(USNewsMag.com) – After noticing the American flags at the entrance of Biloxi National Cemetery had been replaced with rainbow LGBTQ+ flags over Memorial Day weekend, some Mississippi residents began calling for the reinstatement of the American flag.
After Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, authorized the flying of the rainbow LGBTQ+ flags above VA facilities, the American flags flying over the Biloxi National Cemetery as well as the VA Medical Center were replaced for Pride Month. McDonough authorized the flying of the flag for up to 30 days.
Biloxi VA spokesperson Shaun Shenk stated the flag was not only designed by an Army veteran, Gilbert Baker, but that it is a symbol of inclusion.
This has Republicans in the Mississippi state Senate, who say the move is disrespectful to veterans, calling for its removal. On June 5, Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Sen. Roger Wicker, as well as Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, Rep. Mike Ezell, Rep. Trent Kelly and Rep. Michael Guest, sent a letter to McDonough demanding he take action.
In the letter they wrote that replacing the flag with one promoting gender identity “goes against the very mission of our national cemeteries.”
In a Facebook post by one Mississippi resident, Carl Boynton, he stated that the American flag represents everyone, and he questioned why it would be taken down.
A protest outside Biloxi National Cemetery was held by some residents upset with the disrespect being given to veterans. A second protest had been scheduled for June 9.
In a statement, Veterans Affairs press secretary Terrence Hayes said that flying the flag shows the “VA’s commitment to inclusion” as well as a way to honor “LGBTQ+ Veterans” as well as their families.
Just how many cemeteries and VA facilities are flying the flag instead of the American flag remains unclear. According to VA estimates there are more than 1 million LGBTQ+ veterans in the U.S.
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