GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel faces backlash from both sides after celebrating Pride Month

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Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel faced a wave of backlash after a tweet celebrating Pride Month.

"Happy #PrideMonth!" she tweeted last week. "@GOP is proud to have doubled our LGBTQ support over the last 4 years, and we will continue to grow our big tent by supporting measures that promote fairness and balance protections for LGBTQ Americans and those with deeply held religious beliefs."

McDaniel's tweet provoked backlash from both sides with liberals suggesting she was inauthentic and conservatives warning about the consequences of her advocacy. The controversy comes amid a raging debate about how gender and sexuality have impacted female athletics, marriage and other issues. The GOP's 2016 platform, which was readopted in 2020, condemns more liberal Supreme Court decisions as an activist judiciary attacking marriage.

"Traditional marriage and family, based on marriage between one man and one woman, is the foundation for a free society and has for millennia been entrusted with rearing children and instilling cultural values," it reads. It also endorses the First Amendment Defense Act, which would effectively protect faith-based adoption agencies from mandates to serve same-sex couples.

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In response to McDaniel, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins tweeted: "Sounds good in a tweet, but the reality is religious freedom is being endangered by those demanding forced acceptance of the LGBTQ agenda from the elementary classroom to the corporate board room and everything in between. There can be no compromise on our First Freedom."

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"Stop," said Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers, a Republican. "We don't want men to play on girls' sports teams and castration of children. Ronna needs to adjust this horrible wrong-headed messaging or resign."

From the left, Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride, a Democrat, tweeted: "Aren’t they supposed to be the 'wOrDs HaVe MeAnInG' party?"

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's partner, Chasten, took aim at the second part of McDaniel's tweet.

"Those with ‘deeply held religious beliefs’ are often the parents who force their LGBTQ children out of the home and onto the street," he said.

"I've met with those kids. 40% of homeless youth in this country are LGBTQ. Re-visit your party's platform before you open your mouth about #pride."

In response to the backlash, an RNC national spokesperson told Fox News: "As President Trump showed, the Republican Party promotes freedom and opportunity for all Americans. While Democrats are increasingly embracing divisive litmus tests, we will continue to fight for our principles and show there is room in our party for everyone."

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He also touted himself as the "most pro-gay president ever," retweeting a video with Richard Grenell, one of his former ambassadors, making that claim.

President Trump previously recognized Pride Month and pushed to decriminalize homosexual acts around the world. In 2019, he said: "Let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation."