Republicans have made drag shows major target<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The White House said on Monday it wasn\u2019t behind a Defense Department decision to cancel drag events at US military bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Late last week, DoD announced that drag events, which have been performed at US military installations for decades, wouldn\u2019t continue because they aren\u2019t a \u201csuitable use\u201d of military resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pentagon said<\/a> in a statement that \u201ccertain criteria must be met for persons or organizations acting in nonfederal capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Biden administration press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday at a press conference that the White House supports LGBTQ+ members of the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Biden-Harris administration will celebrate LGBTQI plus service members\u2019 contributions with pride across federal agencies, including at the Department of Defense,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Pentagon decision has already led to the cancellation of at least one planned drag show, a family-friendly event at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada featuring performer Coco Montrese, a former contestant on RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>. The base has hosted drag events in 2021 and 2022, planned by the facility\u2019s Pride committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said<\/a> on Monday on CNN canceling the events was the \u201cabsolute right thing to do\u201d and said drag events \u201cwere never part of DOD policy to begin with and they\u2019re certainly not funded by federal funds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Capitol Hill Republicans questioned Mr Milley<\/a> and other military leaders in March at a House Armed Services Committee hearing in March, and have since raised inquiries about potential funds going to such events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n US military members have performed in drag at bases since at least World War I, including during the famed USO shows of WWII, according to the New York Times<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEnsuring our ranks reflect the diversity of the American people is essential to morale and cohesion,\u201d the Modern Military Association of America, a nonprofit representing LGBTQ+ servicemembers, told the paper<\/a>. \u201cIt affects recruiting and retention of service members who do not feel welcome due to their sexual and gender identities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Across the country, Republican-led legislatures have passed laws targeting drag shows<\/a>, and drag events have been the subject of armed threats, part of a wider wave of GOP attacks on LGBTQ+ people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n