The United States Navy official Twitter account quietly removed its rainbow-colored LGBTQ graphic in support of Pride Month after facing a mammoth backlash.
The LGBT graphic featured aircraft and ships with rainbow colors streaming from them and the word “Pride” in different colors.
However, the Navy Twitter account later changed its cover from LGBTQ colours to a photo to a ship deck from a control tower.
The Navy account obviously wasn’t expecting such an intense backlash.
“Why are recruiting numbers so bad???” one Twitter account named @BowTiedRanger tweeted with a screenshot of the Navy account’s graphic.
Another account did a before and after photo comparison.
There were also many criticizing the graphic.
“The only colors that should be promoted by the @USNavy are Red, White and Blue,” one user wrote.
On Friday, the Navy tweeted a statement from Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro recognizing Pride Month and celebrating the first openly-gay candidate to be elected to public office in California, Harvey Milk.
Milk served as a lieutenant junior grade in the Navy, and Obama Navy Secretary Ray Mabus named a ship after Milk in 2016.
“I am proud to know that HARVEY MILK joins the ranks of present and future USNSs SOJOURNER TRUTH, EARL WARREN, ROBERT F. KENNDY, LUCY STONE, and JOHN LEWS as beacons in every port of call for the diversity, equity, and inclusion that we value as a Department and Nation,” Del Toro said.
No other services, including the Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps, marked Pride Month with a special graphic or tweeted support.
In 2022, the Marine Corps faced backlash after tweeting a graphic of a helmet with rainbow bullets wrapped around it.
But this year, the service tweeted about PTSD awareness instead.
The Coast Guard, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, tweeted a graphic and tweet in support of Pride Month.
Last month, the Navy came under fire for recruiting an active-duty “non-binary” sailor and drag queen named “Harpy Daniels” as one of its first five Navy Digital Ambassadors.
READ: Navy SEAL Rages at U.S Navy Using Drag Queen to Recruit: “China Is Going to Destroy Us”
