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…