governor of florida rum desantis (R) is citing a 75-year court ruling to go after a Miami drag show in an attempt to shut it down.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations filed an administrative disorderly persons complaint against the R House restaurant, citing the state Supreme Court’s ruling against “men posing as women.”
DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday that video taken at the restaurant shows a boy walking with a drag performer dressed in “lingerie.”
He said investigators found minors present and a “kids menu” for popular outdoor groups at R House, DeSantis added: “You think to yourself: Give me a break. What’s going on?”
According to the complaint, a copy of which was obtained by NBC News: “The video shows what appears to be a transgender dancer leading a girl hand in hand and walking through Respondent’s dining room. The dancer’s buttocks were fully exposed, and her ‘thong’-style bikini bottom was littered with dollar bills.” The dancer’s breasts were also “fully exposed,” the complaint stated.
The video had been shared on twitter on the right libsoftiktokwhich posts recordings of drag performers, teachers, and others speaking out on LGBTQ issues to spark outrage.
The complaint alleges that R House violated the state’s disorderly persons law by becoming “manifestly prejudicial to the morals or customs of the person.”
The department cited the Florida Supreme Court’s 1947 decision that found “men impersonating women” in a “suggestive” performance constituted a public nuisance.
LGBTQ activists see the action as the opening of a campaign to shut down all drag shows and go after trans people.
The restaurant told NBC in a statement that it is working with the department through its attorney to “rectify the situation.”
“We are an inclusive establishment and we welcome all people to visit our restaurant,” he said. “It is our hope that Governor DeSantis, a vociferous supporter and advocate for Florida’s hospitality industry and small businesses, will see this for what it is, a misunderstanding, and that the matter will be resolved positively and quickly.”
If the lawsuit is successful, the state could revoke the restaurant’s liquor license, which could significantly hurt business.
DeSantis is focused on targeting the LGBTQ community at drag shows, and in public schools with his recent “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Tampa hosted the right-wing Turning Point USA Student Action Summit last week, where Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) touted Christian nationalism inside and neo-Nazis waved swastika flags outside. DeSantis did not convict either.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.