CIA’s Pride Month Tribute Met with Criticism on Social Media

By
Scott McJunkin
-
CIA | Source: twitter.com/CIA

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) faced backlash on social media after sharing a post on Twitter to celebrate Pride Month.

On Thursday, the agency tweeted, “Pride Month is an occasion for all of us at the Agency to pay tribute to the rich history, community, and mission contributions of our LGBTQ+ officers.” However, the post was met with immediate ridicule from some social media users.

Several commenters questioned the authenticity of the post, with some accusing the CIA of using LGBTQ+ rights as a marketing tool to improve its image.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald criticized the CIA’s post, tweeting that “re-branding US foreign policy and the US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, as a crusade for LGBTQ2AI+ rights is a truly genius feat of marketing.” Meanwhile, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) tweeted, “Can’t believe this is real.”

The post also led to the resurfacing of a 43-year-old CIA document on “homosexual investigations,” which revealed that gay men and lesbians were once barred from obtaining security clearance to work in the CIA. The document claimed that they were deemed a security risk due to their potential to be blackmailed. The document stated, “One of the most common mistakes made by the average person is the conviction that he can recognize a homosexual on sight. This is similar to recognizing a Communist. The subject has a mental or emotional problem rather than a physical one.”

Former President Bill Clinton signed an executive order in 1995 that ended the practice of barring gay men and women from joining the CIA. In recent years, the agency has actively recruited individuals from the LGBTQ+ community.


The CIA’s tweet also revealed the agency’s 2023 theme for Pride Month, which is “WELCO-ME!” standing for Wellness, Equity, LGBTQ+, Community, Openness, and “ME!” The Transportation Department, led by Pete Buttigieg, who recently adopted newborn twins with his husband, was among the other government agencies that shared messages of support for Pride Month on social media.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR