Bunch’s crackdown on drag performances this year marks a sudden departure from programming long-supported by the Smithsonian Pride Alliance, an influential group of queer museum workers and supporters formed in 1988 in response to the AIDS crisis.
A review by The New Republic found the Smithsonian has hosted at least eight drag performances during Bunch’s tenure, which will begin its fifth year in May. None of the events were marketed to children, while most were held in conjunction with Pride Week in New York City and Washington, D.C.
The last time a drag event was hosted by a Smithsonian facility was a free show on June 23, 2023, at the Diker Pavilion, a New York City facility of the National Museum of the American Indian. The event was held in conjunction with NYC Pride Week under the theme “Strength in Solidarity” and featured drag performances by Landa Lakes, Lady Shug, Sage Chanell, and Papi Churro—four indigenous drag artists representing Chickasaw, Diné (Navajo), Shawnee, Ponca, Otoe, Lakota Sioux, Nahua, and Coahuiltecan ancestry, according to the event web page.
