On June 1, a viral post on X that was shared by Libs of TikTok, a right-wing, anti-LGBT social media account, claimed the U.S. Navy SEALs had “gone woke” for celebrating the beginning of LGBTQ+ Pride Month on Facebook.
The viral post included a screenshot of an image that includes the Naval Special Warfare Command logo and the words “Naval Special Warfare (NSW), dignity, service, respect, equality, and pride” in the same rainbow colors used for the pride flag.
The Naval Special Warfare Command oversees the nation’s elite maritime special operations force. It includes the U.S. Navy SEALs and the Special Warfare Combat Crewman (SWCC).
But some recent headlines and other people online questioned whether the post was actually real.
THE QUESTION
Is the Naval Special Warfare Command Pride Month Facebook post real?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
Yes, the Naval Special Warfare Command Pride Month Facebook post is real.
WHAT WE FOUND
The Naval Special Warfare Command did post a graphic in honor of Pride Month on its official Facebook page.
“The Naval Special Warfare Command post you referenced is a legitimate post from our official Facebook account,” an NWS Command spokesperson told VERIFY.
VERIFY found that the official NWS Command website links to the official Facebook page that posted the image referenced in the viral post. The Pride Month graphic was posted on June 1.
But the screenshot from the viral post appears to be slightly altered, showing the rainbow graphic was posted to a Facebook page called the Naval Special Warfare Command - Navy SEAL & SWCC Teams, which had 26,141 followers. We were unable to find an active Facebook account with that name.
However, we did find that the real NWS Command Facebook page has over 214,000 followers, and its name does not include the Navy SEAL & SWCC Teams. The Pride Month graphic was posted to NWS Command account.
The official U.S. Navy SEAL & SWCC Facebook page, which is separate from the NWS Command page, has over 1 million followers. The pride graphic was not posted on that page.
“There were not any posts or re-shares on the U.S. Navy SEAL & SWCC official Facebook page and/or other official social media accounts,” the NWS Command spokesperson said.
The VERIFY team works to separate fact from fiction so that you can understand what is true and false. Please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter, text alerts and our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Learn More »
