ABOVE: The Pentagon, photo public domain.
It’s another cancellation as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
For the first time since certification of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal allowed gay, lesbian and bisexual people to serve openly in the armed forces, the Pentagon won’t host a celebration recognizing June as Pride month.
A Pentagon spokesperson said in response to an inquiry from the Washington Blade on Pride month plans that the annual event was cancelled, and DOD Pride — the affinity group for LGBTQ service members and civilian Defense Department staffers — confirmed it was due to the coronavirus.
“Each year since the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ we’ve gathered in the Pentagon to celebrate and honor the contributions that LGBT service members and DOD civilians make to national security each and every day,” said Rudy Coots, president of DOD Pride. “That’s why we’re so disappointed that, due to COVID-19, we’ve had to cancel this year’s DOD LGBT Pride event.”
In years past, the annual event — which began in 2012 – allowed LGBTQ service members and Pentagon employees to gather to celebrate Pride and hear featured remarks from senior defense officials.
Speakers during the Obama years included former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and former Army Secretary Eric Fanning, the first openly gay person confirmed to that role. The events continued through the Trump administration, even though President Trump instituted a transgender military ban. Last year, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) spoke at the Pentagon Pride event and slammed Trump’s anti-trans policy.
The Pentagon didn’t respond to the Blade’s follow-up request to comment on whether senior defense leadership would issue a formal message recognizing June as Pride month. In 2017, Anthony Kurta, a senior defense official who was an Obama holdover, issued a Pride message, but that practice was scrapped thereafter under the Trump administration.
The cancellation of the Pentagon Pride event is but one example of Pride events intended for LGBTQ federal workers that appear to be either not happening amid the coronavirus crisis or are dramatically scaled back in favor of virtual events.
The State Department in coordination with GLIFAA, the LGBTQ affinity group for Foreign Service officers, also appears to be skipping an event. GLIFAA didn’t respond to repeated requests to comment and LGBTQ sources familiar with the State Department said they’re unaware of any plans in the works.
Annual Pride celebrations had taken place consistently over the years at the State Department, notably in 2010 when then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a speech and coined the phrase, “Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.”
Those events had continued each year at the State Department and throughout the first three years of the Trump administration. (Last year, however, officials distributed to employees a recycled Pride message from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo without even changing the date of the proclamation to the current year.)
A State Department spokesperson reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to protecting LGBTQ human rights across the globe when asked about plans for a Pride event, declining to respond when asked again in a follow-up email.
“The Department of State works tirelessly to protect and promote the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all human beings around the world, regardless of gender, religion or belief, national origin, sexual orientation, or economic circumstance,” the spokesperson said. “The United States firmly opposes abuses against LGBTI persons. Governments must ensure that all individuals can freely enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
The State Department spokesperson, however, affirmed U.S. posts overseas will recognize Pride month in accordance with the custom of their host countries.
“As we do each year, embassies and consulates around the world will celebrate Pride month in a variety of ways,” the spokesperson said. “Recognizing that each country context is different, embassies and consulates develop individual plans to raise awareness of violence and human rights abuses.”
Last year, U.S. embassies were under new guidance requiring them to fly on their official flagpoles only the American flag, effectively barring them from flying the Pride flag in the same prominent way they had been doing in previous years. The State Department didn’t respond to the Blade’s request to comment on whether that policy is still in effect or U.S. embassies will now be able to fly Pride flags on the official pole.
The Justice Department each year also has held major events celebrating Pride month, although during the Trump administration they have moved the event away from the Great Hall to another room in the building. DOJ Pride deferred comment over plans to celebrate Pride to the Justice Department, which didn’t respond to the Blade’s request for information.
