“This was a mistake. Take it down”: United States Department of Education garners backlash from netizens for Pride month tweet

On Thursday, June 1, the official Twitter handle of the United States Department of Education put out a tweet with an attached picture that stated, &quot;HAPPY PRIDE MONTH,&quot; surrounded by rainbow-colored graphics, including a rainbow heart, which has seemingly not gone well with a particular section of internet users. The tweet, which is on the receiving end of major internet backlash, has gone on to amass over 2 million views. It was accompanied by a caption that read:&quot;Everyone in the school community should feel valued for who they are &amp; free to be their authentic self&quot;.U.S. Department of Education@usedgovEveryone in the school community should feel valued for who they are &amp; free to be their authentic self. Our message to LGBTQI+ students, teachers, and staff as we begin #PrideMonth: ED has got your back.1374447Everyone in the school community should feel valued for who they are &amp; free to be their authentic self. Our message to LGBTQI+ students, teachers, and staff as we begin #PrideMonth: ED has got your back. https://t.co/s2ni1C1MzUIt concluded with a Pride Month message to LGBTQI+ students, teachers, and staff, stating that the &quot;ED has got your back&quot;. The account, which has over 1.5 million followers, also changed its profile picture to a rainbow-themed one.The tweet did not sit well with many netizens at all, as they took to social media to berate the education department by calling them out for allegedly s*xualizing kids and not focusing enough on education.The (W)hole Truth+@zwholetruth@usedgov This was a mistake. Take it down.123@usedgov This was a mistake. Take it down.United States Education Department labeled &quot;groomers&quot; in light of recent Pride Month tweetThe US Education Department's recent tweet dedicated to Pride Month brought in a barrage of heavy backlash. The most prominent responses under the comments section all talked about how children didn't require a s*xual identity as they were just kids. Several netizens also labeled the Department of Education as &quot;groomers&quot;.A few users questioned what any of this had to do with, &quot;reading, writing &amp; arithmetic.&quot; Some even wanted to either abolish the United States Department of Education or defund it. Former The Bachelor contestant Jillian Anderson lambasted the department for promoting sin.Twitter users asked the Education Department to leave kids alone (Image via Twitter)Twitter users asked the Education Department to leave kids alone (Image via Twitter)Jillian Anderson@Jillie_AlexisWe took Bibles out of schools to push gender ideology and promote sin on our children while actual education for things like reading and math sit on the back burner… and America is flipping the bill for it all!!! twitter.com/usedgov/status…U.S. Department of Education@usedgovEveryone in the school community should feel valued for who they are &amp; free to be their authentic self. Our message to LGBTQI+ students, teachers, and staff as we begin #PrideMonth: ED has got your back.4916Everyone in the school community should feel valued for who they are &amp; free to be their authentic self. Our message to LGBTQI+ students, teachers, and staff as we begin #PrideMonth: ED has got your back. https://t.co/s2ni1C1MzUWe took Bibles out of schools to push gender ideology and promote sin on our children while actual education for things like reading and math sit on the back burner… and America is flipping the bill for it all!!! twitter.com/usedgov/status…Sue Just Trying To Matter in Makeup/Faded Blujeans@MakeupFaded@usedgov School is for learning reading, writing &amp; arithmetic.Until you're 18 - you are who your parents made you.161@usedgov School is for learning reading, writing &amp; arithmetic.Until you're 18 - you are who your parents made you.Bellona@RomanGoddess72@usedgov Do you even promote academics anymore, or is it all about &quot;authentic selves&quot;?1016@usedgov Do you even promote academics anymore, or is it all about &quot;authentic selves&quot;?Jeremy Carl@jeremycarl4@usedgov Defund the Department of Education and give all of it's budget to school vouchers.1836@usedgov Defund the Department of Education and give all of it's budget to school vouchers.Scott Berry@JediBerry@usedgov This is just wrong. The unconstitutional ED should be abolished immediately.55@usedgov This is just wrong. The unconstitutional ED should be