Trump admin says pride flags can't fly above U.S. embassies, sending a clear message to the world
From NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-admin-says-pride-flags-can-t-fly-above-u-ncna1015856
U.S. embassies and consulates around the world arent allowed to raise LGBTQ pride flags on their flagpoles this month, the result of a policy change from the Trump administration. This decision, while perhaps not surprising given Secretary of State Mike Pompeos stance on LGBTQ equality, sends exactly the wrong message about America at a time when the world is already questioning our moral and political leadership.
In countries struggling with discrimination and oppression, a U.S. embassy is seen as a beacon not of perfection, but of the continuing fight toward greater equality and opportunity. That shouldn't stop in June, when countries around the world come together to celebrate the LGBTQ community and remember the advocates who fought and continue to fight for equality. Prior to joining NBC, I was a civil servant at the State Department and in 2016, when posted in Frankfurt, Germany, I was responsible for raising the pride flag in front of the consulate during Pride Month.
In other words, when an embassy makes the decision to raise the pride flag, its because the diplomats posted there believe doing so could have a genuine impact on the LGBTQ dialogue in their host country. The opposite is also true: A decision to stop flying the flag, after years of doing so, sends a clear and troubling signal to local communities. I trust our diplomats to know whats best. And I would hope State Department officials in Washington would allow them to do their jobs.
And of course Pence is vocally on-side with it:
Pence calls US ban on flying LGBTQ flags from embassies 'the right decision'