St. George • St. George paid $30,000 to settle a long-running legal battle over city officials’ attempt to block an all-ages drag performance at a local park.

City officials on Tuesday disclosed the payout to Southern Utah Drag Stars following a records request from Fox 13 News. While the final settlement agreement remains under seal in the U.S. District Court and can’t be disclosed, City Recorder Christina Fernandez noted in an email that the payment amount itself is a public record.

The disclosure comes after months of resistance from the city. Following a similar February 2025 request from The Salt Lake Tribune, the city fought the release of the overall settlement agreement, leading to a November ruling by the Utah Government Records Office that the document was a public record. Still, the city declined to release the sealed document without a judge’s order.

The federal lawsuit stemmed from an April 2023 incident in which the city blocked a Southern Utah Drag Stars show at J.S. Snow Park. A federal judge quickly intervened, declaring the denial unconstitutional and allowing the show to proceed.

The final settlement, reached in February 2025, required the city to admit to violating the drag performers’ First Amendment rights and to issue a public written apology. In addition to the $30,000 settlement, a federal judge ordered the city last month to pay $350,000 in attorney fees to the ACLU of Utah, which represented the drag group and founder Mitski Avalōx.

Avalōx welcomed the city’s payment and the court’s decision, noting that it reinforces First Amendment protections for freedom of expression — specifically for drag performers.

“This victory isn’t just mine—it’s a win for every queer person who’s been told to stay invisible,” Avalōx said in a text message. “The City Council of St. George tried to censor us but the Constitution was on our side.”

ACLU staff attorney Thomas Ford said the case affirmed that all Utahns are entitled to the fundamental protections guaranteed by the First Amendment.

“This is a win not just for our clients, but for all people who care about limiting the government’s ability to impose subjective views of what they deem appropriate on all of us,” he said.

City officials declined further comment on the $30,000 payment or the settlement agreement.

“We consider the matter closed,” St. George spokesperson David Cordero said.

The lawsuit followed a pattern of costly legal disputes for St. George over its handling of drag performances. The city previously paid its former city manager, Adam Lenhard, $625,000 in 2022 after he was pressured to resign for approving a separate drag event.