Religious-righters warned that the repeal of the ban on openly gay servicemembers in the U.S. military would bring about all kinds of terrible things. Of course, none of that happened. In fact, the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy seems to have actually helped the military.
Even so, critics continue to scramble for new reasons to complain. Now some are upset that personnel on a U.S. military base on the Japanese island of Okinawa put on a drag show fundraiser last weekend. The right-wing website Newsmax declared the event “the first ‘drag show in the history of the U.S. military.” Tom Pauken, former chairman of the Texas Republican Party, also seems to think the drag show broke new ground:
Gay and lesbian troops perform in drag on American military base http://t.co/46w7ha3ZMA via @SpeedReads. Your new US military
— Tom Pauken (@TomPauken) March 4, 2014
The “first drag show in the history of the U.S. military”? “Your new U.S. military”? Um… really?
That didn’t count? What about shows with service personnel themselves? Like these soldiers in Korea shortly after the end of World War II:
Or these military personnel (next two photos) on the USS North Carolina in 1943:
Needless to say, the Okinawa show was hardly a first. And the U.S. military seems to have survived its earlier drag shows just fine.
Obviously they never had any experience with the military. On a US Navy ship there is a VERY OLD and longstanding traditional ceremony that occurs when crossing the Equator that has historically had many crossdressing to play certain parts in the events.
The people causing the fuss are just ignorant fascist sluts. They do not understand the tradition of the shellbacks, for which I proudly hang a certificate on my wall and carry a card in my wallet. Nor do they have an understand the history of men playing women in the theater. Besides that, if Pauken and the “journalists” at Newsmax, cannot figure out from the picture that this was all in fun, they have a problem. If the folks in this picture are habitual cross dressers, they are terrible at it.
I agree. Most of the people in drag are probably straight rather than LGBT, and it is highly unlikely that any of these “dress ups” have anything to do with LGBT influence or agenda.
Classify this one as:
“Weez ones izz desprit to find us sump’n to be angry about.”
Ever see South Pacific???? Interracial relationships..a drag show….right wingers are stump dumb!
And the U.S. military also survived Rogers and Hammerstein: having mass audiences over time see the musical and the movie “South Pacific,” with its drag show scene.