The Pentagon hasn’t officially acknowledged LGBT Pride Month celebrations for the first time since President Barack Obama repealed the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, The Washington Post reported.
The Pentagon didn’t issue a memo that’s been circulated every June since 2012 that puts Pride Month on par with other special observances and heritage months, the Post reported.
“It makes it known that there’s an authorization, that there’s support,” a former senior Obama administration official told the Post.
Still, the LGBT employee group at the Defense Department held an event Monday at the Pentagon — but no high-level department leaders made public remarks, another first since 2012, the Post reported.
Air Force Maj. Carla Gleason, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon, declined to speak with the Post about why there’s no observance memo this year.
“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,” she told the Post, adding: “We value all members of the DOD total force and recognize their immense contributions to the mission.”
President Donald Trump in March signed a memo banning most transgender troops from serving in the military, reversing a 2016 policy signed under Obama that allowed transgender troops to enlist, serve and seek medical treatment.
Last week, over 100 members of Congress urged Defense Secretary James Mattis to reverse Trump's policy.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.