We are just a little over a week into Pride month, and the saturation already runs deep. This includes government agencies, with the CIA gaining particular attention, as well as military branches, in this case the Air Force.
In the case of the CIA, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) aptly described a tweet from earlier on Thursday as "cringe." The tweet was thoroughly ratioed, with over 2,000 quote retweets and around 4,000 replies mocking the agency.
Cringe Intelligence Agency https://t.co/uyZdAx1NQl
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) June 8, 2023
Our friends at Twitchy also highlighted that while Air Force has used clip art to show a salute to the Pride flag, such a tweet is offensive nonetheless, as many have called out in the replies, at least those who managed to chime in before replies were restricted. The tweet has so far earned over 2,000 quoted retweets and brought in over 6,000 replies before people were prevented from making their voices heard.
June is #PrideMonth! The Department of the Air Force proudly recognizes and celebrates generations of LGBTQI+ service members and their contributions to our #AirForce & #SpaceForce. pic.twitter.com/lQi9lH5sdr
— U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) June 7, 2023
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently held their own Pride event.
Yesterday, the Pentagon hosted its 12th Annual LGBTQ+ Pride Ceremony. We celebrate the honor and service, commitment, and sacrifice of our LGBTQ+ service members. The DoD is committed to inclusion and using diversity as a strength for our Services.
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) June 8, 2023
View some of today’s speakers: pic.twitter.com/tguAzLruAE
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Speakers included Space Force Chief Operating Officer Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt who stoked fear and division by lamenting what she called the "more than 400 anti-LGBTQ+ laws" introduced at the state level this year.
Chief Ops Officer @SpaceForceDoD Lt. Gen. DeAnn Burt: Gathering a unique perspective in harnessing creativity is how we will succeed in facing our future challenges as a service, LGBTQ+ individuals have been defending our nation since the American Revolution & they have been… pic.twitter.com/iwAn5HOMNo
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) June 8, 2023
Gil Cisneros, who serves as the Pentagon's undersecretary for personnel and readiness as well as the department's chief diversity and inclusion officer, also spoke. He too went for an urgent tone by warning that "LGBTQ+ and other diverse communities are under attack, just because they are different, which he said was "hate for hate’s sake."
Under Secretary of Defense HON Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr.: We will continue to recognize the unique strength & resilience of the LGBTQ+ community. Your contributions to the Department's missions are invaluable. pic.twitter.com/eRlx7yTLJP
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) June 8, 2023
Loudly and boldly proclaiming support for Pride month has been a priority of the military and of government agencies since President Joe Biden took office as part of going woke, even at the expense of other priorities, such as military preparedness against our enemies or fixing recruitment concerns.
The White House earlier on Thursday released a fact-check sharing how the "Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Protect LGBTQI+ Communities."
The Biden administration has made LGBT rights one of their top priorities, especially with the transgender community. This includes marking "Transgender Day of Visibility," even as it applies to minors who may be experiencing gender dysphoria.
One focus mentioned in the fact-sheet pertains to "Protect LGBTQI+ communities from attacks on their rights and safety," which will entail a "LGBTQI+ Community Safety Partnership" to involve the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department (DOJ) serving as the department’s liaison.
The memo goes on to explain how it's not only the DOJ that is involved, but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Health & Human Services when it comes to the partnership.
One bullet point under the "Protecting the LGBTQI+ Community" and "Launching a LGBTQI+ Community Safety Partnership" section mentions:
- Support LGBTQI+ communities to report hate crimes and build cross-community partnerships to address hate-fueled violence. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, FBI Field Offices, DOJ Community Relations Service (CRS), the Civil Rights Division and others will undertake targeted engagement with community groups from the LGBTQI+ community and other communities victimized by hate crimes to increase understanding about how to report hate crimes. DOJ will also enhance public trust and public safety by partnering with state and local law enforcement agencies to increase the number of law enforcement officers who have completed CRS’s training programs on engaging with transgender individuals. Through its United Against Hate initiative, which brings together diverse communities to help improve the reporting of hate crimes and provide an opportunity for trust building between law enforcement and communities, DOJ will engage LGBTQI+ communities and other communities victimized by hate crimes as the program is expanded to all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices by the end of September.
It's worth reminding that this is the same Biden administration, through the departments mentioned above, has been heavily criticized for not only dropping the ball on protecting conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, but also targeting pro-life activists, conservatives, and even infiltrate Catholic Churches, for which they are facing a lawsuit.
Sure enough, one section also focuses on "Supporting LGBTQI+ kids to thrive," and mentions that "HHS is announcing it will issue a Behavioral Health Care Advisory on Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth to provide evidence-based practices for mental health providers."
There's also an entire section on "Addressing Book Bans," even though governors of states accused of engaging in book bans, like Florida's Ron DeSantis, have called out the "book ban hoax." Further, bright blue states like California, also have school districts banning books, while their Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom fires shots at DeSantis over the book ban narrative, among many other issues.
As the fact-sheet explains, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights "will appoint a new coordinator to address the growing threat that book bans pose for the civil rights of students" who "will work to provide new trainings for schools nationwide on how book bans that target specific communities and create a hostile school environment may violate federal civil rights laws."
An event had also been scheduled to take place Thursday on the White House South Lawn, but has been rescheduled for Saturday due to the poor air quality as a result of wildfires in Canada. The Hill also quoted the White House Domestic Policy Council's Neera Tanden, as advertising the event as the "largest Pride celebration in White House history, with LGBTQ families from across the country demonstrating that LGBTQ people belong in the people’s house."
The president did address the issue during a Thursday press conference, though with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the White House, where he called out state laws as "hysterical" and lambasted "prejudiced people."
NOW: Biden calls Americans opposed to radical gender ideology "hysterical and prejudiced." pic.twitter.com/J8iAJ1jusy
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 8, 2023
He also once again referred to other people's children as "our kids," saying "it’s not somebody else’s kids, it’s all our kids, and our children are the kite strings that hold our national ambitions aloft." Biden not only repeats a leftist narrative looking to usurp parents right that he's gone with before, but that Vice President Kamala Harris and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre have.
Biden says that "transgender" kids are not "somebody else's kids. They're all our kids!" pic.twitter.com/xW4sE5BMvu
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 8, 2023
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