Iraq: Green Zone turns pink for the night.

And it ain't for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, either.  (Can you imagine the kerfuffle that would have resulted if this had occurred on George W Bush's watch?)

A Gay Pride party at the Baghdad Embassy.

Change has certainly come to Baghdad. And it appears that includes the U.S. Embassy, where they are holding what the invitation says is the first-ever U.S. Embassy Gay Pride Theme Party next Friday at Baghdaddy's, which is the embassy employee association's pub.

"Come celebrate the start of Summer with color . . . and in costume!" the May 10 invitation says. "Dress in drag or as a gay icon. All are welcome." The invitation was attached to what was called an "All Hands Alerts" e-mail.

An embassy spokesman said by way of explanation: "This is an event organized and sponsored by a group of employees. Given the lack of places to meet in Baghdad, the embassy allows groups to use its social facilities for events on a first-come, first-served basis."

The invitation says, "Prizes will be awarded for two contests: Best Dressed Gay Icon and Best Lip Synch Performance." Unclear what the prizes are, but don't forget to "order costume supplies now in time for May 29th," we're told. "For more info and costume ideas, check out the next edition of The Tigris Times.

And they think that the mere presence of Gitmo recruits terrorists.

Comments

[adagioforstrings]

The double standard between accepted behavior for members of the State vs Defense Departments annoys some active duty military personnel:

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2009/05/ah-diplomacy.html

[Dinah Lord]

Thanks adagioforstrings. I love Blackfive but hadn't seen this post. The comments there are very interesting and very on point. (Plus wicked funny.)

This whole thing annoys me, too, and after reading this comment from TSO, I was really ticked:

"Same shit in Kabul with regard to the Pub. State Dept and DynCorps had a bar set up on the grounds of Karzai's Palace, but as an army guy assigned as an augmentee, I could only sit there and watch them imbibe."

And then the comment blithely excusing it as a THEME party? Dear me, I saw red.

[adagioforstrings]

Atlas points out on her thread on this subject the hypocrisy of Americans not being allowed to own Bibles in Muslim countries, as well as rather graphically pointing out that gay people risk being killed in neighboring cuontries just for being gay.

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2009/05/state-department-hosts-gay-party-what-follows-public-hanging-party.html