Pentagon leaders cancel the Pride drag show at a Nevada air force base
Pentagon leaders rejected plans for a “family-friendly” drag show to kick off Pride Month at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, which was scheduled for today.
The drag show was shut down by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, who argued that such events are “not an appropriate use of federal funds and resources.”
The event — which was advertised as “family-friendly” and encouraged friends and neighbors to attend, with no minimum age requirement — was initially approved by Air Force officials before being shot down by the nation’s top buyers.
Milley was “visibly angry” when informed of the event, sources said NBC.
The DOD gave two options: cancel the towing performance or move it from military grounds. It’s unclear if the event will be rescheduled or if the Pentagon is planning another event instead.
The Pentagon canceled a drag show scheduled for Thursday at Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base to kick off Pride month
The event – which was advertised as “family-friendly” and encouraged friends and neighbors to participate, with no minimum age requirement – was initially approved by Air Force officials
However, top Army Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley closed the show at Nellis Air Force Base.
The move comes after Austin said drag shows are not something the Pentagon is funding at a House Armed Services hearing in March.
“Consistent with Secretary of State Austin’s congressional testimony, drag events will not be hosted at military installations or facilities,” a US Defense Department official said.
Sabrina Singh, deputy press secretary of the Department of Defense, issued a statement to Dailymail.com that read, “Under DoD Joint Ethics Regulation (JER), certain criteria must be met for individuals or organizations acting in a non-federal capacity to facilities and equipment.”
“As Secretary Austin has said, the DOD will not host drag events at U.S. military installations or facilities. Hosting events like this in government-funded facilities violates regulations regarding the use of DoD assets.”
“We are proud to serve alongside every young American who takes the oath that risks his life in defense of our country,” she added. “Service members and their families are often involved in a variety of special interest activities related to their personal hobbies, beliefs and backgrounds.”
Milley was “visibly angry” when informed of the event, sources told NBC
Austin said drag shows are not something the Pentagon is funding at a House Armed Services hearing in March
The planned drag show would feature Lawanda Jackson, Coco Montrese and Carnie Asada.
Montrese, who starred on RuPaul’s Drag Race, claimed the show was privately funded and did not use taxpayer money.
In a statement to 8 News Now, Montrese said, “Shocked and disappointed by this announcement, I performed in the very first drag show at Nellis Air Force Base a few years ago, but lately the attacks on the LGBTQ+ community have been getting louder and louder.”
“Fear is a very big thing for politicians who use it to control the masses. Creating a story through certain actions is careless because actions speak louder than words. This action, 24 hours before the event was to take place, is a clear message. I think we all know what that message is,” Montrese continued.
Nellis Air Force Base hosted a drag show during Pride Month in June 2021, called “Drag-u-Nellis,” to promote inclusivity and diversity, a spokesperson told NBC.
Montrese, who starred on RuPaul’s Drag Race, claimed the show was privately funded and did not use taxpayer money
Carnie Asada, a Drag Queen from San Francisco and self-proclaimed “mother of flesh,” was one of the performers featured at the planned military drag event
Carnie Asada was the third drag performer to appear at the Nevada base event.
Drag shows at military bases and schools have been a controversial topic in recent months, with conservatives arguing that it is inappropriate to stage such performances and that no taxpayer money should be used to fund them.
On Thursday, Texas Rep. Chip Roy called on Secretary of Defense Austin to provide a full accounting of department resources that will be used to impose an awakened gender ideology in the military during the month of June.
Rep. Roy’s request comes on the heels of the Department of the Air Force’s memo “to plan and conduct appropriate activities in honor of Pride Month.”
It has come to our attention that the Department of Defense (DoD) will once again divert tax dollars from American families from furthering its mission to “deter war and ensure the security of our nation” to promoting diversity, justice and inclusion (DEI) events during the month of June 2023,” wrote Rep. Roy in the statement.
“As our country is under global threat, the Department of Defense should focus only on mission-critical activities that promote military readiness and lethality to deter and, if necessary, defeat our adversaries,” the letter continues.
Spending vital resources on this kind of political maneuvering, most obviously during the month of June, is inconsistent with the national security interests of the United States and is an unforgivable use of taxpayers’ money.
“Despite plummeting recruiting numbers and opposition from Congress, the DoD appears adamant about spending tax dollars to impose this blatant political agenda on our men and women in uniform,” said Rep. Roy.
“We believe the American people deserve a full accounting of the resources that DoD spends on these controversial initiatives during the month of June.”
Republicans demanded answers from the Navy this month over a TikTok video showing a drag queen hired for recruiting.
A group of 14 Republican senators wrote a letter to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. They wanted to know why the Navy brought in a “TikTok drag queen” to boost recruiting numbers.
Joshua Kelley was named a “digital ambassador” for the Navy as part of a pilot program that started in November and ran through March.
Kelley goes by stage name ‘Harpy Daniels’ and has a strong following on social media, including TikTok, with 60,800 followers and 1.3 million likes.
In the videos, Kelley starts out in uniform and then reappears as Harpy Daniels. The non-binary drag queen dances and often shares an inspiring message about being an LGBTQ+ sailor.
The first-ever drag show on a US military base was staged in 2014 and was hailed as a resounding success by some, while others were horrified.
Florida Representative Matt Gaetz sent a letter May 23 on the issue of drag shows at military bases to Austin and Milley, pointing to six other instances of drag events at bases or sanctioned by the U.S. military.
Gaetz questioned Pentagon leaders demanding answers as to whether punitive action has been or will be taken against anyone who used taxpayers’ money on their behalf.
At the March hearing, Gaetz pressed both Austin and Milley whether the DOD was funding or in any way supporting these drag queen experiences for kids.
Secretary Austin repeatedly stressed that the DOD did not fund drag-related events for children.
Gaetz then provided evidence of drag shows staged on military bases, listing each invader one by one.
After the hearing, he posted links to the drag shows he was referring to, tweeting:
General Mark Milley commits to END drag queen story hour events at military bases after I presented evidence to him at the House Armed Service Committee hearing today. However, Austin denied that they were going on at all…”