The Defense Department has declined to send out an official memo recognizing Pride month. This absence of acknowledgment is an odd (but not unexpected) move for the American military in the era of Trump.
In 2011, President Obama rolled back the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, which had been implemented during the Clinton Administration. Every year since then, the Pentagon has noted the occasion with an official dispatch.
According to the Washington Post, “the memo is distributed as LGBT Pride Month begins each June, effectively endorsing the observance and encouraging personnel to hold local events.” It also puts “LGBT Pride Month on par with other special observances and heritage months.”
This is the second year of the Trump Administration, and the second year the White House has declined to recognize the LGBTQ event.
The current administration supports a ban on trans people serving in the military, despite the Pentagon’s lack of enthusiasm for the new policy.
According to Gay Star News, Pentagon spokeswoman Air Force Major Carla Gleason said “The Department of Defense supports diversity of all kinds across our military and we encourage everyone to celebrate the diversity of our total force team. . . . We value all members of the DOD total force and recognize their immense contributions to the mission.”