requirements that the drag show be held inside a building with a 200-person capacity and that minors be barred from attending violated free speech rights. The LGBT group also alleged that the city was unfairly charging an exorbitant amount for security costs amounting to far more than other events of a similar size.<\/p>\n<p>Steele handed Naples Pride a victory on May 12 when he ruled the group holds a First Amendment right to host the drag show in a public venue and agreed with the group&rsquo;s claim that their show was &ldquo;family friendly.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Although the city made an emergency motion to appeal the ruling, Steele declined this week to stay his preliminary injunction as the case plays out in an appellate court.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In a decision handed down Tuesday, Steele argued in part that granting the city a stay would essentially rule out his previous preliminary injunction granting Naples Pride unfettered public access, with the event set to be held within the next two weeks.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Since Pridefest 2025 and its drag performance are scheduled for June 7, 2025, and the preliminary injunction by its terms expires on June 8, 2025, granting a stay would essentially vacate the preliminary injunction,&rdquo; Steele wrote.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) speaks during a public event, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo\/Lynne Sladky)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3410052\/florida-drag-show-ban-children-law-unconstitutional-federal-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">FEDERAL COURT RULES FLORIDA BAN ON CHILDREN ATTENDING DRAG SHOWS &lsquo;LIKELY UNCONSTITUTIONAL<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rep. Bryon Donalds (R-FL), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3418278\/florida-governor-race-candidates-matt-gaetz-rumors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">who is running for Florida governor<\/a>,&nbsp;slammed the ruling, urging the city to appeal the &ldquo;atrocious&rdquo; decision to the Supreme Court.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You have to be an adult to enter a strip club, but Clinton-appointed Judge John Steele wants <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/more-akin-to-disney-than-anything-risque-chicago-tribune-celebrates-drag-shows-for-kids\/\" title=\"\u2018More Akin To Disney Than Anything Risque\u2019: Chicago Tribune Celebrates ... For Kids\">sexually explicit drag shows<\/a> to take place next to a popular children&rsquo;s playground in Naples,&rdquo; the congressman <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ByronDonalds\/status\/1927808776825974882\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">posted to X<\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2129111\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2129111\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DeSantis criticizes ruling on Naples Pride festival: &#8216;Florida should be family-friendly<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2440582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Desantis.-.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4980,27722,43492,56165],"class_list":["post-2440581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-desantis","tag-family-friendly","tag-florida-politics","tag-naples-pride"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Desantis.-.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2440581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2440581"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2440581\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2440585,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2440581\/revisions\/2440585"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2440582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2440581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2440581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2440581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}