It has been revealed that the Biden administration’s Department of State is funding “drag theater performances” in Ecuador with American taxpayer dollars to promote “diversity and inclusion” in the South American nation.
In a development that has conservatives once again questioning their federal government, Fox News confirmed last night that the State Department awarded more than $20,000 to a “cultural center” in Ecuador, which the State Department says was used to host “drag theater performances” to further U.S. strategic interests in the region.
The group receiving the money was apparently the Centro Ecuatoriano Nortamericano organization, which regularly receives taxpayer dollars from the United States.
However, it was under Biden’s watch in September of this year that the group, which seems to serve to advance U.S. cultural interests in the country, used taxpayer dollars to force “drag theater performances” on the unsuspecting people of Ecuador.
This funding, the U.S. government reveals on its own website, will subject Ecuadorians to “3 workshops,” “12 drag theater performances,” and a “2 minute documentary” apparently extolling the virtues of drag culture.
Exporting the United States’ love for LGBTQ culture will help achieve Joe Biden’s strategic interests in the region, the State Department says.
Fox News reports that the funding is part of an effort 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,” though drag queens have never before played a role.
Previously, under the Obama administration, U.S. taxpayer dollars were used to help Ecuadorians learn English as a second language, the outlet explains.
It remains unclear how funding LGBTQ drag queen events accomplishes U.S. goals in the region, especially considering the staunch Christian culture of Ecuador.
According to the country’s 2012 census, more than 80% of its citizens are Catholic, over 11% follow one of the Protestant denominations, and more than 1% are Jehovah’s Witnesses. Less than 7% of Ecuadorians reported having no religion.
This news and commentary by Tom Pappert originally appeared on Valiant News.