June is upon us, and that means it’s time to be bombarded with cringe-worthy corporate messages and products for Pride Month.
On Wednesday, the Marines’ Twitter account got in on the action in a tweet writing, “Throughout June, the USMC takes [Pride] in recognizing and honoring the contributions of our LGBTQ service members.”
“We remain committed to fostering an environment free from discrimination, and defend the values of treating all equally, with dignity and respect,” it added.
The tweet included a graphic of a helmet with rainbow-colored bullets.
However, it did not go over well — and not just with conservatives either.
Even liberals took to Twitter to lambast the tweet.
China is going to steamroll us, aren't they?
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 1, 2022
Do we only shoot gay bullets now?
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) June 1, 2022
Seriously? How does fixating on differences foster cohesion and unity?
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) June 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1532013973544919041
https://twitter.com/imontheradio/status/1532063927403655169
Could you just kill our enemies, please? https://t.co/9FV1JjKzK4
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) June 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1532062030898745344
I'm sure innocent civilians in countries we terrorize will take comfort knowing they'll be murdered with rainbow bullets instead of regular ones. 🌈 https://t.co/gUVmyxBYYR
— Mike Figueredo 🇵🇸 (@HumanistReport) June 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/conservmillen/status/1532049740526927875
https://twitter.com/katrinabhaydon/status/1532043757306134530
I cannot believe this is real https://t.co/SfKQfwYgCX
— Katie Herzog (@kittypurrzog) June 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/1532040861630058496
I'm begging the brands to find a gay person to vet their pride month #content activations. I'm available on a pro bono basis to tell you not to queer the bullets. https://t.co/ZvlNWBEXeb
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) June 1, 2022
SLAY your enemies, queen. 🌈💅 https://t.co/dYBGEfnyOt
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 1, 2022
shooting & killing people with bullets but make it gay af https://t.co/2CxZecHbFK
— Billy Binion (@billybinion) June 1, 2022
Overheard at CCP HQ: "Forget about world domination, comrades. The Marines now have rainbow ammo." https://t.co/lg0EvVoHRs
— Monica Crowley (@MonicaCrowley) June 1, 2022
The job of the @usmc is to win wars. Full stop. Trying to make the Marines woke distracts from that mission.
— Dr. Rich McCormick for Congress (@RichforGA) June 1, 2022
When I was in the Marines we had one mantra that fostered an environment free from discrimination:
“We all wear green and we all bleed red”. That’s all we need. https://t.co/g4urZk8tlu
https://twitter.com/meyrude/status/1532062999238049792
Getting shot with gay bullets 💅 https://t.co/F7HKNIVQyL
— SuperMega (@SuperMegaShow) June 1, 2022
Obviously, one tweet does not mean that the Marines are focused on being “woke” instead of being an efficient fighting force — nor should people use it to draw those conclusions.
But there are some companies and institutions that just don’t need to join in the rush to send out colorful, cringe-worthy pride messages.
Even some members of the LGBTQ+ community are criticizing companies and institutions for sending out these pandering messages for what they feel is a lack of actual support for the community.
Given how well this tweet went, perhaps the Marines’ social media managers should stick to sharing messages that highlight its strength as a fighting force.