Naples Pride loses bid to stage drag show next to playground

On Friday, a federal appeals court ordered Naples Pride to host its annual drag show indoors instead of its preferred outdoor location next to a popular children’s playground.

The decision came just hours before the event and after a legal battle with the city of Naples, Florida, funded by the ACLU. According to court documents, Naples Pride applies every year for a permit to hold their annual Pride Fest drag show, and every year the city grants it on two conditions: the event must be held indoors and be restricted to attendees 18 and older. 

This year, the LGBT organization sued the city over the restrictions. A district court sided with Naples Pride, saying the drag show is protected by free speech. The group promptly chose to host the drag show in Cambier Park, which is also home to a large playground. The City of Naples appealed, and a three-judge panel on the Eleventh Circuit overturned the lower court’s ruling in a 2-1 decision. The appellate court noted that the city’s restrictions were not silencing Naples Pride’s right to free speech, as evidenced by the fact that the group has held the drag show "successfully" indoors the last two years. 

‘This not family-friendly no more’

The decision angered the event organizers and performers. 

“We’re inside, this not family-friendly no more,” one of the drag show performers complained on Saturday, when the event was held.

Ed Krassenstein, a Leftist influencer, falsely claimed the city had “banned the drag show publicly.”

Many observers cheered the move, however. 

“There’s no such thing as a ‘family friendly’ drag show – obscenity is NOT protected by the First Amendment,” said the non-profit religious freedom group Liberty Counsel in an X post.

“This is a huge win for [Southwest Florida] families, but it never should have come to this,” commented Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL).

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