Anti-drag, anti-LGBTQ+ Republican’s wife performs ‘sultry’ burlesque shows for young people
Anti-drag, anti-LGBTQ+ Republican Randy Fine is being accused of hypocrisy after it was discovered that his wife, Wendy, is taking part in a ‘sultry’ performance to benefit a children’s charity. (Instagram/spring_forward_for_autism)
Republican politician Randy Fine, who seemingly called for the eradication of the LGBTQ+ community, has been branded a hypocrite for promoting his wife’s burlesque-style performance for charity.
The Florida lawmaker was widely criticised after he said, during a committee meeting on a bill aiming to ban public drag performances in the state, that it is acceptable to “erase a community” if it means protecting children.
“If it means erasing a community because you [LGBTQ+ people] have to target children, then damn right we ought to do it,” Randy Fine said.
If the bill is passed into law, it would penalise venues for allowing children to attend performances containing sexual conduct. The bill takes aim at “adult live performances”, similar to a drag ban proposed in Tennessee.
Now, Fine is being accused of hypocrisy after it was discovered that his wife, Wendy, is taking part in a “sultry” performance on Saturday (15 April) to benefit a children’s charity.
Photos of previous performances show glamorous, burlesque-style costumes and lingeries, with NBC News noting that the event is open to young people.
Fine is a sponsor of the upcoming event, however he claimed in a comment to Insider that it is not billed as a “family-friendly” event and he “can’t remember” if children had been there when his wife had performed previously.
The website for the fundraiser, in aid of Spring Forward for Autism, describes the event as including “sultry” performances by Rainbow Circus Miami.
Opponents of Fine have explained that they are not criticising the performance itself, but his support of it after he condemned other events as inappropriate for children.
“I could not care less about children attending either one of these events,” a Twitter user explained, referencing Wendy Fine’s performance and Drag Queen Story Hour.
“I don’t live my life in a never-ending moral panic, but just sharing this to show that Randy Fine and other Republicans don’t actually care about children, they are just hateful bigots.”
Another Twitter user described the incident as “rules for thee, but not for me”.
As well as Florida’s proposed anti-drag ban, Tennessee has also attempted to outlaw public drag performances that could be seen by children.
The legislation, which was set to come into force on 1 April, has been suspended until 26 May by district judge Thomas Parker for being too “ague, and has been widely denounced by politicians, drag queens and celebrities.
The proposed drag bans come along with a raft of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation battering the United States in 2023, with numerous states banning gender-affirming care, and prohibiting trans students from taking part in the sports that match their gender.
Research has shown that a majority of people in the UK would oppose bans on drag, however Drag Queen Story Hour founder, Aida H Dee, has warned that anti-LGBTQ+ American-style legislation mgbht not be far off if in Britain.
“I would ask people to keep their eye out for a Trojan-horse law that will attempt to erode trans and other LGBTQ+ people’s rights,” she previously told PinkNews.