abolished immediately.T.J. Moe@TJMoe28@usedgov You people have no business teaching our kids. The entire department should be abolished.95019@usedgov You people have no business teaching our kids. The entire department should be abolished.Cyndereller☦️☮️🇺🇸@Cyndereller@usedgov Can’t wait til you’re abolished.32@usedgov Can’t wait til you’re abolished.Truth First@akestep2@usedgov This is offensive and is non inclusive of all beliefs &amp; faiths.2574@usedgov This is offensive and is non inclusive of all beliefs &amp; faiths.Abigail Marone 🇺🇸@abigailmarone@usedgov Everyone in the school community should feel valued for who they are &amp; free to be their authentic self**Unless you’re a christian or just refuse to feed into the delusion that a man can become a woman. Then we’ll attack you.39819@usedgov Everyone in the school community should feel valued for who they are &amp; free to be their authentic self**Unless you’re a christian or just refuse to feed into the delusion that a man can become a woman. Then we’ll attack you.Ryan English@gruevy@usedgov Their authentic selves are children of the living God, born to be made joint-heirs with Christ our Savior and partakers in Eternal Life28@usedgov Their authentic selves are children of the living God, born to be made joint-heirs with Christ our Savior and partakers in Eternal LifeJoshua Charles@JoshuaTCharles@usedgov You don’t believe that.Do a Christianity Appreciation Month extolling the virtues of the Christian religion, how it helped build western civilization, the United States, inspired many of our greatest statesmen, etc.I’ll wait.1036@usedgov You don’t believe that.Do a Christianity Appreciation Month extolling the virtues of the Christian religion, how it helped build western civilization, the United States, inspired many of our greatest statesmen, etc.I’ll wait.Five Times August@FiveTimesAugust@usedgov Thanks for the Homeschool Ad.113942@usedgov Thanks for the Homeschool Ad.T.J. Moe@TJMoe28@usedgov Get your kids out of public schools. This is state sponsored and endorsed depravity.81230@usedgov Get your kids out of public schools. This is state sponsored and endorsed depravity.often uncommon 👊@oftenuncommon@usedgov Acceptance and tolerance don't require celebration and promotion.1405@usedgov Acceptance and tolerance don't require celebration and promotion.Matt@Matticaut0@usedgov Also maybe tell them they don’t HAVE to base their entire identity on who they’re intimate with or join into some kind of treaty organization like NATO built for convenient vote organizing and marketing strategy7@usedgov Also maybe tell them they don’t HAVE to base their entire identity on who they’re intimate with or join into some kind of treaty organization like NATO built for convenient vote organizing and marketing strategyA lot of Twitterati cited the post as offensive and non-inclusive to their religion and belief. Some talked about how the Education Department was apparently attacking Christians.Users encouraged citizens to get their kids out of state-sponsored public schools and claimed that acceptance and tolerance did not require celebration. A few people thought that this was the best &quot;homeschool ad&quot; they'd ever seen.NEA@NEATodayEvery person deserves the right to live, work, and thrive no matter their gender identity. But some politicians are pushing laws that deny the basic rights and respect we all deserve. Sign the pledge to support #LGBTQ+ students &amp; educators: bit.ly/3oFJQkM #PrideMonth307110Every person deserves the right to live, work, and thrive no matter their gender identity. But some politicians are pushing laws that deny the basic rights and respect we all deserve. Sign the pledge to support #LGBTQ+ students &amp; educators: bit.ly/3oFJQkM #PrideMonth https://t.co/X69zDXcXpJLater in the day, the National Education Association, which is the largest education personnel labor union in the United States, also put out a Pride Month tweet, in support of LGBTQIA+ students and educators. The union's post also contained a link to sign a pledge to showcase user support for the LGBTQIA+ community.Lat year during Pride Month, the US Department of Education raised the Pride Unity Flag over its building for the very first time. Deputy Secretary of Education, Cindy Marten, said that the event was to ensure equity among every student in the nation.The flag was hoisted along with the United States flag, over the Lyndon B Johnson Building, in Washington DC.

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