The CIA received swift backlash on Twitter Thursday from users who mocked its post celebrating Pride month and the agency’s “rich history” of LGBTQ officers.
The US intelligence agency’s tweet included a strange graphic with the words CIA and PRIDE combined — and announced that its theme for Pride month would be “WELCO-ME!,” which represents “Wellness, Equity, LGBTQ+, Community, Openness and ME!”
“Pride Month is an occasion for all of us at the Agency to pay tribute to the rich history, community, and mission contributions of our LGBTQ+ officers,” the CIA tweeted on Wednesday.
The post was widely mocked online, from those who accused the spy shop of going “woke” to those who pointed out that the “rich history” between the CIA and LGBTQ community involved decades of homophobia.
Twitter boss Elon Musk was among those taking jabs at the government agency, writing: “I thought the CIA liked being the closet lol.”
Many followed suit, with one user writing: “If there’s one thing the CIA is known for it’s the agencies commitment to openness.”
US Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) simply wrote:”Can’t believe this is real,” while another Twitter user mockingly asked, “When Did the CIA care about Openness?”
Reporter Chuck Ross, of the Washington Free Beacon, accused the CIA of hypocrisy, pointing to its 1980 memo titled “Homosexual Investigations.”
The controversial memo outlined how CIA agents could find it difficult to identify queer individuals who were in the closet, likening them to undercover communists with mental problems.
The memo instructs agents that “one of the most common mistakes made by an average person is the conviction that he can recognize a homosexual on sight. This is similar to recognizing a Communist.
“The subject has a mental or emotional problem rather than a physical one. There is no way to spot a homosexual,” the memo read.
Despite stirring outrage and mockery with its latest post, the CIA has made similar calls for LGBTQ acceptance in previous years.
The agency notably ramped up its efforts to diversify in 2012, launching new programs to attract members of the LGBTQ community.
The CIA did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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