Republicans are observing this year’s Pride Month with complaints about the rainbow flag being flown on federal properties, including at the White House.
It’s another way the GOP is leaning into culture war issues that are animating its base amid broader efforts to restrict transgender rights nationwide.
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) took issue with the way a pair of U.S. flags hung next to a Pride flag on the balcony of the White House for a concert to commemorate Pride Month on Saturday, where President Joe Biden praised the “extraordinary” courage of LGBTQ Americans while acknowledging the discrimination and violence the community faces.
“This is a disgrace,” the Kansas senator tweeted. “Not only is it in breach of US Flag Code, but it’s a glaring example of this White House’s incompetence and insistence on putting their social agenda ahead of patriotism.”
A Twitter community note was added to his post explaining that the flag code was not being violated because a U.S. flag is flown regularly on the White House roof.
Asked Tuesday if he was making an indirect criticism of the LGBTQ community, Marshall said, “No. Any flag. Whenever the Old Glory is in a display, it should be in the middle.”
“It’s an insult to anyone who’s served. People died for that American flag,” Marshall added in an interview with HuffPost.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) was also fired up about the White House flag display, deriding what he called “a radical leftist ideology that results in a Pride flag being hung at the same level as the United States flag on the front of the White House.” He added: “Does the flag of the United States mean nothing?”
“I don’t know if you know it, but simply looking at a Pride flag will not make you gay.”
- Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.)
But White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the first openly gay person to hold the position, defended the display during a briefing on Tuesday.
“The administration was proud to fly the Pride flag,” Jean-Pierre said. “It centered around love and family and I think that’s important. We’re not going to let anyone distract us from that, the meaning of having families here and celebrating members of the community. I’m certainly not going to get into protocols from here.”
Republicans are kicking up dust about the Pride flag being flown on other federal properties, too.
On Tuesday, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee advanced legislation that would restrict the kinds of flags that are allowed to fly on Department of Veterans Affairs properties. That followed a June 6 letter from Mississippi GOP lawmakers demanding that a temporary Pride flag display be removed from Biloxi National Cemetery, arguing that its presence is disrespectful to veterans.
“I don’t know if you know it, but simply looking at a Pride flag will not make you gay,” Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), who is gay, said at a hearing marking up the bill.
“Why stop there?” he added jokingly. Why don’t we ban Bud Light? Right? Cause I believe drinking Bud Light makes you gay? I know some folks are saying. Chick-Fil-A? I know this has got to hurt, but Chick-Fil-A has an executive in charge of diversity, equity and inclusion. They’re out of here.”
“I get anti-woke, but at some point, anti-woke is also anti-sane, and we look ridiculous,” Pocan said, noting there are thousands of active duty members of the military who identify as LGBTQ.