Pete Hegseth appears to have found a great workaround for racial integration at military events: When the rules won’t allow you to put up a “No Coloreds” sign, you can just ban soldiers with shaving waivers instead.
The Pentagon boss—who now insists on being called the “Secretary of War”—is refusing entry to servicemen with beards at an upcoming meeting at Camp Humphreys in South Korea, according to a report from Task and Purpose.
On Sunday, an email from Osan Air Base reportedly stated that “members with shaving waivers are NOT authorized to attend” the event with Hegseth. A screenshot of the message, posted on an unofficial Facebook page, was later confirmed by an Air Force official to be real.
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Hegseth’s disinvitation is just one more spiteful jab against primarily Black and brown military members who have already been the target of discriminatory anti-beard policies that were unveiled last month.
In September, the former Fox News host announced that he would be firing troops who would need a shaving waiver for longer than a year, a policy that would overwhelmingly affect Black armed forces members, who are far more likely to suffer from pseudofolliculitis barbae, a skin condition that makes daily shaving lead to cuts, sores, and scarring.
As I wrote at the time:
