St. George reaches agreement with Drag Stars, apologizes for violating First Amendment rights
St. George City settled a lawsuit with , which was backed by the , on Friday, Feb. 7, according to court documents.
As part of the settlement, the ACLU said St. George admitted to violating Drag Stars' First Amendment rights and agreed to release a public apology for denying their special events permit in 2023. In exchange, the ACLU agreed to drop the lawsuit.
Shortly after the settlement was filed, St. George released a public apology saying, in part, that it 'regrets violating SUDS' constitutionally protected right to free speech' and 'welcomes all citizens to hold special events in the future.'
Transgender dorm bill passes decisively in House, moves on to Senate
The lawsuit stemmed from an incident in early 2023 where the CEO of Southern Utah Drag Stars, Mitski Avalōx, was allegedly denied an event permit for a family-friendly drag event. The city allegedly used a local advertising ordinance to deny the permit request.
In May of the same year, the Southern Utah Drag Stars sued St. George claiming it had discriminated against drag performances and other LGBTQ+ events, violating their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
The ACLU claims this permit denial was 'part of a years-long effort to target drag performances and LGBTQ+ pride events.'
On Friday, Feb. 7, the ACLU announced the agreement with the city calling it a 'historic settlement.'
'Amid nationwide attacks on LGBTQ+ people, this settlement is a reminder that the First Amendment protects everyone,' said Emerson Sykes, ACLU senior staff attorney. 'Drag is undeniably a form of artistic and political expression and we couldn't be more pleased that our clients' rights have been vindicated.'
St. George's full statement can be read below:
In the Spring of 2023, Southern Utah Drag Stars, LLC ('SUDS') submitted an application to hold a special event in St. George City and St. George City denied the permit. St. George City admits the permit denial violated SUDS' First Amendment rights and publicly apologizes for violating SUDS' First Amendment rights. St. George City regrets violating SUDS' constitutionally protected right to free speech, it strives to uphold the U.S. Constitution, and it has worked with SUDS to favorably resolve the violation of SUDS' rights. St. George City welcomes all citizens to hold special events in the future and respects the First Amendment rights of all community members.
St. George City
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dame Vera Lynn's audition records to be released
Dame Vera Lynn's audition records are to be released for the first time, 90 years after they were first recorded. The late singer's first records were discovered when her daughter, Virginia Lewis-Jones, donated her mother's record collection to the British Library's Sound Archive. The donations were made when she moved out of her home in East Sussex, where Dame Vera had lived with her husband Harry Lewis for 40 years. Along with the three silver aluminium audition records, which are labelled by hand, a copy of Dame Vera's first record, It's Home, recorded in 1935 with bandleader Howard Baker, was also found. Recorded after trumpeter Baker invited Dame Vera to join his band in 1933, the first record is one of just 100 copies pressed. Virginia said: "It's so wonderful to hear Ma's voice from those early days, right at the start of her career. "I always had the feeling these would be worth exploring so I am absolutely thrilled that the audition tapes we've never heard can now be brought to life, and add significantly to what we already know about Ma." The audition discs will be released by Decca, with What A Difference A Day Makes released as a single on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. Further previously unheard and rare tracks from them will feature on a new album called Hidden Treasures, which will be released on 7 November. Dame Vera made her name during the Second World War, when her rousing songs such as We'll Meet Again, (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover and There'll Always Be An England, earned her the affectionate name Forces' Sweetheart. Her final studio album, Unforgettable, was released in 2010. She died in June 2020, aged 103, after she became the oldest artist to have a top 40 album in the UK, in May that year, with her greatest hits album 100. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. More on this story Dame Vera Lynn's birthday marked in home village Dame Vera Lynn statue campaign backed by PM
4 hours ago
Supreme Court allows Mississippi to require age verification on social media
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Thursday refused for now to block enforcement of a Mississippi law aimed at regulating the use of social media by children, an issue of growing national concern. The justices rejected an emergency appeal from a tech industry group representing major platforms like Facebook, X and YouTube. NetChoice is challenging laws passed in Mississippi and other states that require social media users to verify their ages, and asked the court to keep the measure on hold while a lawsuit plays out. There were no noted dissents from the brief, unsigned order. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that there's a good chance NetChoice will eventually succeed in showing that the law is unconstitutional, but hadn't shown it must be blocked while the lawsuit unfolds. NetChoice argues that the Mississippi law threatens privacy rights and unconstitutionally restricts the free expression of users of all ages. A federal judge agreed and prevented the 2024 law from taking effect. But a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in July that the law could be enforced while the lawsuit proceeds. It's the latest legal development as court challenges play out against similar laws in states across the country. Parents and even some teenagers are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the new laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch told the justices that age verification could help protect young people from 'sexual abuse, trafficking, physical violence, sextortion and more,' activities that Fitch noted are not protected by the First Amendment. NetChoice represents some of the country's most high-profile technology companies, including Google, which owns YouTube; Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat; and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. NetChoice has filed similar lawsuits in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Utah. Paul Taske, co-director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, called the decision "an unfortunate procedural delay.' 'Although we're disappointed with the Court's decision, Justice Kavanaugh's concurrence makes clear that NetChoice will ultimately succeed in defending the First Amendment — not just in this case but across all NetChoice's ID-for-Speech lawsuits," he said.
The Hill
8 hours ago
- The Hill
Mississippi social media law upheld
In an emergency ruling Thursday, the justices denied internet trade group NetChoice's request to reinstate a lower court's order protecting social media giants like Meta, X and YouTube from the new requirements. The Supreme Court did not explain its order or disclose the vote count, as is typical in emergency cases. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, however, wrote a solo opinion cautioning that NetChoice is likely to ultimately succeed on its First Amendment claims even though he was siding against the group at this stage. 'In short, under this Court's case law as it currently stands, the Mississippi law is likely unconstitutional,' Kavanaugh's brief opinion reads. 'Nonetheless, because NetChoice has not sufficiently demonstrated that the balance of harms and equities favors it at this time, I concur in the Court's denial of the application for interim relief,' the conservative justice continued. NetChoice had asked the court to intervene after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit lifted the district judge's decision shielding the platforms from the 2024 law without explanation. 'Neither NetChoice nor this Court can know why the Fifth Circuit believed this law satisfies the First Amendment's stringent demands or deviated from the seven other decisions enjoining similar laws,' NetChoice wrote in its request. It argued it would face 'immediate, irreparable' injury should the law be allowed to go into effect. Mississippi's law establishes requirements for social media companies to confirm their users' ages. Minors must have express consent from a parent or guardian to use the platform, and covered websites must strive to eliminate their exposure to harmful material or face a $10,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Halil Suleyman Ozerden found the law unconstitutional as applied to NetChoice members YouTube, X, Snapchat, Reddit, Pinterest, Nextdoor, Dreamwidth and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. The Hill's Ella Lee has more here.
