Reports found drag shows disappeared from the Smithsonian's calendar after institution leader Lonnie Bunch told House Republicans he'd "look
Ryan Adamczeski at The Advocate:
The Smithsonian Institution is disputing reports claiming it has decided not to hold its usual drag events after complaints from Republicans.
Institution leader Lonnie Bunch met with the House Administration Committee for a hearing on December 12, during which U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice, a Republican from Oklahoma, questioned him about the drag shows the Smithsonian annually hosts.
“I think it’s not appropriate to expose children to drag shows,” she said, to which Bunch replied, “I’m surprised, and I will look into that.”
An investigation by The New Republic found that there are no drag shows currently scheduled during 2024 at any of the 20 museums and galleries under the Smithsonian, which would make this June the first Pride Month without a drag event at the institution in over five years. However, a spokesperson for the Smithsonian told The Advocate that the organization is currently working to schedule "at least one" drag event during the month — a drag queen story hour event for families, though it has not yet been finalized.
The New Republic also reported that the Smithsonian cancelled drag events that were already scheduled, as drag queen and environmentalist Pattie Gonia told the outlet that after working on a show for the Smithsonian since December, the organization suddenly called off the performance.
[...]
The Smithsonian Institution is the largest group of museums, education and research centers in the world, overseeing galleries primarily in Washington, D.C. but also in the neighboring states of Maryland, New York, and Virginia. Its coalition of LGBTQ+ museum workers and allies, the Smithsonian Pride Alliance, has regularly put on drag performances. The group was formed in 1988 in response to the AIDS epidemic “to ensure adequate and appropriate representation” of queer employees in Smithsonian policies and programs.
Smithsonian Pride Alliance Leadership sent a letter to Bunch directly after his comments at the December hearing, expressing that the comments not only invalidate drag as a "form of self-expression and an artform," but also that they "hurt the staff who work hard on these programs and the staff who feel as though our bit of culture is being left out of the American story, despite contributing so very much to it."
Bunch responded immediately, explaining why he responded in the way he did while also expressing appreciation for the group's "courageous outreach and willingness to broach this topic."
"When the question about drag performances was asked in the hearing setting, it was asked in a suggestive way implying that the Smithsonian was promoting lewd or inappropriate content," Bunch said in an email shared with The Advocate. "My reply and reaction to that implication was swift to immediately stress that the Smithsonian does not expose children to inappropriate content. Unfortunately, as you can imagine, a hearing setting does not give you ample time to expand, elaborate or share the details and impact of all our work and content."
"If so, it would have given me the opportunity to speak more broadly about the merits and goals of our programming and content development and how we equip parents to make choices about what content their children experience," he continued.
Smithsonian Institution responds to reports of drag shows disappearing from its calendar, thanks in part to the GOP's faux moral panic campaign against drag.
And she might succeed in getting events like these canceled...
Alex Bollinger at LGBTQ Nation:
Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) railed at Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III in a hearing earlier this week, accusing the museums of “targeting” children with drag shows.
“Mr. Secretary, are you familiar- do you know the number of drag shows that the Smithsonian has hosted in the last three years?” Bice asked at a hearing about the Smithsonian Institution held by the Committee on House Administration on Tuesday.
He said that he did not, and she then claimed that there were six.
“And four of those were targeted at children,” she said. “Going back to June 27 of 2020, an online event at the American Art Museum listed under the kids and families category: ‘A virtual drag queen story time, Ruth brings fun for the whole family as she reads classic nursery rhymes and tales for children.'”
She described a “virtual drag queen art bingo night.”
“My question is this, you know, how does hosting drag shows for children help the Smithsonian achieve their mission?” she asked. She claimed, without explaining what she meant, that there was “overly sexual material” at the events.
“I think it’s not appropriate to expose children to drag shows,” Bunch replied. “I’m surprised and I will look into that.”
[...]
Bice then said that it doesn’t matter that it’s not a major part of what the Smithsonian does and called drag shows “the targeting of children” and said it was “completely inappropriate” without explaining why she thinks wearing a wig or funny clothes in front of children is inappropriate.
A GOP press release that discussed the hearing referred to the drag shows as “the Left’s indoctrination of our children,” even though there’s no indication that parents were not involved in the events as well. LGBTQ+ and supportive parents often attend family-friendly drag shows with their kids so that they’re exposed to queer culture in an age-appropriate way.
Conservatives have been angry about drag performances for the past several years as part of their larger anti-LGBTQ+ backlash. They claim that wearing clothing not traditionally associated with one’s gender is a sexual act. Often, they share pictures of straight, cisgender performers acting inappropriately in front of children and falsely claim that they’re drag queens.
Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) put her dragphobia on display in a House Administration Committee meeting Tuesday in front of Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch.
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