Did US tax dollars pay for homosexual men dance classes in Haiti
Executive summary
A Republican lawmaker recently claimed U.S. aid included “$3.6 million for pastry cooking classes and dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti,” a line reported and repeated in at least one news roundup [1]. Available sources in this packet do not corroborate an independent USAID or State Department grant specifically labeled “dance classes for homosexual men” in Haiti; reporting shows broader U.S. foreign‑aid programs that include LGBTQI+ rights work and cultural programming but not the precise itemized project as described [2] [3] [4].
1. The origin of the claim: a political attack framed as budget detail
The specific phrasing about “pastry cooking classes and dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti” appears in a political critique summarizing a lawmaker’s list of contested foreign‑aid items; that description is presented as the lawmaker’s allegation rather than an audit finding [1]. The context in that report is partisan: a Senate Republican arguing that Democrats sought tens of millions in foreign‑aid items while negotiating a government reopening, not an investigative accounting by an independent agency [1].
2. What broader reporting confirms about U.S. LGBTQ aid overseas
Independent reporting and agency statements indicate the U.S. (through USAID and other programs) has explicit commitments to support LGBTQI+ human rights and inclusion in development programming, which can include training, outreach and small grants [2]. The Center Square overview documents growing federal spending labelled for LGBT‑linked projects and quotes USAID’s stated commitment to “advance[] the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) people around the world” [2]. That establishes a credible policy framework for targeted programming, but not the existence of the specific Haiti item.
3. What the authoritative U.S. Haiti assistance record shows (and doesn’t show)
Congressional reporting on U.S. assistance to Haiti provides tables of accounts and conditions on funding but does not, in the excerpts provided, list a $3.6 million line item for “dance focus groups” or similar activities in Haiti [4]. The State Department’s investment‑climate and policy materials likewise cover economic, legal and human‑rights conditions in Haiti but do not enumerate such a grant in the parts available here [3]. Available sources do not mention a named $3.6 million USAID grant for dance classes for homosexual men in Haiti.
4. How partisan summaries can conflate small grants, cultural programs and outreach
Political messaging often compresses varied foreign‑aid lines into memorable, shocking phrases. In this case, a mix of programs — small‑scale vocational training (e.g., pastry classes), sexual‑health or outreach to sex workers, and cultural or inclusion‑focused activities for LGBTQI+ communities — could be combined rhetorically into a single dollar figure [1] [2]. The reporting here shows both discussion of vocational and cultural programming globally and the U.S. commitment to LGBTQI+ inclusion [2], but does not provide an audit trail tying those exact activities to a $3.6 million, Haiti‑specific project.
5. What independent verification would require and why it matters
To verify the claim definitively would require tracing the alleged contract or grant: the funding account, implementing partner, project description, and procurement documents or a USAID/State press release. The packet’s congressional and State reporting files do not provide that trail [4] [3]. Without those documents, the specific allegation remains an unverified political claim anchored to a broader, confirmed reality — U.S. funding programs for LGBTQI+ rights and varied development activities [2].
6. Competing narratives and implicit agendas
The lawmaker’s list appears aimed at framing foreign‑aid priorities as wasteful to sway budget negotiations and public opinion [1]. Outlets and commentators that catalogue “taxpayer spending on LGBT projects” emphasize accountability and ideological opposition to such spending [2]. Both perspectives are present in the sources: one uses sensational line items to object to aid, the other documents a policy trend toward including LGBTQI+ rights in development work [1] [2].
7. Bottom line for readers seeking the factual answer
Current reporting in this document packet shows that U.S. agencies fund LGBTQI+‑focused development programs and that a political actor claimed a $3.6 million Haiti line described as pastry and dance programs for male sex workers [2] [1]. However, available sources in this set do not confirm an explicit, audited U.S. grant described exactly as “homosexual men dance classes in Haiti”; independent verification is not found in the material provided [1] [4].