Judicial Watch: Defense Dept. Records Show U.S. Air Force Hosted ‘Drag Story Time’ and Other ‘Drag’ Events
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today it received 25 pages of records regarding drag shows, drag story hours and other pride events for military personnel and their dependent minors organized and paid for by the U.S. Air Force.
The documents were obtained through a May 5, 2023, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request submitted to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) by Judicial Watch and CatholicVote Civic Action. The Defense Department issued at least half a dozen “no records” responses to the FOIA request prior to finally releasing these records. Judicial Watch and Catholic Vote requested:
All emails and text messages sent to and from the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin, III, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Kathleen Hicks and the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding drag shows and drag story hours on U.S. military installations…
All Department of Defense documentation, including but not limited to PowerPoints, flyers, handouts, that were or are being used to promote any drag shows and drag story hours on U.S. military installations…
All Department of Defense documentation regarding the funding of drag shows and drag story hours on U.S. military installations …
A June 10, 2021, social media post by the Ramstein & Vogelweh Air Force Libraries advertises:
We’re celebrating PRIDE month with our very first DRAG STORY TIME! Our local Drag King, Sauvage, will be reading some of our favorite stories about what makes each of us special. Story time begins at 1030!
Graphics included with the post include a rainbow flag and two books from which Drag King Sauvage intends to read. The first book is titled “I Am Perfectly Designed” by Karamo Brown. The second book is titled “The HIPS on the DRAG QUEEN Go Swish, Swish, Swish” with a depiction of three males in dresses.
The records also include a graphic for a June 2 “Drag Queen Story Time” event at the Ramstein Library.
An advertisement for an 18 and older event on June 4 called “Drag Karaoke” at “Club E” with “special guest from Monarchy of RoyalTEA” announces prizes for “best dressed” and drink specials.
An advertisement for a seven-week summer reading program re-promotes “Drag Queen Storytime” on June 10 and shows each week given a different color identification for events that include virtual story times, teen socials and scavenger hunts.
The newly obtained records include several additional advertisements for adult events (e.g. Bingo Night, Karaoke Night and D&I Pride Night) at “Club E” and the “Galaxy Club.”
A communication from the marketing department of the 100th Force Support Squadron discusses proofs of brochures, posters and tickets for a “LGBT Obsurvance [sic] Event” to be held at the Galaxy Club on February 25, 2022. The names of all participants in the chain are redacted.
One individual requests:
Can you pretty please with a cherry on top please add, Drag In front of Show? Drag Show: 7:pm, I will need it on the tickets as well. Will I be getting a proof for the 250 pre-sale tickets? Please advise.
Later in the chain, an individual states:
I just had TSg [Redacted] in my office requesting LGBT Observance removed and changed to Drag Show. She claims she spoke to the FSSS [Force Support Squadron] commander. If you like [sic] to confirm with her before changing. I will pick up what is printed. I will not need anymore [sic] printed material except for an electronic sli.de with the change so they can print as they wish. I will take the 60 tickets and all printed material. It will work. No more printed material we are fine with what was done.
May 2022 meeting minutes from an international diversity and inclusion group called “Pathfinders” lists an extensive number of upcoming Pride Month and Diversity Day events that will be supported at Ramstein Air Force Base.
A May 2022 email with redacted sender and recipient(s) and subject line “Diversity and Inclusion Events” contains a list of upcoming events:
- Luau at the Crown – Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM)
- Lei Making at the CDC (RAFA & RAFC)
- Luau at the Stukeley (AAPIHM)
- Lunch and Learn (AAPIHM)
- Origami at the Youth Center (RAFA only)
- Color Run (RAFC)
- Juneteenth (RAFA & RAFC)
- Drag Show Bingo (RAFA)
- Glow Party/Karaoke (RAFA)
- Diversity Day (All bases) – Strat Calendar
In a May 30, 2022, email with redacted sender and recipient and subject line “Drag Events” the sender writes:
I have attached our posters, FSS [Force Support Squadron] Calendar, and screen shots of the Facebook events. I’ve also attached a screenshot of the video the drag queen sent us to promote the events. The full video is too big for the NIPR server. The images are too big for the server so I am sending this in 2 emails. Also, I’m sure we also did at least one e-blast but I can’t seem to find it in my email. Let me know if you need anything else.
A June 2022 invoice for $400 covers booking Ms. Lexi Andrews, Drag Queen, for an appearance at “Drag Queen Bingo” on June 23 and a performance at a “Glow Party” the following day.
“The Department of Defense has once again proven that radical leftist ideology is more important than military preparedness and protecting Americans from tangible threats at home and abroad,” said Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D., CatholicVote Senior Advisor. “After an entire year of stonewalling, the DOD finally returned materials from just one command in one branch, which confirmed what we feared – that taxpayer funds were being used to promote drag shows and radical gender ideology on military bases, with full approval from Air Force leadership.”
“How on Earth is it appropriate to spend our limited defense dollars on promoting these sexually themed events for children and adults rather than on advancing the military’s mission,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “As we see in these troubling Air Force records, our nation’s military is being ruined by woke ideology.”
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