In the forthcoming weeks, U.S. Air Force bases in Virginia and Texas have made preparations to host a series of on-base events with an LGBT focus as part of the commemoration of “pride month.”
According to Air Force Maj. Carrie Volpe, Joint Base Langley-Eustis’ (JBLE) chief of public affairs, the Virginia installation is set to host its second annual “Diversity Equity Inclusion & Accessibility Festival” on June 30.
The event will feature a “Pride informational booth” along with various exhibits representing diverse groups. Additionally, JBLE’s website outlines a range of additional activities in celebration of “rainbow” month. These include a 5K Rainbow Run on June 15, as well as a Pride Month Paint n’ Sip and an LGBTQ Panel scheduled for June 23.
The Breaking Barriers Alliance (BBA), an initiative at JBLE, is taking the lead in organizing all of these events. Volpe explained that the alliance aims to foster diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) through these initiatives.
Volpe stated that the primary goal of the BBA is to cultivate an organizational culture that fosters a diverse and inclusive environment. The alliance aims to promote open dialogue, acknowledge and embrace differences and enhance mission performance within the organization.
Programs focusing on DEI have been criticized for promoting a divisive and contentious ideology that overlooks merit-based qualifications and instead uses characteristics such as skin color and sex as criteria for discrimination.
This viewpoint argues that individuals who are highly qualified for a particular position may be disregarded if they do not fulfill the desired diversity criteria, thereby favoring those who align with the specific checkboxes determined by left-leaning perspectives.
Aside from JBLE, Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas is also making arrangements to host a pride parade. Air Force Technical Sergeant Dustin Mullen stated that a team of volunteers, operating under Laughlin’s DEI Committee, is actively working on scheduling the event for Laughlin airmen. However, the approval process for the parade is currently underway, and no specific details regarding the time, date or route have been confirmed yet.
A pride parade at an Air Force base? https://t.co/velNmllh4r
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 14, 2023
Mullen emphasized that the event would not be funded by taxpayer dollars and would instead rely on donations, with volunteers offering their assistance to make it possible.
According to The Federalist, it was discovered that Air Force and Space Force commanders were granted permission to utilize taxpayer funds to cover travel expenses for service members interested in attending “pride” events held in Washington, D.C. last week.
