#Florida HB1423

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Christopher Wiggins at Advocate: 

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.”

Florida State Rep. Randy Fine (R)’s “damn right, we ought to do it!” statement to advocate the erasure of the LGBTQ+ community during a committee hearing on anti-drag show bill HB1423 is genocidal hate speech.