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Two Democratic members of the House of Representatives voted with Republicans on an amendment that would prevent the Department of Defense (DOD) from flying LGBTQ+ Pride flags.
The amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was introduced by Republican Rep. Ralph Norman. It codifies restrictions put in place during the Trump administration that limit which flags can be displayed at DOD facilities.
Norman's amendment comes following controversy over the Air Force and Navy celebrating Pride Month in June when their official Twitter accounts shared images of Pride flags.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan's 7th district and Rep. Donald G. Davis of North Carolina's 1st district, both Democrats, voted in favor of the amendment to the NDAA.
Slotkin's office directed Newsweek to statements she made on Twitter following the vote.
"As someone who grew up in a gay home as the daughter of a woman who came out in the 1980s, I've always fought for equality and LGBTQ+ rights—including again yesterday by voting last night to protect access to gender-affirming care for military families," the Democrat wrote.
"Another vote, on Rep. Norman's amendment, supports a policy endorsed by Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin to ban hateful flags from flying on military bases, particularly the Confederate flag. I'd rather support a no-flag policy than allow hateful imagery above U.S. military bases," she added.
Slotkin's office also noted remarks made in June, 2021 by John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, in response to a question about flying the Pride flag at DOD facilities.
Kirby said that "after some careful consideration, the department will maintain the existing policy from July of 2020 regarding the display or depiction of unofficial flags. So there won't be an exception made this month for the Pride flag."
"And as for how it came—don't want to mischaracterize this and say there was some sort of formal review but obviously knowing that the month of June was approaching, we wanted to do due diligence and take a look at the old policy and see if we felt it was still applicable and still needed to be applicable," he said.
Kirby stressed that "this in no way reflects any lack of respect or admiration for people of the LGBTQ+ community, personnel in and out of uniform who serve in this department. We're proud of them."
He added that he had previously mentioned "the [defense] secretary's pride and respect and admiration for the service that they render to their country."
"This was really more about the potential for—an exception in this case about the potential for other challenges that could arise from that exception—that specific exception, and it was really about that than anything else. It's certainly not a statement of anything other than the fact that—full respect and admiration for that service," Kirby said.
Newsweek has reached out to Davis' office via email for comment.
The amendment passed by a vote of 218 to 213, with eight members not voting. Three Republicans and 210 Democrats voted against Norman's amendment, while Slotkin and Davis sided with 216 Republican members in approving the measure.
An aide to Rep. Norman reportedly told Fox News that the aim of the measure was to get out ahead of a recent trend that has seen more federal agencies display Pride flags. The aide added that the Pentagon has not flown a Pride flag, but, in June, such symbols adorned the White House during Pride Month.
Slotkin has been a member of the House since 2019, previously representing Michigan's 8th district. She is running for a seat in the Senate in next year's elections, aiming to succeed Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow. Slotkin previously worked as a CIA analyst and a DOD official.
Davis is a freshman in the House who was first elected in the 2022 midterm elections. He served in the North Carolina state Senate from 2009 to 2011 and again between 2013 and 2023. Davis is also a veteran and served as a commissioned officer in the Air Force before entering politics.
Rules introduced during former President Donald Trump's time in office mean that the Pentagon and other DOD installations are permitted to display only approved flags. These include the U.S. flag, military service flags and state ones, among others. LGBTQ+ Pride flags are not among those approved for display.
The vote came amid a series of votes on proposed amendments to the NDAA in the GOP-controlled House.
Some Democrats strongly criticized the amendment during debate on the House floor on Thursday.
"With this amendment, my Republican colleagues are once again attempting to erase and to censure the LGBTQ+ community in our armed forces and in those workplaces," said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania's 6th district.
"With this amendment, anti-equality lawmakers are attempting to take up backwards by prohibiting service members and DOD employees from displaying the Pride flag, a symbol of strength and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community," Houlahan said.
Rep. Norman defended his amendment, saying: "Flags mean something.
"Flags we wear on our sleeves, we honor it prominently on parade fields, we carry it in combat, we drape it over the coffins of those who've given their lives for this nation," the Republican added.
Update 07/19/23, 03:12 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a response from Representative Elissa Slotkin's office.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more