Trump Administration Says No Pride Flags, US Embassies Do It Anyway
First thing’s first: Happy Pride Month! For all my LGBTQIA friends out there, you are incredibly brave in this world full of ignorance and you deserve to be recognized, so enjoy this month and fly your pride flag high!
Speaking of pride flags: this June marks the first year that any US government building has flown a pride flag underneath the American flag. Not one but two government buildings in Springfield, Illinois paved the way for other states such as California, Colorado, and Wisconsin to raise their own flags in salute.
via NBC News
While this is a major step forward in equality for the LGBTQIA community, disappointing news followed not too far behind. President Trump tweeted on May 31st: “As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation, 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. My Administration has a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality and invite all nations to join us in this effort!” Immediately following this positive message, his administration denied requests from US embassies in at least ten other countries to fly their pride flags on the same flagpole as the American flag.
Several government officials, including Vice President Mike Pence and State Department Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus, back the decision, but many of those US embassies have gotten a little creative in order to show their support. South Korea, Mongolia, Israel, Turkey, Norway, India, and Austria simply pinned a pride flag to the facade of the building instead of flying it on a traditional flagpole. Chile and New Delhi, India displayed rainbow lights on the facade of their buildings and Nepal took a colorful group photo and displayed it proudly on social media.
So far, there hasn’t been a lot of backlash or criticism from the Trump Administration, but we’re all huge fans of the support. This just goes to show that no matter who tries to shut you down, you can always find ways to express yourself. Fly those pride flag high, babes.
I got my information from Bustle, The Guardian, and CNN.
Cover image via NBC News