A bill under consideration in Florida’s Legislature could curb gay pride parades in public places statewide if such events were deemed to be “lewd” and children were watching, say gay advocates who worry about the proposal’s chilling effect.
But state Sen. Clay Yarborough, a Republican from Jacksonville, says the proposal is about protecting children from watching performances only meant for adults. “When we see things, we cannot unsee them,” he said.
Yarborough submitted an amendment this week to a bill, titled “Protection of Children,” that calls for prohibiting admitting children to an adult live performance. The amendment proposes that a governmental entity, which includes a city, may not issue a permit for such a show that wouldn’t comply with new restrictions. “We are failing as lawmakers ... if I am not putting something like this forward,” he said in a recorded interview released Wednesday. “It’s not an attack on a particular group, it is saying there’s a standard for children.”
