Photo of pride flag at Marine Corps memorial is doctored
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on June 21, 2023 at 16:12
- Updated on June 23, 2023 at 18:39
- 2 min read
- By Natalie WADE, AFP USA
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"How does this make you feel?" says a June 13, 2023 tweet sharing the picture.
Located in Arlington, Virginia, the bronze statue is based on a photo of six Marines raising the American flag on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II. But in the picture shared online, the banner appears to have been swapped with a rainbow flag.
"Way over the top! Insulting to our nation," one Twitter user replied.
Similar posts have circulated on Facebook. They come amid surges in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and disinformation during pride month in June.
Claims about a rainbow flag at the Marine Corps War Memorial are similarly false.
A reverse image search indicates the Babylon Bee, which describes itself as the "world's best satire site," originally published the picture in a June 13, 2023 article titled "Biden Updates Iwo Jima Memorial With Pride Flag."
"At publishing time, updates to the memorial had been scheduled to be completed before the end of the month, with recording artist Lizzo tapped to host the rededication ceremony," the story says.
AFP found no evidence of such an announcement from the White House.
Another reverse image search surfaced the original picture of the statue on several stock image websites (archived here and here). The captions indicate it was taken on March 21, 2015.
Unlike the altered version shared online, the photo shows an American flag.
"The American flag has not been replaced with a pride flag," a National Park Service spokesperson confirmed in a June 21 email to AFP.
More of AFP's reporting on LGBTQ-related misinformation is available here.
June 23, 2023 This article was updated in the 12th paragraph to include a statement from the National Park Service.
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