Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) is urging the Pensacola City Council to shut down a Christmas-themed drag show, which he has deemed demonic and harmful to children, despite how it is exclusively for adults over the age of 18.The citys Saenger Theatre plans to host A Drag Queen Christmas on December 23. The website says fans should expect a fabulous remix of classic Christmas hits, dazzling themed variety performances, and interactive moments to share your Christmas cheer. Related Federal appeals court revives Texas drag ban and lifts injunction A letter from Uthmeier claimed the show openly mocks one of the most sacred holidays in the Christian faith and expressed horror that some of the queens evoke satanic imagery in their outfits or characters. He also decried the fact that it will be playing at the same time as the citys family-centered Winterfest. So, while Penscola children are taking pictures with Santa, men dressed as garish women in demonic costumes will be engaged in obscene behavior mere feet away, he ranted, even though the drag show will take place inside a theater where the children at the festival wont be able to see it. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The Pensacola city attorney has reportedly refused to cancel the show, saying it would violate the drag show production companys First Amendment rights and the citys contract with the theaters management company.Uthmeier, however, said the city which owns the theater has a legal right to supersede the management companys decision to put on the show if it deems a performance detrimental to public health or safety. He said the drag show meets this criterion because it will be taking place near children at Winterfest, even though they wont be able to see it. While the First Amendment safeguards freedom of expression, it does not require a city to platform and endorse disgusting, obscene content that denigrates its residents religious beliefs, Uthmeier concluded. He claimed it may even amount to religious discrimination and could cause legal issues for the city, especially if one of the deranged performers were to expose themselves to the kids nearby. The perposterous idea that LGBTQ+ people are inherently a danger to children has long been used by the right to fearmonger and stir anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment.Two days before Christmas, Pensacola will host a demonic, sexually explicit drag show at the city-owned Saenger Theatre.Pensacola shouldnt platform obscenities that denigrate its residents and expose kids to harmful content. They should cancel the event. pic.twitter.com/5ToERM9Jk0 Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) November 7, 2025 The letter comes after a group of churches in the city launched a campaign to pressure the Pensacola City Council to cancel the drag show. The controversy has caused an uproar in the community, the Pensacola News Journal reported, where pro- and anti-LGBTQ+ residents continue to clash over whether the drag show should be permitted to go on.At a packed and contentious city council meeting in early October, resident Jermaine Williams called out the hypocrisy of those claiming to oppose the show on religious grounds. I mean, we see how yall vote, Williams said. Half of these people that spoke today wouldnt know Jesus if they stared him in the face.Another resident, Stephen McCollum, gushed that drag queens are more than entertainers.Theyre small business owners. Theyre advocates and theyre educators who use creativity to uplift others and welcome all. They welcome all, demonstrating that this art form is more than just a performance. Its a form of connection, and its a form of community, and its a form of hope. Uthmeier has long used his position to vilify and terrorize LGBTQ+ people. Earlier this year, he launched a crusade against a Life Time Fitness in Palm Beach Gardens after discovering that the private business had a trans inclusive policy. State law requires people use facilities aligned with their sex assigned at birth, but that does not apply to private businesses. Uthmeier, however, claimed otherwise in a letter sent to the gym. He falsely claimed that trans inclusion leads to assaults, exploitation, and fear and that he was merely doing this to protect women and girls.Even after Life Time said it would comply with his demands, Uthmeier posted a video in which he visited the gym in person to make sure they are not allowing trans women into womens bathrooms, not in Florida, and actually following the law. It appears they are, he reported to followers, though its unclear how he could have confirmed this without major privacy violations of the individuals entering and exiting the locker rooms there.This past October, Uthmeier also filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of a parental rights activist who dubiously claims her childs middle school helped her child secretly transition. She has now petitioned the Supreme Court to take her case.Uthmeiers briefclaimsgovernment officials across the United States are fundamentally altering the upbringing of children and keeping parents in the dark with secret transition policies. These policies do not involve schools encouraging students to be trans or transition, but rather to support any students who willingly communicate that their gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth and to allow the student to choose when to share that private information with their parents. For some students with anti-trans parents, telling them could be dangerous.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.