Fact Check: Rumor Claims FBI Deleted Pride Month Post That Said, 'We Know That Diversity Makes Us Stronger.' Here's the Truth

Claim:

The official FBI account on X deleted a June 2024 post celebrating Pride Month and diversity.

Rating:

Context:

The official FBI account on X (@FBI) posted the same message at least twice and deleted only one of the posts. One version from June 3, 2024, remained visible and available to users as of this writing. Further, the FBI's Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as official social media accounts for local FBI offices, all still featured the same message of support for Pride Month in multiple individual posts. Some social media users falsely implied that the agency was forced to delete the Pride Month post because of its content.

On June 3, 2024, X user Alex Rosen (@iFightForKids) claimed in a post that the official FBI account on X (@FBI) deleted their message celebrating Pride Month. Rosen wrote alongside laughing-with-tears emojis, "The @FBI just deleted their pride post."

An account named The Quartering (@TheQuartering) – which falsely claimed in October 2023 they "busted" CNN journalist Clarissa Ward for "faking [an] attack in Israel" – also promoted Rosen's post, writing, "The FBI got bullied into deleting their Pride post. This is the way."

However, the truth of the matter was the FBI deleted one version of the post but a duplicate still existed on the account as of June 4. We confirmed this fact by searching X for the word "diversity" – which appears in the post – with "@FBI" (both without quotes), sorting by the latest posts and then scrolling down to the middle of the day in the U.S. on June 3. Search results showed several users responding to the deleted version of the post.

This post still available on the @FBI X account was a duplicate of the deleted post.

The FBI social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram also host the same Pride Month message, which includes a brief, colorful video. (Readers may need to open the Facebook website or app to play the video.)

https://www.facebook.com/FBI/videos/478334231273292/

Further, multiple local FBI offices with their own Facebook and X accounts posted the same celebratory message. Those messages are visible and available to users on the accounts for the FBI offices in New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Pittsburgh, Houston, Detroit and others.

https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkFBI/posts/pfbid0HdUZTGRKomAsRnqFxqzxo355gJHZ65BM9bgia1G6Kqo6v3PY34tb9G7K2Sg3x7zYl

The message across all of the FBI accounts participating in the celebration read, "At the #FBI, we know that diversity makes us stronger. During #PrideMonth, the FBI celebrates our #LGBTQIA+ colleagues' contributions to our country and our mission. Learn more about the Bureau's diversity and inclusion initiatives: https://fbi.gov/about/diversity-and-inclusion #PRIDE."

A search of the FBI.gov website also found a May 30 bulletin from the bureau's Detroit office advising of safety resources during Pride Month, saying in part, "The FBI's mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States; this responsibility includes safeguarding against hate crimes and violence. We are asking for your help in reporting any suspicious activities or threats to law enforcement and/or the FBI."

Sources:

"Diversity and Inclusion at the FBI." FBI.gov, https://www.fbi.gov/about/diversity-and-inclusion.

"FBI Brings Awareness to Safety Resources During Pride Month." FBI.gov, FBI Detroit Media Team, 30 May 2024, https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/detroit/news/fbi-brings-awareness-to-safety-resources-during-pride-month.

Liles, Jordan. "CNN's Clarissa Ward Was Not Caught 'Faking' an Attack Near the Israel-Gaza Border." Snopes, 12 Oct. 2023, https://www.snopes.com//news/2023/10/11/cnn-faking-attack-israel/.