The U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina, has doubled down on supporting the LGBTQ community after homophobic comments were made under a Facebook post recognizing and honoring the contributions of LGBTQ members of the Marine Corps.
The Facebook post was uploaded on the first day of Pride Month and shows an image of a helmet with six rainbow-colored bullets with the words “Proud to serve” written on the side. The caption under the post recognized June as Pride Month, praised the contributions of LGBTQ service members and pledged to foster “an environment free from discrimination, and defend the values of treating all equally, with dignity and respect” within the Marine Corps.
This did not sit well with some people, who left homophobic comments under the initial post.
But Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Yarbrough, head of communication strategy and operations for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, responded to each of those negative comments.
“This is a sad day,” one commenter wrote. “Whoever is behind this is a disgrace and should be court marshaled!” (sic)
“We should court martial people who respect the service of all our service members?” Yarborough replied. “The freedoms you enjoy are currently protected by those serving in the ranks, which includes LGBTQ. You are welcome for their service.”
“Why is the Marine corps singling out any particular group? While claiming all inclusiveness the Corps is choosing only some groups for identification. If truly all inclusive show there is no discrimination against anyone, period. No exclusion for identification for anyone. We are all Marines. Do your job well and leave it at that!” wrote a second poster.
“In the Marine Corps, we treat everyone equally. Field days, working paries, and weekend duties have no room for discrimination,” Yarbrough responded.
Other officers on Facebook replied to other negative comments, assisting Yarbrough by calling people out on their homophobia.
“My Marine Corps has gone woke,” a local Republican Party account tweeted.
“If by ‘woke’ you mean showing appreciation to a group who has made major contributions to the U.S. Military….then yes.” Master sergeant Rick Mistic wrote. “Have a meritorious day!”
A TikTok user, Ellie Rowan, posted a short video that went viral informing people about the ongoing Facebook debate. In response, users flooded the page, leaving a slew of supportive comments, with over 2,000 people “liking” the post.
“CWO Bobby Yarbrough should get a medal every June,” one commenter left on Rowan’s Tiktok post.
While LGBTQ people have served in the military since time immemorial, it’s only been in recent years that they could serve openly. Starting in 1993, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” act struck down the prohibition on gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals, but placed restrictions on their service by requiring them to “closet” their identities. From 1993 until 2010, when the policy was repealed, more than 100,000 service members – including many outed against their will – were relieved from duty.
Following the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, LGB service members were able to serve, but transgender individuals were prohibited from disclosing their identities until President Joe Biden repealed a Trump-era prohibition that required them to forego transitioning while enlisted. Now, any person, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, is free to serve in the various branches of the military.
Republicans in nine states are calling for the overturn of marriage equality.
In Idaho, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, lawmakers have introduced resolutions demanding the U.S. Supreme Court reverse its landmark 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the court struck down all existing state-level same-sex marriage bans.
Last month, the Idaho House of Representatives voted 46-24 to approve one such resolution, asking the nation's highest court to "restore the natural definition of marriage, a union of one man and one woman."
While the resolution is non-binding and doesn't require the Supreme Court to take action, Republican lawmakers see it as a "messaging" bill that expresses their extreme displeasure with same-sex marriage.
President Donald Trump used his address to Congress on Tuesday, March 4, to attack transgender individuals, calling transgender identity a "lie" and railing against transgender athletes, gender-affirming care, and trans visibility in the military and more broadly within society.
At one point during the speech, Trump switched from speaking about a child who was diagnosed with cancer to claim his administration was protecting children from "toxic ideologies" in schools.
He brought up the story of January Littlejohn, a Florida anti-transgender activist who sued the Leon County School District in Tallahassee, Flordia, in 2021, alleging that her child's school had discussed restrooms and name change requests with the child, assisting her in "socially transitioning" without informing Littlejohn or her husband of their efforts.
Two college students in Indonesia have been sentenced to be publicly caned for engaging in same-sex relations.
The couple, aged 24 and 18, were arrested on November 7, 2024, after neighborhood vigilantes in the city of Banda Aceh, who suspected them of being gay, broke into their rented room to find them naked and hugging each other.
The lead judge, Sakwanah, said that the two students were "legally and convincingly" proven to have had gay sex -- which is forbidden under Sharia law -- and would thus be caned, receiving 85 and 80 lashes, respectively.
"During the trial it was proven that the defendants committed illicit acts, including kissing and having sex," she said. "As Muslims, the defendants should uphold the Sharia law that prevails in Aceh."
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The U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina, has doubled down on supporting the LGBTQ community after homophobic comments were made under a Facebook post recognizing and honoring the contributions of LGBTQ members of the Marine Corps.
The Facebook post was uploaded on the first day of Pride Month and shows an image of a helmet with six rainbow-colored bullets with the words “Proud to serve” written on the side. The caption under the post recognized June as Pride Month, praised the contributions of LGBTQ service members and pledged to foster “an environment free from discrimination, and defend the values of treating all equally, with dignity and respect” within the Marine Corps.
This did not sit well with some people, who left homophobic comments under the initial post.
But Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Yarbrough, head of communication strategy and operations for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, responded to each of those negative comments.
“This is a sad day,” one commenter wrote. “Whoever is behind this is a disgrace and should be court marshaled!” (sic)
“We should court martial people who respect the service of all our service members?” Yarborough replied. “The freedoms you enjoy are currently protected by those serving in the ranks, which includes LGBTQ. You are welcome for their service.”
“Why is the Marine corps singling out any particular group? While claiming all inclusiveness the Corps is choosing only some groups for identification. If truly all inclusive show there is no discrimination against anyone, period. No exclusion for identification for anyone. We are all Marines. Do your job well and leave it at that!” wrote a second poster.
“In the Marine Corps, we treat everyone equally. Field days, working paries, and weekend duties have no room for discrimination,” Yarbrough responded.
Other officers on Facebook replied to other negative comments, assisting Yarbrough by calling people out on their homophobia.
“My Marine Corps has gone woke,” a local Republican Party account tweeted.
“If by ‘woke’ you mean showing appreciation to a group who has made major contributions to the U.S. Military….then yes.” Master sergeant Rick Mistic wrote. “Have a meritorious day!”
A TikTok user, Ellie Rowan, posted a short video that went viral informing people about the ongoing Facebook debate. In response, users flooded the page, leaving a slew of supportive comments, with over 2,000 people “liking” the post.
“CWO Bobby Yarbrough should get a medal every June,” one commenter left on Rowan’s Tiktok post.
While LGBTQ people have served in the military since time immemorial, it’s only been in recent years that they could serve openly. Starting in 1993, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” act struck down the prohibition on gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals, but placed restrictions on their service by requiring them to “closet” their identities. From 1993 until 2010, when the policy was repealed, more than 100,000 service members – including many outed against their will – were relieved from duty.
Following the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, LGB service members were able to serve, but transgender individuals were prohibited from disclosing their identities until President Joe Biden repealed a Trump-era prohibition that required them to forego transitioning while enlisted. Now, any person, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, is free to serve in the various branches of the military.
As Yarbrough told one commenter who thanked him for honoring all Marines, regardless of their identities: “We take pride in all who serve.”
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