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Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington on April 7, 2022. Win McNamee/Getty Images
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley stood by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s recent decision to cancel a drag show at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
“I think is the absolute right thing to do,” Milley told CNN on June 5. He added that drag shows “were never part of DOD [Department of Defense] policy to begin with and they’re certainly not funded by federal funds.”
Milley, who is set to retire at the end of this year, spoke to the outlet while visiting Normandy, France, ahead of the 79th anniversary of D-Day. President Joe Biden has nominated Air Force Chief Gen. Charles Q. Brown to replace Milley as the top U.S. military officer.
The show, which was originally scheduled for June 1, would have been the third annual drag show held at Nellis Air Force Base. The event, billed as “family-friendly” and set to feature “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Coco Montrese, was canceled owing to a reported violation of ethics regulations, according to the Pentagon.
Pentagon
Pentagon’s decision to cancel the drag show came days after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) sent a letter to Austin and Milley expressing concerns over six Pride events at various U.S. military bases.
“I find it completely unacceptable that DoD is using taxpayer dollars to fund DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] programs that are divisive in nature. DoD resources should be used for mission-essential operations, not diverted toward initiatives that create cultural fissures within our service ranks,” the letter (pdf) says.
On June 1, Gaetz declared “HUGE VICTORY” on Twitter, writing that the Pentagon “has CANCELED a scheduled ‘child-friendly’ drag show after I demanded answers from @SecDef Austin and General Milley!”
The Pentagon has since announced a ban on all drag shows at U.S. military facilities and installations.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) speaks during a hearing before the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government of the House Judiciary Committee at Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 18, 2023. Alex Wong/Getty Images
During a press briefing on Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked whether the Pentagon had consulted President Joe Biden or the White House before deciding on the ban.
She did not comment and referred questions on the ban to the Pentagon.
“I want to start out by saying that this is a president who is proud of the LGBTQI people serving in our nation’s military,” she added. “As Secretary Austin has expressed in his Pride Month statement that he put out just last week, the Biden–Harris administration will celebrate LGBTQI+ service members’ contributions with pride across federal agencies, including at the Department of Defense.”
Milley dismissed accusations that “wokeism” was affecting the U.S. military, saying “a lot of this is misunderstood and mischaracterized” and “exaggerated for whatever reasons.”
“I think the accusations of woke are grossly overexaggerated,” Milley told CNN. “Every soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine are out there focused on the mission, and the mission is to defend the United States, its people, our interests, and the Constitution of the United States.”
Legislation
In May, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) led a group of GOP colleagues in introducing a bill (S.1503) that would ban the DOD from using from using taxpayer funds or taxpayer-funded facilities to host drag queen events.
“Our military’s mission is clear: to provide the military forces needed to deter and win wars and to protect the security of our country and our allies,” Daines said in a statement accompanying the bill’s introduction.
Daines added, “Allowing the DOD to become a branch of far-Left helping to promote their radical gender ideology by hosting and promoting drag queen performances is a threat to our national security and gross misuse of taxpayer funds. This must be stopped immediately.”
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) questions U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as he testifies at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 3, 2022. Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images
According to the language of the bill (pdf), it says no funds “appropriated or otherwise made available for the Department of Defense and no facilities owned or operated by Department of Defense may be used to host, advertise, or otherwise support an adult cabaret performance.”
The bill defines “adult cabaret performance” as “a performance that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dances, strippers, or male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to prurient interest.”
On June 5, similar legislation, H.R.3825, was introduced in the House by Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.). The House bill was co-sponsored by Reps. Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), and Bill Posey (R-Fla.).
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers news in China and Taiwan. He holds a Master's degree in materials science from National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan.
