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REP LIEU STATEMENT ON DEFENSE DEPARTMENT BAN ON CONFEDERATE FLAGS

July 17, 2020

WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued the following statement after the Department of Defense announced that confederate flags were prohibited on military sites. In June, Veteran Reps. Lieu, Ruben Gallego and Anthony Brown urged Defense Secretary Esper to ban depictions of the Confederate flag in all public and work spaces at all military installations.

"I'm pleased the Department of Defense supports our calls to ban the confederate flag at military installations, and that Secretary Esper has taken action. The military needs an inclusive environment free of racism and extremism in order to execute its core values and keep Americans safe. Diversity is our country's greatest asset - and that is especially true among our armed forces. I applaud Secretary Esper's decision to ban hateful symbols of intolerance. I am, however, concerned that this policy also bans rainbow flags, which are a celebration of the LGBTQ community. Our military should be able to make a distinction between symbols of oppression and hate, and symbols of inclusivity and pride."

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