The Pentagon has decided that Defense Department regulations prohibit military bases and other facilities from holding drag shows.
Drag shows can no longer be held on U.S. military installations, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed.
“The Secretary [of defense] has said DoD will not host drag events at U.S. military installations or facilities, consistent with long-standing policy,” Singh told Task & Purpose on Thursday.
Singh’s comments mirror what Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in response to questions from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) during a March 29 House Armed Services Committee hearing.
“‘Drag queen story hours’ is not something that the department funds,” Austin told lawmakers.
When Gaetz pressed Austin by saying that some military bases were holding drag performances, the defense secretary replied, “I will say again: This is not something that we support or fund.”
NBC News first reported on Wednesday that Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had stepped in to stop Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada from holding a drag show that had been scheduled to take place on June 1 to mark Pride Month.
Nellis has held two drag shows since 2021 and a similar event for this year had already been approved before Austin and Milley put a stop to it, according to CNN.
“Per DoD Joint Ethics Regulation (JER), certain criteria must be met for persons or organizations acting in non-Federal capacity to use DoD facilities and equipment,” Singh said. “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 inconsistent with regulations regarding the use of DoD resources.”
The Defense Department’s stance that drag shows are no longer permissible on military bases and facilities comes after repeated attacks by Republican lawmakers, who have accused the U.
