The Smithsonian Institution is involved in the debate over whether drag and LGBTQ+ events are suitable for children, following Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III's appearance before the U.S. Committee on House Administration last December. Bunch's comments have raised concerns about censorship among Smithsonian employees, leading to the cancellation of planned drag events. The Washington Post reports.
At the December hearing, Bice accused the Smithsonian of exposing children to overly sexual material through six drag shows hosted in the past three years, without providing further details on what was deemed as overly sexual.
Bunch responded by stating it's not appropriate to expose children to drag shows and expressed surprise, pledging to investigate further.
Bunch added that the Smithsonian aims to embrace the entirety of American identity, highlighting that drag shows are not a major part of their activities.
According to recent reports in the Post and The New Republic, internal emails and interviews with Smithsonian staff indicate concerns that LGBTQ+ voices and programming will be censored following Bunch's comments.
In a response to the Pride Alliance's leaders on January 2, Bunch stressed that the Smithsonian does not expose children to inappropriate content and acknowledged the limitations of the hearing setting in allowing for a broader discussion.
Bunch praised the Pride Alliance's outreach and affirmed his support for the LGBTQIA+ communities.
He stated that his comments did not express the broader LGBTQ+ culture and showed appreciation for their significant contribution to the American story.
Pride Alliance leaders expressed that Bunch's comments hurt the staff and accused attacks on drag as thinly veiled attacks on the broader LGBTQ+ community.
In a statement to the Post, Bunch acknowledged the concerns expressed by staff and committed to addressing them.
Bunch reiterated that LGBTQ+ content is welcome at the Smithsonian and announced plans to meet with Pride Alliance leaders.
At the same time, The New Republic reported reported that the Smithsonian canceled three 2024 events featuring drag performer and environmental activist Pattie Gonia after Bunch's appearance before the Committee on House Administration. Post, Wyn Wiley, who goes by the name Pattie Gonia, was informed that one event was called off because a major sponsor withdrew, and another related event was canceled because the staff didn't have the time or resources to create a program that met their standards. The third event was reportedly put on hold.
A representative mentioned to The Advocate last week that the Smithsonian is creating LGBTQ+ events that might showcase drag performers for Pride Month and emphasized that the institution has not prohibited drag events.
But one member of the Smithsonian Pride Alliance informed the Post that they view the cancellation of Pattie Gonia's appearances as a direct consequence of Bice's questioning at the December hearing. 'Queer employees and allies are uncertain about how to proceed. Drag is a vital part of the LGBTQ story,' the employee stated. 'Staff are uncertain about what to do.'
'Bunch's testimony is unfair to all of the queer employees at the Smithsonian, as well as current and future queer partners,' Wiley told the Post. 'Many people aspire to work for the Smithsonian, and it has been a secure and joyous place for numerous queer employees.'
According to The New Republic, the Smithsonian has hosted eight events featuring drag performers since Bunch, the first Black person in the position, was chosen to lead the institution in 2019.
The New Republic also reported that after the December hearing, the Smithsonian started what some employees call a 'drag audit,' reviewing past events with drag performances. In January, Undersecretary Kevin Gover's executive assistant asked for details on past drag events from museum directors, as the Post.
'They want to act like this is some kind of assessment and not a ban, but excluding these performers from all Smithsonian programming amounts to censorship by Lonnie Bunch and his team,' a museum worker informed The New Republic.
