Pentagon leaders cancel Pride drag show at a Nevada Air Force base: General Mark Milley was ‘visibly angry’ when informed about the event
- A drag show at Nevada’s Nellis base, which was meant to kick-off Pride Month, was shut down by the Department of Defense
- The event scheduled for Thursday, was advertised as ‘family-friendly’, and was later shut down saying it was ‘not a suitable use’ of federal funds
- The drag show planned to feature Lawanda Jackson, Coco Montrese and Carnie Asada
Pentagon leaders rejected plans for a ‘family friendly’ drag show to kick off Pride month at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada that was scheduled for today.
The drag show was shut down by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley who claimed such events are ‘not a suitable 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 getting shot down by the nation’s top brass.
Milley was ‘visibly angry,’ when he was informed about the event, sources told NBC.
The DOD gave two options: cancel the drag performance, or move it off military grounds. It’s unclear as to whether the event will be relocated or if the Pentagon is planning a different event in its place.
The Pentagon cancelled a drag show which was scheduled for Thursday at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada to kick off Pride month
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
However, the military’s top brass, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, shut down the show at Nellis Air Force Base
The move comes after Austin said drag shows are not something the Pentagon funds during a House Armed Services hearing in March.
‘Consistent with Secretary Austin’s congressional testimony, drag events will not be hosted on military installations or facilities,’ said a US Department of Defense official.
Sabrina Singh, Department of Defense deputy press secretary provided a statement to Dailymail.com that read: ‘Per DoD Joint Ethics Regulation (JER), certain criteria must be met for persons or organizations acting in non-Federal capacity to use DoD facilities and equipment.’
‘As Secretary Austin has said, the DOD will not host drag events at U.S. military installations or facilities. Hosting these types of events in federally funded facilities is inconsistent with regulations regarding the use of DoD resources.’
‘We are proud to serve alongside any and every young American who takes the oath that puts their life on the line in defense of our country,’ she added. ‘Service members and their families are often involved in a host of special interest activities related to their personal hobbies, beliefs, and backgrounds.’
Milley was ‘visibly angry,’ when he was informed about the event, sources told NBC
Austin said drag shows are not something the Pentagon funds during a House Armed Services hearing in March
The drag show planned to feature Lawanda Jackson, Coco Montrese and Carnie Asada.
Montrese, who was a star on RuPaul’s Drag Race, claimed the show was privately funded and did not use taxpayers’ money.
In a statement to 8 News Now, Montrese said: ‘Shocked and disappointed by this announcement, I performed in the very first drag show on the Nellis Air Force base a few years ago, but recently the attacks on the LGBTQ+ community are getting louder and louder.’
‘Fear is a very big business for politicians who use it to control the masses. Creating a narrative by certain actions is careless because actions do speak louder than words. This action, 24 hours before the event would take place, is a clear message. I think we all know what that message is,’ Montrese continued.
Nellis Air Force Base hosted a Pride Month drag show in June 2021, named ‘Drag-u-Nellis.,’ in order to promote inclusivity and diversity, a spokesperson told NBC.
Montrese, who was a star on RuPaul’s Drag Race, claimed the show was privately funded and did not use taxpayers’ money
Carnie Asada, a San Francisco Based Drag Queen and self proclaimed ‘mother of meat’ was one of the performers featured in the planned military drag event
Carnie Asada was the third drag performer who was set to appear at the event on the Nevada base.
Drag shows on military bases and schools have been a controversial topic in recent months, with conservatives arguing it’s inappropriate place to host such performances and taxpayer money should not be used to fund them.
Republicans demanded answers from the Navy this month over a TikTok video showing a drag queen hired for recruitment.
A group of 14 Republican senators wrote a letter to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. They wanted to know why the Navy enlisted a ‘TikTok drag queen’ to beef up recruitment 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 inspirational message about being an LGBTQ+ sailor.
The first ever drag show performed at a U.S. military base was hosted in 2014, and was hailed as a resounding success to some while others were horrified.
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, sent a letter about the issue of military base drag shows to Austin and Milley on May 23, pointing out six other cases of drag events on bases or approved by the U.S. military.
Gaetz questioned the Pentagon leaders, demanding answers as to whether any punitive action has or will be taken against anyone who used taxpayer money on them.
During the hearing in March, Gaetz pressed both Austin and Milley on whether the DOD was funding, or in any way supporting, these drag queen experiences for kids.
Secretary Austin repeatedly insisted that the DOD was not funding drag-related events for kids.
Gaetz then provided evidence of drag shows hosted on Military bases, listing each invident one by one.
After the hearing, he posted links to the drag shows he was referencing, and tweeted:
‘General Mark Milley commits to ENDING drag queen story hour events on military bases after I presented evidence to him during today’s House Armed Service Committee hearing. Austin however denied that they were happening at all…’
Source: Read Full Article
