In U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing this week, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) questioned Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the U.S. Department of State’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, as to why the Biden administration spent U.S. taxpayer dollars on a film festival in Portugal that promoted incest and sex with minors.
As part of Biden’s “LGBTQ+ and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility efforts,” the State Department spent $10,000.00 promoting “Queer Lisboa,” a noted Portuguese film festival.
“The festival’s offerings included P.S. Burn This Letter Please, a documentary about drag culture in post-war New York City, Saint-Narcisse, a film about incestuous twins, and Minyan, a movie about a 17-year-old Jewish boy who leaves his parents to explore New York City’s gay scene and eventually has sex with an adult bartender,” The Washington Free Beacon reports.
Rotten Tomatoes notes that while Saint-Narcisse was praised in 96 percent of critics’ reviews, only 45 percent of audiences liked it. The film is a comedy about a pair of identical twin brothers separated at birth, only to reunite and begin a sexual relationship.
An Indiewire review of Minyan praises the graphic portrayal of the “pretty hot sex scenes” between the adult and 17-year-old characters.
“How would promoting a drag queen film festival in Portugal advance our national interest? And how much taxpayer money was spent putting on this film festival?,” asked Rubio.
“Thank you for the question, Senator. I will take it back to get an answer for you. I do not know.,” Abercrombie-Winstanley responded.
Part of the taxpayer funding was spent flying in director Gus Van Sant for an appearance at the luxury island where the festival was held. Van Sant is a financially successful Hollywood figure who did not need taxpayer assistance for another trip to Europe.
The exchange between Rubio and Abercrombie-Winstanley is below.
RUBIO: Ambassador Abercrombie-Winstanley, the president’s Executive Order 13985 provides a list of underserved communities and it mandates that executive agencies seek to promote equitable, fair, and impartial outcomes for those communities. And I, too, believe not only is diversity our strength as a country but if, in fact, our workforce does not reflect our population, then it merits an inquiry into what the impediments [are]. Are there any artificial impediments that are leading to that outcome?
And in the list of the underserved communities are groups that have historically faced discrimination in this country on the basis of their race, their religion, their gender. But it also includes a list of other groups: first-generation college students, which I happen to be, people with limited English-speaking ability, immigrants, the elderly, former convicts, people from rural areas, military spouses, single parents. All good groups—I’m just curious, if we include all the people that have been discriminated against historically, plus all of these other groups, who is not an underserved community?
ABERCROMBIE-WINSTANLEY: Thank you for your question, Senator. I can tell you that my office looks at this two ways…. Our responsibility is focused on those groups who have been historically underrepresented in the Department of State who are protected classes. And so that is a more narrow list of people, the first group that you mentioned.
The reality is, as we work to remove barriers to those groups, we are, in fact, leveling the playing field for every group. We’re focused on making merit-based decisions, so removing those artificial barriers. So when we do things like ensure that people can interview for the Department of State via a virtual technique, while it might indeed help groups that are in the center of the country or from families that can’t afford a thousand-dollar plane ticket to fly to San Francisco or Washington, D.C., it’s also going to touch on other groups of people who also have that problem. So in that way, we are able to hit a wide variety [of inequities].
RUBIO: And I understand. But when you add to that—and I know you didn’t write the executive order—but what I’m saying is that when “underserved communities” expands to include all these other groups, which are all—I understand the struggles, the challenges of each of these groups individually—it just seems like we’ve really narrowed the pool of people who we do not consider underserved to a very narrow category of people. Which obviously begs the question, do we keep a list of, for example, the religious affiliations of all the employees? Do we keep a list of everybody’s ethnicity?
ABERCOMBIE-WINSTANLEY: We collect limited information on demographic information. And we have a number of employee organizations that group around many of these other characteristics that you’ve mentioned, whether it be singles at State, working parents at State, veterans. None of those are protected classes per say, but they do have issues that employees talk about, work with our HR or global talent management to ensure that they have a level playing field and the ability to serve to the best of their ability when they’re in the department.
RUBIO: I guess my point is I don’t know how we can possibly make these efforts to help this broad array of individual groups that have been defined as underserved without collecting information about all of these topics. Are they the first to go to college in their family? What’s their religion? What’s their race? How well do they speak English? Are they immigrants? That’s the point I’m trying to make. We’re collecting a lot of information.
My time is short. I did want to ask you, I’m curious how U.S. interests were advanced by promoting a film festival in Portugal that that highlighted Minyan, which is a film about a 17 year-old boy who has sexual relations with an adult bartender, and Saint-Narcisse, which is a film about incestuous twins. How would promoting a drag queen film festival in Portugal advance our national interest? And how much taxpayer money was spent putting on this film festival?
