Matt Gaetz surprises military leaders with inquiry regarding on-post drag shows

During a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, Republican Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida posed a question to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley about drag shows being held on military bases. The two top military leaders were seemingly baffled by the question, with Milley stating that it was the first time he had heard about such shows.

“I’d like to take a look at those myself and find out what actually is going on there because that’s the first I’m hearing about that kind of stuff,” Milley said in response to Gaetz,. “I’d like to take a look at those because I don’t agree with them. I think those things shouldn’t be happening.”

"U.S. Military Defends Drag Show at Largest Training Center as 'Essential to Morale’"

(2/4): https://t.co/mad6OkwaJM

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) March 29, 2023

Drag shows on military bases have increasingly made headlines in recent years, with promoters saying that the events are designed to show support for LGBTQ service members. However, the shows have also faced criticism from conservative lawmakers who argue that they are inappropriate and a misuse of taxpayer funds.

The most recent controversy surrounding drag shows on military bases involved a planned “Drag Queen Storytime” event at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The event was ultimately canceled following criticism from Republican lawmakers.
While Austin and Milley were taken aback by the question, a spokesperson for Milley later clarified that he does not support taxpayer-funded drag shows on military installations.

“Drag queen story hours is not something that the department funds,” Austin said during the hearing, reiterating that the Department of Defense does not support the shows.

” The DOD does not fund, or support drag queen shows or story hours,” a Defense Department spokeswoman, Nicole Schwegman, later clarified.

The debate over drag shows on military bases comes amid an ongoing discussion about inclusivity in the U.S. armed forces.
In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is prohibited under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a decision that was hailed as a victory for LGBTQ rights advocates. The Pentagon also recently repealed a ban on transgender people serving openly in the military.

The first drag show on a military base is believed to have taken place in 2014 at Kadena Air Base in Japan. More recently, a spokesperson for Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada defended the installation’s hosting of a drag show in 2021, saying that the event was aimed at creating an environment of equal opportunity, diversity, and inclusion.

Regardless of their intentions, the controversy surrounding drag shows on military bases underscores the ongoing debate over LGBTQ rights and representation in the armed forces. As the Biden administration seeks to expand protections for LGBTQ service members, it remains to be seen how these issues will continue to play out within the military community.