LOS ANGELES, August 23, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Jewels and the Brunchettes, a drag queen group of entertainers, were invited to perform at the Los Angeles Air Force Base on August 8 as part of a “Diversity Day” celebration, according to Fox News.
Fox News’ Todd Starnes reported that three individuals dressed in drag were featured in a musical performance that sparked outrage among some military personnel, who called the performance “totally offensive and inappropriate.”
Photographs of the event published by Fox show an individual wearing a giant wig performing to an almost non-existent audience sitting beneath the American flag.
The Los Angeles Air Force Base’s Facebook page described the event as featuring “a remarkable guest speaker, live entertainment, educational booths, ethnic dishes, and much more.”
The “educational booths” included an LGBT homosexual advocacy booth.
The “remarkable guest speaker” was Brigadier General Tammy Smith, who became the first openly lesbian general after the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
A video of part of her speech shows Smith asking members of the military to be accepting of “diverse lifestyles.”
“I would ask you to also give space to people to be authentically who they are, so that they have the opportunity to replace…a stereotype,” she said.
The Air Force said in a statement to Fox News that “Diversity Day” featured eight cultural groups and was meant to “foster equality and diversity in the workplace.”
“One Team, One World, One Mission,” the banner advertising the event said.
The drag queen group was invited to perform on base because drag is a “symbol of gay pride and unity,” the statement explained, adding that the Jewels and the Brunchettes group did not include any members of the Air Force.
“Drag acts to this day represent the struggle for freedom and equality of the LGBT community, while at the same time providing a deep-rooted historical form of entertainment for the LGBT culture,” said Peggy Hodge, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Office of Public Affairs, according to Fox News
“Drag queen acts are historically one of the main forms of entertainment in the LGBT culture, having its roots in the earliest of days of the gay rights movement,” Hodge said in the statement.
An airman, who spoke to Fox News on condition of anonymity, said the drag queen performance was offensive and was inappropriate on a military base.
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“I am really surprised that this happened on a military installation,” he said. “I get that people want to be able to have committed relationships with members of the same sex, but this crossed the line.”
The airman said it was ironic that the Air Force is cracking down on Christians being able to openly share their faith, but they would allow men dressed in drag to display themselves on the base.
“We can't even have Bibles on our desks,” he said. “This base is not a platform for political agendas. It is a military installation. The [Diversity Day] display was totally inappropriate and offensive.”
Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, said in an AFA Action Alert that the AFA requested a meeting with Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning to discuss the Air Force's recent string of anti-Christian hostilities against chaplains, officers and enlisted men who publicly share their faith.
“The Secretary of the Air Force has not yet responded to AFA's request to meet with military leaders,” Wildmon said.
He encouraged concerned citizens to send Fanning an e-mail asking him to listen to the concerns brought forward by the AFA
“We have prepared a letter you can send directly to the Air Force commander at the Pentagon in Washington, DC,” Wildmon concluded.