Pentagon Kicks Off Pride Month by Caving to Matt Gaetz, Canceling Drag Show

It’s been little more than a decade since the Department of Defense officially repealed “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” allowing LGBTQ service members to be open about their identities, families, and lives. Today, progress is being threatened by a vitriolic anti-LGBTQ backlash from the right — and the Pentagon is starting to cave.

NBC News reported Thursday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley ordered Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base to cancel a drag show in celebration of Pride Month — despite the event already having been approved by the Air Force.

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Sources told NBC News that Milley was visibly angered this week when he was informed the event would be taking place. The event was first hosted in 2021 and received a generally positive reaction from the almost 200 attendees at the base.

“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,” Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary, said in a statement to NBC News.

In March, Austin and Milley testified before the House Armed Services Committee, where they were questioned by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on how prevalent “drag queen story hours” were at U.S. military bases. Gaetz specifically pointed to Nellis AFB’s “Drag-u-Nellis” event as an example.

“Drag shows are not something that the Department of Defense supports or funds,” Austin replied.

Milley requested copies of the materials Gaetz presented during the hearing. “That’s the first I’m hearing about that kind of stuff,” Milley said. “I’d like to take a look at those because I don’t agree with those. I think those things shouldn’t be happening.”

On Twitter, Gaetz celebrated the cancellation as a “HUGE VICTORY,” adding that “Drag shows should not be taking place on military installations with taxpayer dollars PERIOD!”

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