Smithsonian cancels drag events as LGBTQ+ employees decry censorship

Pattie Gonia
Photo: Screenshot

The Smithsonian Institution has been drawn into the conservative-led “debate” around whether drag and LGBTQ+-themed events are appropriate for children following Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III’s appearance before the U.S. Committee on House Administration last December. Bunch’s comments under questioning from Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) at the hearing, along with what some staff have called a “drag audit” and the cancellation of several planned drag events, have led to concerns about censorship among Smithsonian employees, The Washington Post reports.

At the December hearing, Bice told Bunch that the Smithsonian had hosted six “drag shows” over the past three years and accused the museum and research complex of “exposing children to overly sexual material,” without detailing what was “overly sexual” about the events.

“I think it’s not appropriate to expose children to…

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