Drawing Ire

The official U.S. Navy SEALs and Naval Special Warfare Command Facebook page received significant backlash over the weekend for acknowledging “Pride Month.” The post drew more attention when “Libs of TikTok” shared it on X, previously known as Twitter. The post had no caption but featured an image with rainbow graphics and the words “NSW. Dignity. Service. Respect. Equality. Pride.”

 

Libs of TikTok posted the image on X, commenting, “The Navy SEALs have gone woke. Our elite special forces. This is terrifying.”
Anticipating controversy, the special warfare account restricted which accounts could comment on the post.

Comments, Criticisms, and Support

Despite the restrictions, the comment section was inundated with criticism. One commenter stated, “This is a slap in the face of every special warfare operator that has put their lives on the line for our nation.”

Another remarked,

“Man, this woke s— is like a cancer and needs to be handled and dealt with as a threat to national security. Gone way too far.”

However, there were also supportive comments. One user wrote, “Fantastic!! Thanks for recognizing that our strength is in our differences!”

Meanwhile, the social media accounts for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force did not mention Pride Month on Saturday.

This event occurred shortly after the Department of Defense (DoD) mistakenly mixed up Pride Month and PTSD Awareness Month in a social media post. The Pentagon’s post on X stated that June is PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Awareness Month, which has been recognized by the U.S. government since June 2014, a year before June also officially became Pride Month.

“June is PTSD Awareness Month, and the DoD is committed to supporting service members and veterans affected by PTSD,” read the post.

The DoD added, “If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. You are not alone.” However, the attached image reads “Celebrate Pride Month 2024” with a Progress Pride Flag graphic. The tweet was later removed and replaced with a graphic for PTSD Awareness Month.