Rose Montoya was criticized for flashing her breasts during the White House Pride event, while the White House was criticized for allegedly violating the US Flag Code.
Rose Montoya, a 27-year-old trans activist, has sparked outrage after she bared her breasts at the White House Pride Party over the weekend.
She released a video on Twitter where she flashed her breasts alongside other trans individuals. It also featured her having a video selfie with US President Joe Biden. "I had the honor of attending White House Pride, the largest one in history where the pride flag flew for the first time," the caption stated.
During her encounter with Biden, she also said, "[t]rans rights are human rights."
Meanwhile, Biden addressed the crowd, saying the event was a message to the LGBT+ community, especially transgender children. "You are loved, you are heard, you're understood, and you belong," he said.
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Conservative Backlash
However, conservatives condemned the event and even compared it to the alleged sexually-explicit files found on the laptop of Biden's son Hunter.
"This is the White House, not a hookers-n-blow photo from Hunter's laptop," radio host Dana Loesch said. "[I]t was the Pride party on the White House lawn two days ago hosted by Joe. They also didn't hang the American flag right according to code." Loesch was referring to the US Flag code, in which it was stipulated that the American flag should be placed in the center of any display featuring multiple national flags or pennants.
Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik also questioned why the event, which he called a "deviant garbage," "go on right outside the [O]val [O]ffice." "We know it's not Joe Biden - this dude has no idea where he is," he added. "So who is it? Who is the cause of this international embarrassment?"
Newsmax host Rob Schmitt described the act as 'pitiful,' while Dear America podcast presenter Graham Allen called the LGBT+ community "a cult and a disgrace" to the United States.
Meanwhile, Montoya defended herself for her actions, explaining the legality of being topless in Washington, DC. "[G]oing topless in Washington, DC is legal and I fully support the movement in freeing the nipple," she explained. "[B]ecause why is my chest now deemed inappropriate or illegal when I show it off, however before coming out as trans it was not?"
Veterans' Reactions
Aside from conservatives, military veterans also question the display of the Pride flag, which was placed at the center of the display. According to the US Flag Code, the US flag "should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of States or localities or pennants of societies are grouped and displayed from staffs."
Marine veteran Chad Robichaux, who served during the Fall of Kabul, told the New York Post the White House knows the display was a violation of the Flag Code. "They do, they just don't care," he said. "If every group could understand what the American flag truly represents, it would not be a divisive thing."
Related Article: Biden Slammed for US Flag Code Violation After Pride Month Display at the White House
