Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has dramatically escalated Pensacola’s months‑long debate over whether A Drag Queen Christmas should be allowed to proceed at the city‑owned Saenger Theatre, issuing a sharply worded letter that challenges the city attorney’s legal advice and urges the council to cancel the event outright.
The show — scheduled for Dec. 23 and restricted to ages 18 and up — has generated sustained controversy since mid‑summer, when several conservative commentators and local religious groups began urging the city to block it. The dispute has intensified in recent weeks, as opponents and supporters have publicly clashed over free speech, public morality and the city’s role in managing its venues.
Last week, Uthmeier entered the fray with a sweeping legal opinion arguing that the city has broad latitude to control what appears in its publicly owned venues and claiming that canceling the show would not violate the First Amendment — a direct rebuke to the caution issued by City Attorney Adam Cobb at a council meeting in September…