Pentagon leaders intervened to stop a drag-show scheduled for Thursday, at Nellis Air Force Base near Nevada. This is according to two U.S. officials and two U.S. defense officials.
Air Force leaders approved the drag show to celebrate Pride Month. However, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley informed the Air Force that it was not Defense Department policy for drag shows to be funded on bases, and therefore the show needed either to be cancelled or moved away from base.
In recent months, drag shows and other events held on military bases became a political hot potato. Conservative politicians and pundits claimed that the military shouldn’t be spending taxpayers money on such activities.
Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) questioned Austin and Milley in a heated hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on March 29 about drag queen story hour on bases all over the world. This included Montana, Nevada Virginia, and Germany.
Austin, a member of the committee, said that ” Drag Queen Story Hour is not something the Department funds.”
Milley responded by asking for flyers of the events Gaetz referred to. He said he was not aware of these events and did not support their holding on military bases.
Milley replied, “I would like to look at them because I do not agree with these.”
Milley, when informed of the event, was visibly upset by the decision to hold it on the base. This was according to both a U.S. government official and a Defense official.
According to Secretary Austin’s testimony before Congress, the Air Force does not allow drag events on its installations or facilities. When asked about the Nellis Event, an Air Force official stated that commanders were instructed to cancel or move these events off-base.
According to the DoD Joint Ethics Regulation, certain criteria are required for individuals or organizations that act in a non-federal capacity before they can use DoD equipment and facilities. The DOD, as Secretary Austin stated, will not host drag shows at U.S. Military installations or facilities. “Hosting these events in federally-funded facilities is not an appropriate use of DOD’s resources,” said Sabrina Singh, deputy press secretary.
Officials said that the Nellis dragshow was originally scheduled to take place on Thursday. However, in recent days, the base commander had been informed that the show must be either canceled or relocated off-base.
A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed that “the Nellis commander told the private organization the drag event was to be cancelled or moved to an off-base venue.”
Nellis AFB held a Pride Month Drag Show in June 2021. A spokesperson from the base stated that this was to promote inclusivity.
Gaetz wrote to Austin and Milley on May 23 detailing six more cases of drag events or shows that were held or sanctioned by the U.S. Military. Gaetz asked Pentagon leaders for information on the events and if any punitive actions have been taken or will be against those who spent taxpayer money.
