Employees at the Federal Bureau of Investigation are free to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month — but only away from the office and on their own time.
“There should be no official FBI actions, events, or messaging regarding Pride Month,” said an email sent Thursday by FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson to assistant directors in charge and special agents in charge. It was obtained and first reported by Fox News. Williamson said he had received numerous questions about Pride Month. He added that employees are free to observe Pride in their “personal capacity” or on their own time.
“But on FBI time, using FBI resources and your Bureau affiliation, you and your divisions are expected to take no official actions or issue any specific messaging,” he said. This “in no way lessens the FBI’s commitment to serve and protect every American in our country or welcoming colleagues from all walks of life,” he continued, but “what it does mean is ensuring that the American people see we are focused only on our core mission.”
This comes after Donald Trump ended all diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the federal government.
There were several Pride Month observances by the FBI under President Joe Biden. This included flying the Pride flag at its Washington, D.C., headquarters, and agent participation in Pride events. For instance, agents from the FBI field office in Kansas City, Missouri, took part in that city’s Pridefest in 2023, wearing rainbow-striped shirts.
“The FBI’s goal was simple: make sure everyone who attended the festival knew they could come to the Bureau to report hate crimes — whether they were a victim or a witness,” the bureau said in a 2023 press release about the Kansas City event. “The FBI also encouraged LGBTQIA+ community members to consider a job with the FBI. And the FBI wanted to foster a relationship between law enforcement and the community.”
The FBI did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News, and The Advocate could not reach the bureau’s national press office for comment.