The Pentagon forbids drag events.
The Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada has cut a drag show from its schedule after Defense Department leaders declared such events were not to be hosted at Air Force facilities.
NBC News reported that the show was initially approved by Airbase leaders in celebration of Pride Month, but according to officials, Pentagon policy does not fund on-base drag events. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley were questioned about the several drag events that have taken place at air bases around the world.
Austin confirmed to the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing on March 29, that drag shows are not funded by the department.
“Consistent with Secretary Austin’s congressional testimony, the Air Force will not host drag events at its installations or facilities. Commanders have been directed to either cancel or relocate these events to an off-base location,” an Air Force official said about the Nellis event.
“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 not a suitable use of DOD resources,” deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement.
An unnamed source confirmed that the Nellis commander informed the base of the demands to cancel the show or move it to another location off-base.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. addressed the issue in a letter to Austin and Milley upon learning of six other drag shows that were hosted on air force bases or U.S. military-approved. The Pentagon leaders have been asked to provide details pertaining to the events. Gaetz also wants to know if any punishment has or will be taken against anyone who used taxpayer money on them.