As U.S. tax dollar expenditures go, this has to rank fairly high up in the You Can’t Be Serious?! category.
On Wednesday, Fox News reported that the State Department has awarded a grant — in Ecuador — to fund drag theater performances.
The State Department awarded a $20,600 grant on Sept. 23 to the Centro Ecuatoriano Norteamericano (CEN), a non-profit organization supported by the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador, to “promote diversity and inclusion” in the region.
The project at CEN, which started Sept. 30 and runs until Aug. 31, 2023, will include “3 workshops,” “12 drag theater performances,” and a “2-minute documentary,” according to the State Department’s grant listed on the USASpending.gov website.
A quick visit to the CEN website, brings one to this brief overview (graciously translated, as this author studied French, not Spanish):
UNITING TWO CULTURES SINCE 1951
The North American Ecuadorian Center (CEN) is a non-profit organization that since its foundation has sought to promote friendship between Ecuador and the United States through the dissemination of free cultural activities for the community and the teaching of English.
Presumably, the drag performances come under the heading of “free cultural activities,” rather than “the teaching of English.”
As the report notes, while the State Department has previously awarded funding to CEN, this appears to be the first time said funding has been earmarked for drag performances. While the thought process behind this particular allocation remains a bit murky, per Fox:
The grant to CEN is part of the State Department’s public diplomacy program, which seeks to “support the achievement of U.S. foreign policy goals and objectives, advance national interests, and enhance national security by informing and influencing foreign publics and by expanding and strengthening the relationship between the people and government of the United States and citizens of the rest of the world,” the website states.
I don’t know about you, but I already feel closer to Ecuador (and more secure!) just knowing we’re funding drag shows for them.
Unfortunately, not everyone is enamored of this particular cultural exchange.