Homophobes Are Melting Down Over U.S. Air Force’s Pride Tribute To LGBTQI+ Members

Anti-LGBTQ+ bigots are having a meltdown this week after the U.S. Air Force’s official Twitter account shared a silhouette of a soldier saluting in front of a Pride flag to honor “LGBTQI+ service members.”

The military department posted the image on social media on June 7 to recognize Pride month, writing: “June is PrideMonth! The Department of the Air Force proudly recognizes and celebrates generations of LGBTQI+ service members and their contributions to our Air Force & Space Force.”

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 message was not well received by some conservative and Republican figures, taking issue with the soldier in the image saluting something that is not the American flag.

Benny Johnson, a conservative political commentator and chief creative officer for far-right student group Turning Point USA, referred to the Pride movement as a cult and tweeted that the post was “actively disgracing our military.” Johnson has more than 1.5 million users on Twitter.

South Carolina Republican congressman Ralph Norman tweeted while sharing the Air Force’s post: “The only colors American military ought to salute are Red, White, and Blue.”

Colorado GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert wrote: “We salute one flag and one flag only in the United States of America. It isn’t the ‘Pride’ flag.”

Conservative talk-show host Joe Pagliarulo asked “wtf is this garbage?” while replying to the Air Force’s tweet. “My father was in the Air Force and was proud of it until the day he died,” he wrote. “He’s be sickened to see a meme depicting an Air Force member saluting with an ideological flag prominent. What on God’s green Earth is WRONG with you?

Despite the barrage of hate and bigotry, many others praised the Air Force for the supportive message and salute to all the brave LGBTQI+ service members.

Ryan Shead, a veteran and former Democratic candidate for representative in Arizona, tweeted: “Proud Air Force veteran here reminding the fascist conservatives losing their minds over a soldier saluting a pride flag that people join the armed forces to protect the rights of all Americans, not just the ones who are useful to our agendas. Gay, straight, trans or queer…ALL Americans matter.”

Another Twitter user added: “For those who are pressed, maybe try taking a look at the contents here. This is not a service member saluting the pride flag. The context of the post clearly shows that they are sending a salute to those who are/were LGBTQI+ that have served. It’s not disrespecting the U.S. flag.”

Conservatives on Twitter are melting down because the US Air Force decided to post an image to celebrate the LGBTQI+ community, many of whom fight and die for this nation.

Conservatives are criticizing the Air Force for showing a soldier "saluting the LGBTQI+ Flag"

The… pic.twitter.com/MPwpoOrpPW

— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) June 8, 2023