\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"MIAMI,](\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GettyImages-2131003731.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
\n
\t“You use taxpayer money to fund an event like the Fringe, which is like a sex festival and they do all kinds of things there,” the premier said at a news conference, later adding, “I have to speak up for the taxpayers when I see money being spent like that, and you know what, it’s an inappropriate use of taxpayer money.” <\/p>\n
\n
\t“By referring to the Fringe as a ‘sex’ festival, he mischaracterizes our festival and misrepresents our contribution to the local, national and international arts community,” Orlando Fringe producer Tempest Halstead said in a statement. Halstead said the festival is one of 200 such events around the world that aim to “promote artistic expression and cultural exchange around the world.”<\/p>\n
\n
\tRep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said this year\u2019s festival was not \u201cpornographic,\u201d but she noted, \u201cIt does feature drag queens and other forms of artistic expression, which DeSantis keeps trying to censor even though the courts are telling him not to!\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
\tIn 2023, lawmakers called for a ban on drag shows that allow children to attend and for venues to prohibit children from attending live adult performances. The proposed legislation was blocked by a federal judge for violating First Amendment rights, a decision that was later upheld by the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
\n
\tInstitutions affected by DeSantis\u2019 cultural funding veto include the Tampa Museum of Art and the Orlando Museum of Art.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n