According to sources close to the matter, Pentagon leaders have canceled drag shows at the Air Force base in Nevada in time for Pride Month.
The drag show was supposed to run at the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada on June 1, paying tribute to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Air Force service members and its civilian personnel.
Pentagon Cancels Pride Month Drag Show at Nevada Air Force Base
According to NBC News, the show, which commemorates Pride Month, has been initially approved by the leaders of the Air Force. However, Pentagon leaders forced the Air Force to cancel the drag shows.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, General Mark Milley, ordered the Air Force to drop the Pride Month drag show. NBC News notes that the Pentagon leaders argued that they could not fund drag shows on bases under their policy. And as such, they demand it be dropped or moved elsewhere.
The initially approved drag event at the Nevada Air Force base was touted as a "family-friendly" show. The showcase has no age requirement, allowing kids to join the festivities.
As per The New York Post, the deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh has responded reported cancelation of the drag shows. She confirms, "[the Department of Defense] will not host drag events at US military installations or facilities." She further notes that "these types of events in federally funded facilities is not a suitable use of DOD resources."
Drag Shows on Air Force Base
Notably, the Nellis Air Force base has hosted drag events since 2021. In June that year, the military base hosted its first-ever drag show, aptly called "Drag-u-Nellis." The officials then explained that the event serves as "an opportunity for attendees to learn more about the history and significance of drag performance art within the LGBT+ community."
CNN reports that no less than Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has previously supported the Pride Month celebration within the military. In 2021, he emphasized that members of the LGBTQ+ community were among the brave ones who valiantly defended "our rights and freedoms from the founding of our nation to the Civil War."
But despite that, CNN notes that an official disclosed that the Defense Secretary has a different stance regarding hosting drag shows on military bases. He believes using the Defense Department funds for running such festivities is inappropriate.
And because of this, the Pentagon leaders have directed the Air Force to choose two options: cancel the event altogether or find another location apart from a military base.
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