In order to celebrate the LGBTQ+ "Pride Month" event in June, the US Navy recently posted a picture of "warplanes spewing rainbow-colored tail smoke" on its official social media account, which attracted a lot of criticism. According to the "Capitol Hill" local time on the 2nd, the picture was replaced that morning, but the US Navy did not respond to this.
Screenshot from The Hill
According to reports, on Friday, local time, without any explanation, the official Instagram and Twitter accounts of the US Navy quietly removed the content of the celebration of "Pride Month" on the page a day after the post.
The Hill said it received a statement in which a Navy spokesman acknowledged that they had deleted the original post but would not tell when and why they removed the image.
The U.S. Navy released images to show support for Pride Month and recognize the efforts and sacrifices of LGBTQ+ service members who volunteer to defend their country, the statement said.
It also promised that the U.S. Navy will look for more opportunities to celebrate the diversity and strength of this group of soldiers, "as we have done in the past with all the Pride Months celebrated at the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI). Members of the LGBTQ+ community serve their country and contribute so much to the mission of the Department of Defense, and there should be a welcoming environment that allows them to reach their full potential. (The Defense Equal Opportunities Management Institute (DEOMI) was originally the Defense Race Relations Institute.) ）
The left is before the modification and the right is after the modification
On the 2nd, the official Twitter of the US Navy also released a statement, saying that it would join the national celebration of "Pride Month".
It said that at every naval base, ship, shipyard and other facility, LGBTQ+ people who are committed to the U.S. Navy work to develop creative solutions to today's complex naval challenges.
"They defend our country, carry out our mission, defeat our opponents. Together, we are shaping the future of a collaborative, diverse and inclusive workforce. Everyone can be their true self and protect our country from extremism and any threat. ”
However, for this statement of the US Navy, the reaction in the comment area was slightly "joyful".
"Submarine: 70 people dive, 35 couples float up." "(The Navy calls LGBTQ+ 'cultural heritage'? Please let it go. ”
Some people mentioned an emoji that was popular on the Internet earlier: Compared to the planes representing Republicans, the Democrats' warplanes were plastered with identity labels such as "Black Lives Matter" and rainbow flags representing the LGBTQ+ community.
This propaganda photo of the US Navy is simply the same, "I thought they were drawing it." ”
Many people expressed disgust at the military's play on "identity politics", "The whole world is laughing at us." ”
"This is not the Navy I signed up for, not the Navy I served. I don't even recognize this navy. It's too embarrassing for active sailors and Marines, for our country and the whole world. Some netizens who called themselves "retired soldiers" said bitterly.
According to Fox News on Wednesday, the U.S. Navy has been slammed in the past for promoting "Pride Month" activities.
Last year, two Navy officials who planned to publish a "rainbow fighter tail map" discussed in an email whether to close the comment section of the post to prevent some "snarky remarks" and called critics "trolls."
In addition, the U.S. Navy has been strongly criticized by Republicans for planning to agree to recruit a sailor to serve as a digital ambassador in order to pretend to be a queen.
The Hill believes that the U.S. Navy's "rush" to delete the picture may be because they were asked to distance themselves from controversial topics involving "culture wars", which was also reflected in the sudden cancellation of a drag show scheduled for Nellis, Nevada, on Thursday.
The air base has been hosting drag shows for the past two years until this year when both Defense Secretary Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley called such events "not a rational use of federal funds and resources."
A source told NBC that Mark Milley was "visibly angry" when he was told he would be performing a drag show at a military base. Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Defense announced a ban on drag shows at all military facilities.
SETH CROPSEY, DIRECTOR OF THE HUDSON INSTITUTION'S CENTER ON U.S. MARITIME POWER AND FORMER DEPUTY SECRETARY OF THE NAVY, WROTE EARLIER IN THE CAPITOL HILL EXPRESSING CONCERN THAT TOO MUCH INTERFERENCE WITHIN THE U.S. MILITARY COULD LEAD TO A REDUCTION IN COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS.
"The PLA is preparing for war, but the US military is busy with internal distortions." In the article, he noted that it is surprising to witness the distortions caused by U.S. military units and defense establishments to defend so-called "political correctness" within the armed forces.
He believes that the Biden administration's directive is putting senior officials like U.S. Defense Secretary Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley in a difficult position, exposing them to an increasingly pernicious and nihilistic "culture war."
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