Just when you think Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis can’t sink any lower, he limbos below the lowest bar you’ve seen yet.
Although I doubt we would find the failed Republican presidential candidate doing the limbo because his fan club might consider it sexual. God forbid anyone have a moment of fun in the Handmaid State.
Mark Wingfield
The Orlando Sentinel reported today that DeSantis was upset about state funding going to what he called “sexual” festivals. So he vetoed $32 million in funding for all arts and culture projects.
This is like a mean teacher who punishes the entire class for the alleged bad behavior of one student: “Because Donny threw his ketchup on the wall, the entire class will miss lunch.”
Or it’s like a father who punishes the entire family because he’s upset with one kid: “None of us will get to do to Disneyland because of what Ronny has done.”
This is not only mean, it’s an exercise in authoritarian power. The point is to show you’re the big boss of everyone else.
“This is not only mean, it’s an exercise in authoritarian power. The point is to show you’re the big boss of everyone else.”
DeSantis admitted as much in his explanation at a news conference today: “We didn’t have control over how (the money) was being given.”
“Control.” DeSantis lacked control, and he needs to control everything.
What governor or mayor or president gets to control everything they want to control? No one. Only narcissistic bullies would try.
We shouldn’t be surprised that this is over the arts either. DeSantis and his conservative evangelical base have a long history of not understanding, not appreciating, not funding the arts.
He singled out one grant recipient, the Fringe Festival, as the offender causing all the other children to lose their privileges.
He called it “a sexual festival where they’re doing all this stuff.” He didn’t say what kind of “stuff” he’s concerned about.
The Tallahassee Democrat explained: “Fringe festivals originated in Scotland almost 80 years ago and now take place around the globe. They often include comedy, music, theater and dance and can span a few days, featuring a wide range of performers.”
It’s a safe bet this also has to do with DeSantis’ unhealthy obsession with drag performers. Among the 170 shows listed for this year’s Fringe Festival, a few involve burlesque. Apparently the governor doesn’t know that burlesque has been around for a long time and once was celebrated as good, clean fun.
But it’s a short trip from burlesque to drag queens in the minds of some. Truth is, you’ll see more skin at any Florida beach than at a Fringe Festival show. Hell, you’ll see more skin at a church youth camp swimming pool.
“It is the arts, after all, that remind us when the governor has no clothes.”
In the minds of people like DeSantis, “the arts” is the domain of bohemian liberals. It is the arts, after all, that help us see truths we don’t want to talk about. It is the arts, after all, that remind us when the governor has no clothes.
Across the nation, reputable arts groups of all kinds depend on grant funding to exist. With his bully pen, Gov. DeSantis just wiped out $32 million in state funding for theater, music, festivals and community events.
That on top of the state Legislature already approving only half the pool of money needed to fund all eligible grants.
This is the next iteration of book banning.
By these standards, Florida should ban all passion plays because Jesus hangs near naked on the Cross.
And there’s the point: When a governor has the ability — and the blood lust — to cancel all funding for arts organizations in a demand for sexual purity, he has lost the plot. The arts are more essential to thriving than bombs and prisons. The arts bring good things to life.
It is hard to imagine the governor coming up with this plan all by himself. He must be responding to someone or some group within his base. And I’d lay Guys and Dolls odds the lucky lady he’s courting is some uptight evangelical group.
Floridians once again should be outraged that their governor is so small-minded and punitive. Upset that he’s willing to kill arts camps for kids while touting “family values.”
Performative hypocrisy is an art unto itself. And DeSantis is a pretty good political actor. If only someone would write him a new script.
Mark Wingfield serves as executive director and publisher of Baptist News Global. He is the author of Honestly: Telling the Truth About the Bible and Ourselves and Why Churches Need to Talk About Sexuality. His brand-new book is Troubling the Truth and Other Tales from the News.
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