Drag Race legend Coco Montrese slams Pentagon’s decision to cancel Pride show on Air Force base
Defence officials in America have cancelled a drag show at a military base that was set to feature RuPaul’s Drag Race star Coco Montrese.
The show, scheduled for Thursday (1 June) at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, was axed by Department of Defence (DoD) leaders who said they would not finance drag events in federally funded facilities, NBC News reported.
Montrese, who appeared on Drag Race’s fifth season, reportedly performed at the base in 2021 for its first annual Pride drag show.
The base’s 2023 show was told about 24 hours before it was set to begin that it would either have to be cancelled or moved off base.
Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said that hosting a drag show at a military facility “is inconsistent with regulations regarding the use of DoD resources”.
Meanwhile, defence secretary Lloyd Austin told a House Armed Services Committee hearing: “Drag Queen Story Hour is not something the department funds.”
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The cancellation of Coco Montrese’s show comes as several states across America have attempted to ban or restrict drag shows, with Republican lawmakers in at least 14 states introducing such legislation this year.
States pushing particularly strict measures include Montana and Tennessee, with the latter becoming the first to ban drag.
The legislation resulted in singer-songwriter Hayley Kiyoko being threatened by police over bringing drag queens on stage to perform with her in Nashville, action she described as devastating.
What’s happening @RuPaulsDragRace LIVE @FlamingoVegas @cocomontrese pays tribute to @JanetJackson pic.twitter.com/yVGZ3ziO2U
— Coco Montrese (@cocomontrese) May 29, 2023
Speaking to The Washington Post, Coco Montrese branded the decision “all political”.
She explained: “Basically, they’re saying to them, you can be who you are, but you just can’t be that here… that’s how I take it”. Montrese added that spectators at the show two years ago loved the performance.
“I’m not discouraged by the message,” she said. “I just feel [it] means we have to fight more to be visible and use this time wisely to educate people about who we are and what we do.”
Kelley Robinson, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, said: “Before today, secretary Austin has been unwavering in his support for LGBTQ+ Americans who proudly serve in uniform.
“However, instead of truly standing up for our community on the first day of Pride, he chose to side with the politics of fear and discrimination peddled by extreme members of Congress. Our people deserve better, the United States military deserves better and all Americans deserve better.”