ABERCOMBIE-WINSTANLEY: Thank you for the question, Senator. I will take it back to get an answer for you. I do not know.
RUBIO: You’re not familiar with this?
ABERCOMBIE-WINSTANLEY: I am not.
RUBIO: So you don’t know how much we spend or how many State Department employees work [for these festivals?] You’re just not familiar with the topic?
ABERCOMBIE-WINSTANLEY: I’m not familiar with those films or that festival.
RUBIO: Okay. Thank you.
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN MENENDEZ: Do you handle festivals as part of your portfolio?
ABERCOMBIE-WINSTANLEY: I do not.
MENENDEZ: Okay.
RUBIO: Mr. Chairman, that’s not the point. The point is—
MENENDEZ: The point is I want to clarify for the record that she does not handle festivals. It’s a legitimate question, and I look forward for her to get back—
RUBIO: She handles diversity and equity issues, [and this festival] was part of a diversity and equity initiative.
MENENDEZ: But that initiative isn’t necessarily one that is diversity and equity. It may have been—
RUBIO: Actually it was advertised as such, Mr. Chairman. It was advertised as such.
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Michael Brigham
Michael Brigham has written for American Action News since the summer of 2019. His areas of expertise include foreign affairs, government, and politics, but regardless of the subject matter, he has a nose and an insatiable appetite for news. In his free time, he enjoys reading nonfiction, watching a mix of comedies and true crime documentaries, and spending time away from the swamp hiking in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
Right up his ally. He’s creepy around kids
Biden is really sick in more ways than America has known or could possibly Imagine
We need to take back the house and take over the senate period
More vicious lies about Biden . Yawn .
Not what you said in your first post
What is this country turning into??? It is so bad I just can’t believe pear go along with a lot of these things. I remember a lot of them being called sins😢😢😢
Biden even looks like he is braindead!
The government from Hell. Satans playground
I say hang him! I wouldn’t mind tax payers money bringing back that practice for Biden and his kind. I would love to see him swing.
This should be no surprise. Biden and Democrats support immoral sex in many forms. They follow the leftist ideal that no person should be expected to adhere to personal responsibility norms. They prefer if it feels good, do it.
Q. How do you spell SCHMUCK?
A. BIDEN!
SIck people. Hell is waiting.
Biden nastiest, dumbest, repulsive, disgraceful, hateful, disrespectful, idiot in the world, HELL BOUND!
PLEASE, PLEASE ADD THIS TO HIS IMPEACHMENT CASE. ESPECIALLY SINCE I’VE BEEN SUFFERING PRETENSE IMMIGRANTS AND ILLEGALS FROM PORTUGAL. MY NEIGHBOR DOESN’T SEEM TO RECOGNIZE MY AIR FORCE FLAG AND THE FACT THAT FOR THE PAST 4+ YRS WHEN SHE VISITED HER FRIEND THAT HAD THAT UNIT BEFORE HER. I REMEMBER HER COMING AND UPON SHOWING UP SHE WOULD BUT INTO OUR CONVERSATIONS AND LITERALLY PUSH MYSELF AND OTHER NEIGHBOR OUT TOTALLY. SHE’S DIE HARD PORTGUESE AND TOTALLY REFUSES TO SPEAK ENGLISH. IF WE ARE IN DRIVEWAY WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS SHE WILL BARK OVER US AND LITERALLY DEMAND HER KID SPEAK TO HER IN PORTEGUESE. TOLD HER FRIEND THAT RAISING HER KID THEIR BABY SHOULD ONLY SPEECH PORTEGUESE UNTIL HE GOES TO SCHOOL. HE WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL HAPPY BABY. OVER WINTER AND WHEN HE WAS OUT AGAIN AND ABLE TO CONVERSE. HE LOVED LEARNING HIS ABC BEFORE HE LEARNED