Sarasota has a popular new bingo game that is one of the hottest tickets in town: Drag Queen Bingo.

The Canvas Café in the downtown area saw more than 100 people sit down to a game of bingo and watch Jonathan Hall run the show.

Hall explained that, "I am sorta the ringleader. I'm Felicity."

There are some that are drawn by Felicity and her two friend’s showmanship and yes, adult language, but the game also has its distracters.

One of those neighbors said, "I love how it's being framed as 'neighborhood against drag queens,' but that's not what it is. It's neighborhood against inappropriate content."
Part of the atmosphere is the drag queens yelling adult words and phrases into megaphones and those parents with young kids as well as some others in the neighborhood want the city to crack down.

The Canvas Café told lawyers of the city that they will try to be better neighbors and cut out the bad language and the megaphone. Hall said they are already doing that.
The café’s general manager, Tim Jaeger said, "We do sympathize with the neighbors, however, we need understanding from them as well."

The café doesn’t offer a cash prize so doesn’t require a license to run this bingo game. Jaeger thinks that the neighbors should be more understanding since part of the games proceeds’ goes to charity.

The neighbors don’t think their children should have to understand.


- 2007-12-21