U.S. Air Force's Pride Flag Picture Sparks Fury: 'Disgrace to Our Military'

A number of right-wing figures have expressed their outrage after the U.S. Air Force Twitter account shared a silhouette of a soldier saluting in front of a Pride flag.

The military department posted the image on social media on June 6 to recognize Pride month and to state that the Air Force "proudly recognizes and celebrates generations of LGBTQI+ service members and their contributions to our Air Force & Space Force."

The message has met with critical response from conservative and Republican figures, with many taking issue with the suggestion that a uniformed member of U.S. military personnel is saluting something that is not the American flag.

Benny Johnson, a conservative political commentator and chief creative officer for 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 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?

Air Force veteran Mike Garcia called the post "pathetic & embarrassing," adding: "You should focus on winning wars & not social or political issues. Disgusting."

However, others praised the Air Force for the supportive message and what it was aiming to achieve.

Ryan Shead, a veteran and former Democratic candidate for repesentative 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."

The Pentagon recently confirmed that it would not allow drag shows at U.S. military bases after ruling that they are not a "suitable use of DOD (Department of Defense) resources."

A drag show in celebration of Pride Month which was due to be held on June 1 at the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada was also canceled, despite being previously approved by Air Force leaders

The outcry over the Air Force expressing support for the LGBTQ+ community follows on conservatives demanding boycotts of companies such as Target for displaying Pride merchandise and attire in their stores.

There is also an ongoing boycott of Bud Light, after the company sent transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney a beer can featuring her face to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her transitioning, resulting in a sharp decline in sales.

The Air Force by Newsweek has been contacted for comment via email.