The U.S. Department of State has given more than $20,000 to a cultural center in Ecuador so that it can conduct “drag theatrical performances,” Fox News revealed.
A non-profit called Centro Ecuatoriano Norteamericano (CEN) received a $20,600 grant to “promote diversity and inclusion. “CEN’s project in support of “diversity and inclusion” will include “three workshops,” “12 drag theater performances,” and a “2 minute documentary.”
The funding to the CEN is a part of the State Department’s public diplomacy initiative, which aims 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 State Department has given hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to CEN over the course of the last several years, though this grant appears to be the first that directly supported drag performances, Fox News reported.
The State Department awarded a $50,000 grant to the CEN in 2016 to support the College Horizons program, which teaches English to young people. In 2015, the State Department gave $234,000 taxpayer dollars to the CEN so that they could build a new auditorium.
Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at slindquist@breitbart.com.
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