Parents in Naples, Florida, are taking matters into their own hands to protect their children.
They’re not backing down against powerful forces trying to push a controversial agenda.
And parents in Naples fought back after the ACLU pushed this shocking agenda near a playground.
Liberty Counsel defends Naples against drag show at children’s playground
Liberty Counsel has filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit on behalf of three Collier County parents seeking to defend the city of Naples against a proposed outdoor drag show planned near a children’s playground.
The legal battle began after the Naples City Council voted 5-2 in April to move a planned drag show indoors and away from Cambier Park, a location frequented by families, and to restrict the event to adults only.
Naples Pride, the LGBTQ advocacy group sponsoring the drag show, teamed up with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to sue the city.Â
They’re seeking a preliminary injunction to overturn the city’s location and age restrictions.
Liberty Counsel argues that the city’s defense failed to address a critical issue: Florida’s Protection of Children Act of 2023 expressly outlaws public drag shows held in view of minors.
“The First Amendment does not protect an obscene drag performance in full view of a children’s playground, and Florida law outright bans it,” Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said.
Parents outraged over “obscene drag” near children
Liberty Counsel referenced photographs from a 2022 outdoor show held near the Cambier Park playground, which it described as depicting performers in “obscene drag,” engaging in lewd poses and simulated sexual acts.
The legal group also stated that performers invited children to place money in their waistbands as they engaged in sexually suggestive dancing.
Following those 2022 performances, the city revoked the group’s permit to use the park, leading Naples Pride to hold subsequent events indoors in 2023 and 2024.
However, Liberty Counsel argues that this year, the same group intends to display performers in minimal clothing in a manner the group contends would be visually offensive to children and amount to indoctrination.
“The city of Naples has demonstrated an aversion to broaching the issue of obscenity, lewdness, or harm to minors posed by the proposed drag performance in view of children altogether,” Liberty Counsel wrote in its motion.
“For some inexplicable reason, the city has refused to even suggest, much less forcefully defend itself on the constitutional grounds that [Naples Pride’s] grossly inappropriate sexualized performances are only afforded limited (if any) protection under the First Amendment, and whatever protection may exist is eviscerated when considered in the context of exposure to children,” the counsel continued.
Naples residents demand strong action from city leaders
During a City Council meeting following the lawsuit, dozens of residents urged Mayor Teresa Heitmann and council members to fight against Naples Pride and the ACLU’s lawsuit.
Among those speaking out was Erika Donalds, wife of U.S. Representative Byron Donalds.
“I’m very concerned about this issue, and I really appreciate what you all have done so far in taking the position that you did to ensure that the drag show would be indoors,” Donalds said during the meeting. “I also appreciate you taking the additional step with your attorneys to fight off this lawsuit, but I believe we need to do more.”
She didn’t mince words about what’s at stake for the community.
“This cannot—absolutely cannot— happen in the city of Naples,” she said. “So I would encourage you, with everything you have, to put all of your resources, both political and financial, behind fighting this battle.”
A preliminary injunction hearing already took place in U.S. District Court, where the city argued that Cambier Park is a limited public forum subject to reasonable, viewpoint-neutral permit criteria.
Meanwhile, supporters of Naples Pride demonstrated outside the courthouse, with many holding signs advocating for free speech and equal access to public spaces, according to Gulf Coast News.
Liberty Counsel asserts that Florida law recognizes a legally protectable interest for children—and by extension their parents—in the material to which they are exposed and in maintaining safe parks and playgrounds.
The group also challenges Naples Pride’s description of the drag show as “family friendly,” noting that the city did not contest that characterization despite previous incidents.
