Pensacola’s City Council heard more than two hours of public comment Thursday night over whether the city-owned Saenger Theatre should host “A Drag Queen Christmas,” an adults-only touring show booked for Dec. 23. After the forum, council members took no action and made no new public statements beyond thanking residents for remaining civil.
The meeting revived a dispute the council last discussed in September, when City Attorney Adam Cobb warned that canceling a contracted performance could expose the city to significant legal risk. Cobb told council members then that the First Amendment limits the government’s ability to pick and choose which acts appear in a public venue it operates or controls. He also cautioned that breaking a contract after a promoter has relied on it could trigger damages.
“The city is in a very precarious position when it comes to content-based decisions at the Saenger,” Cobb said at the time. He added that canceling the show outright could be seen as viewpoint discrimination and lead to costly litigation.
The Saenger, a century-old performing arts hall on Palafox Street, is operated under contract by Legends/ASM Global. General Manager Jeffrey Sharp, speaking at Thursday's forum, emphasized that the company — not the council — books the theater’s calendar and that every show is required to comply with city ordinances and state law.
“If this show’s content violates city ordinances or state laws regarding nudity, graphic content, or obscenity, performers could face arrest, the production company could be held legally liable, and authorities could shut down the production immediately,” Sharp said.
Thursday’s forum drew speakers on both sides. Opponents urged cancellation on moral and legal grounds and argued the event offends certain residents' values during the Christmas season. Supporters framed the show as protected artistic expression and noted it is ticketed and restricted to adults.
Opponents: morality, law and the season
The Rev. James Johnson, pastor of Northstone Baptist Church, pressed council leaders to force a vote on canceling the show and to set criteria to block future “obscene shows” at the Saenger.
“We need this council to go on the record publicly and vote,” Johnson said, asking Council President Jared Moore to sponsor an agenda item and Council Member Allison Patton, whose district includes the theater, to bring forward a policy restricting obscene performances.
Community activist and former congressional candidate Chris Dosev cast the dispute in explicitly religious terms, urging the city to “keep Christ in Christmas.” Calling the show “not art” but “perversity,” he asked the council to cancel it and replace it with programming “that reflects the sanctity of the season and the sentiments of this community.”
Several other opponents echoed legal claims that the show meets the definition of obscenity or violates local rules on public nudity and alcohol. Cobb did not address those arguments Thursday, and the council did not deliberate.
Supporters: free expression and faith-based support
A smaller group defended the booking, describing drag as theater and noting the show is marketed as 18-and-up. They also emphasized that many people of faith support LGBTQ residents and drag performers.
Nate Schweigert, a hospital chaplain, endorsed minister and artist, offered one of the evening’s most personal defenses of the show. He began by affirming respect for people of faith, saying that his work as a chaplain has taught him that “human expression in all its forms is one of the ways we reach for the divine.”
“The creator we speak of in our sacred text is first and foremost an artist,” he said. “Drag at its core is an extension of that creative impulse. It is theater. It is storytelling — joy expressed through costume and character, often infused with humor and heart.”
Schweigert argued that faith and freedom must coexist, describing drag as “a community celebration … protected by the constitutional freedoms that safeguard music, dance and the very religious expression that many people center their lives on.” He added that “to cancel this event on religious grounds would not only undermine those freedoms, it would set a precedent that any group’s discomfort … could silence another’s art.”
Local resident and Saenger employee Andy “Andy-Rodginus” Kardasz, a drag king, argued that the attempt to block the December show amounts to censorship.
“If we let fear dictate what art is allowed," they asked, "where does it stop? No one is forcing you to pay the ticket fee to go see the show … If someone doesn’t like drag, they don’t have to go. It’s as simple as that. But banning it for everyone, that’s censorship."
Several supporters also pointed out that the Saenger regularly stages touring Broadway productions and concerts with adult themes and that the drag tour is a traveling, ticketed show similar to other rentals.
Operator’s stance and what’s next
Sharp, the theater’s general manager, reiterated that Legends/ASM Global has supplied the tour’s producer with relevant city and state laws and said the company will coordinate with authorities as needed.
“Every event undergoes a thorough evaluation to ensure appropriate measures are in place for it to proceed responsibly,” he said, adding that safety of audiences, staff and performers is the venue’s priority.
Council members did not debate the issue Thursday. At the close of the forum, Moore thanked speakers for remaining courteous. Outside City Hall, dozens of opponents gathered during the meeting to sing hymns.
Background: contract risk and state scrutiny
The legal caution from City Hall comes as the city’s relationship with the Saenger has been under extra scrutiny. In a recent review, the Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Accounting and Auditing — often referred to as the state’s “DOGE” unit — questioned certain spending and accounting practices tied to the theater and other venues. City officials responded that the Saenger operates at a profit and that outside funding covers many costs, pushing back on characterizations of “waste.”
None of those state findings addressed the content of Saenger bookings or the legality of canceling a specific performance. But they have fueled broader debate over how the city manages its cultural facilities.
For now, “A Drag Queen Christmas” remains on the Saenger calendar for Dec. 23 as an adults-only event. Whether the council takes up a formal agenda item — as Johnson requested — will determine if the issue returns for debate before the holidays.
