A pole-dancing convention is the second convention this week to cancel an Orlando event due to Gov. DeSantis' anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
Already this week, a major convention has cancelled their Orlando event this August due to Gov. DeSantis' anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the state, and now yet another convention has cancelled their event for the same reason.
First to cancel was Con of Thrones Orlando, a convention celebrating Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire, House of the Dragon, and the fantasy worlds of George R. R. Martin, cancelled what was to be their fourth Orlando convention.
Organizers of the event which was due to take place on August 25 – 27, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, blamed the cancellation on the increasingly anti-humanitarian legislation and atmosphere in Florida.
They said that the convention has been called off based on feedback from partners, attendees, and guests. They commented "It has become clear that if we were to proceed, Con of Thrones 2023 would not be the level of event that the community expects and deserves."
Now in a worrying development, a second Orlando convention has cancelled their event.
The International Pole Convention, PoleCon, which was due to bring upwards of 1000 attendees into Orlando, will no longer host their 2024 event in Orlando, again citing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' anti-LGBTQ+ stance.
The convention last took place in Orlando in 2018, with organizers pointing out that attendes stayed in Orlando hotels, visited local attractions, restaurants and more, contributing to the local economy, and now sadly PoleCon will relocate the annual event to another state.
In an article in Huffpost, Colleen Jolly, the CEO of the International Pole Convention commented “It’s just too risky to go to Florida," she continued, “At this point, I’m signing contracts one year in advance. What kind of shenanigans are going to be happening there by then?”
One of the laws that DeSantis has introduced bans businesses from admitting minors to sexually explicit drag shows, but critics claim that the law has been written in a way that it could be applied to all drag events.
If a business violates the law they could be fined between $5,000 and $10,000, plus have its liquor license revoked.
Jolly went on to say that because of this law the event could not take place, due to the fact that attendees would have included people of various genders and ages, including youth performers and children attending with their parents, with some attendees in drag.
So with two events now cancelled this week, how many more will be cancelled?
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