PORTEGUESE. AFTER LEARNING PORTGUESE. TO BE OUT AND AROUND ENGLISH WAS FRUSTRATING FOR THE BOY YOU SAW IT. IT CHANGED HIS PERSONALITY. HE WOULD GET MAD IF HE DIDN’T SPEAK WHAT HE COULD UNDERSTAND. THE ONLY THING WE COULD DO IS IF HE HAD A BOOK WITH ANIMALS. I WOULD SAY IT IN ENGLISH AND HE WOULD SAY NO IT’S PORTGUESE WORD. SO SAD. BUT HIS PARENTS WHEN AROUND AMERICANS MADE THE EFFORT. FATHER VOICED HE WAS TOO LAZY TO LEARN ENGLISH BUT HE WAS PATRIOTIC AND HAPPY TO TRY TO CONVERSE. THIS ONE OMG. HELL NOW SHE PINCHES HER FACE AND BUNKS THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD. WE SHARE A TREE. WITH A DROUGHT IT’S BEARLY SURVIVING. SHE WILL NOT GIVE A DROP OF WATER TO THE LAWN/TREE. BUT SHE WILL HOSE THE DRIVEWAY. HER HUSBAND WILL CLEAN CARS. BIDEN SECRET FLTS HAVE LITERALLY DUMP A WHOLE COUNTRY OF PEOPLE HERE THAT REFUSE TO ASSIMILATE. REFUSE TO SPEAK ENGLISH AND THEY ARE DRIVING CARS AND HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO VOTE. DRIVERS LICENSES AND ADDRESSES HERE IN MASS. AND THERE’S NO TALKING TO THEM IF YOU WANT CONVERT. SHE EVEN TRIED TO RUN A SCHOOL ON OUR LAWNS AND CONVERT THE PUERTO RICAN KIDS ACROSS THE STREET. MUST HAVE FELT THEY WERE AS IGNORANT AND DISRESPECTFUL AS SHE WAS. I WISH I HAD GATES MONIES. INSTEAD OF ILLEGALLY AND CORRUPTLY BUYING UP OUR FARM LAND. I WOULD BUY UP BILL BOARDS WITH ADS STATING. OUR LAWS OF IMMIGRATION IS YOU MUST KNOW AND USE ENGLISH. YOU MUST KNOW AND USE OUR CUSTOMS AND COURTESIES. YOU MUST ASSIMILATE. TO NOT DO SO IS A DISGRACE. IF YOU DON’T ASSIMILATE YOU ARE DISRESPECTING OUR LANDS, OUR LAWS AND OUR PEOPLE. YOU ARE DENIGRATING THE PRIVILEGE WE HAVE GIFTED YOU. IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO ASSIMILATE THERE’S THE DOOR DON’T FORGET TO WALK OUT OF IT. CAUSE IF YOU AREN’T WILL TO BE HERE LEGALLY WE DON’T WANT YOU HERE ILLEGALLY. I WOULD ALSO HAVE ONE THAT READS. WHEN I WAS YOUNG PEDOFILS WERE IN JAIL. ON JOEYS AND DEMS WATCH THEY ARE IN OUR CLASS ROOMS. AND TO THE DISGUSTING CREEPS CALLING YOURSELF TEACHES. WHEN A CHILD SEES THEIR FEMALE TEACHER WEARING MENS CLOTHING AND ACTING COMFUSED IN THEIR GENDER. AND THEY ASK YOU A QUESTION ABOUT HERSELF. THEY DO NOT WANT GENDER REASSIGNMENT. THEY ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THEY CAN TRUST YOU. YOU ARE CONFUSING AND SCARING THEM. THEY DON’T WANT TO BE LIKE YOU. OR BRAINWASHED INTO TRYING. WE NEED ABCs AND 1,2,3s AND AMERICAN HISTORY WHEREBY IT SHOWS IT WAS WHITE SLAVERY THAT WAS SO AWFUL. WAY WORSE THEN BLACKS CAUSE WE DIDN’T HAVE THE 1789 BILL TO MAKE IT EASIER. WHITE CARGO IF YOU NEED SOMETHING TO READ AND A PLACE TO START. WE NEED TO TAKE BACK OUR NATION. DRAIN THE SWAMP AND REBUILD OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, OUR LEGAL SYSTEM AND RIGHT WHAT THE AXIS OF EVIL IS DOING TO US. WE NEED TO PUT A STOP TO IRAN AND RUSSIA FROM MESSING WITH OUR ENERGY AND CHINA WITH OUR ECONOMY. WE NEED TO STOP THE BUILD CHINA BACK BETTER BILL. IT DIED 11 MONTHS AGO KEEP IT DEAD. WE NEED TO TAKE BACK THE HOUSE AND SENATE AND DRAIN THE SWAMP ONCE AND FOR ALL. THEY ARE EVIL AND SELFISH PROCIES OF CHINA. REMEMBER WHAT TRUMP TOT US WHEN HE RAN. TO DO BUSINESS IN CHINA THEY MAKE YOU OPEN A BANK ACCT. TRUMP TRIED TO DO BUSINESS AND COULDN’T GET A DEAL THAT WAS 50/50 SO HE PULLED OUT TAKING HIS BANK ACCT WITH HIM. WE KNOW THE BIDENS, HARRIS, PELOSI’S AND GOD KNOWS HOW MANY DEMS IF NOT ALL ARE IN DEBT TO CHINA. CHINA IS HOLDING THEIR ACCTS HOSTAGE. AND THRU THEM HOLDING OUR NATION HOSTAGE WHILE THEY DRAIN US DRY. THEY FEEL WE GET WEAK ENOUGH THEY WILL JUST MOVE IN AND MAKE THE PLANET CHINA.