Florida Politician Supports Eradication of LGBTQ+ Community

A Florida lawmaker made alarming comments on Wednesday that appeared to endorse the eradication of LGBTQ+ people.

During a state legislative committee hearing, Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican, made disturbing comments in a speech where he attempted to rebuke anyone not on board with his legislation, HB 1423.

The bill seeks to ban drag performances in public, similar to a law passed in Tennessee recently. That law was enjoined by a state judge who halted its implementation.

“If it means ‘erasing a community’ because you have to target children - then, damn right, we ought to do it!” Fine said during a vigorous defense of his measure.

The bill expands the “adult live performances” definition under the government’s regulatory authority. “Adult live performance” refers to any show, exhibition, or other presentation that depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, or sexual excitement, to include specific sexual activities, or to include the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts.

The legislation increases penalties for allowing children to attend performances depicting broadly defined sexual conduct or lewd behavior.

In particular, it specifies that such behavior is that which is considered “patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community of this state as a whole with respect to what is suitable material or conduct for the age of the child present” and “taken as a whole, is without serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for the age of the child present.”

It will give Florida the authority to fine, suspend, or revoke a license for a public place that is found to be in violation.

A person may also be charged with a third-degree felony if they knowingly allow a child into a live performance that depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, or indecent exposure.

“The question is not why do I want to run this bill. The question is, why are there people in this world so determined to push this on children? Because, if you weren’t doing that, this bill wouldn’t exist,” Fine exclaimed during a speech.

In December 2022, officials with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration revoked the liquor licenses of several venues in Miami and Orlando over potential minors in the audience.

In response to a Democrat’s question regarding whether the bill would affect Hamburger Mary’s, an LGBTQ-friendly establishment that features drag performers, the Republican said he did not know about it and did not plan to visit it. Hooters establishments would not be affected, he said.

“This is a disgusting bill and is designed to target parents like me. It will – like everything – be selectively enforced by the state to target members of the LGBTQ community, as we’ve already seen, with DPBR taking away licenses of venues that host drag shows – that were not lewd and that were very family-friendly,” Democratic Rep. Angela Nixon said, Florida’s Voice reports.

The bill passed the State Administration and Technology Appropriations Subcommittee with a 10-5 vote.