US embassies around globe fly pride flag despite Trump administration rejections

The tradition of flying the rainbow pride flag at U.S. embassies across the globe began during former President Barack Obama’s term; however, the Trump administration is rejecting requests from U.S. embassy offices across the globe to fly the pride flag.

Four U.S. embassy offices are defying the rejections by participating in pride month anyways. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence confirmed the rejection of the pride flag at four embassies in an interview with NBC’s White House correspondent Kristen Welker.

Pence stated, “it was the right decision” and followed with, “As the president said on the night we were elected, we're proud to be able to serve every American… We both feel that way very passionately, but when it comes to the American flagpole, and American embassies, and capitals around the world, one American flag flies.”.

As for the other embassies flying pride flags or other flags in other locations at U.S. embassies, Pence stated to CBS that the government has “put no restrictions” on this.

U.S. embassy offices in Seoul, South Korea, and Chennai, India, have raised rainbow pride flags on their flagpole in front of their office buildings.

Other U.S. embassy offices participated and showed their support for the LGBTQ+ community in other ways. According to the Washington Post, U.S. diplomats in Jerusalem, Israel, participated in a large pride march.

The ambassadors in New Delhi, India, lit up their building with rainbow colored lights. The embassy then made the photo of their building their banner photo on their official embassy Twitter page.

On May 17, ambassadors in Santiago, Chile, and Vienna, Austria, participated in the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia.

President Donald Trump made a public statement on Twitter honoring pride month, which has made him the first Republican president to publicly do so.

“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,” Trump wrote on twitter.

However, while Trump openly tweeted his wish to recognize the LGBTQ+ community, he has invoked a spectrum of responses some with support and others with disgust.

Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, bashed Trump’s support on Twitter. Griffin wrote, “You can't celebrate Pride and constantly undermine our rights -- including attacking #TransHealth, discharging #TransTroops, refusing to protect LGBTQ youth, and cozying up to dictators who brutalize & marginalize LGBTQ people. This is gross hypocrisy, with an emphasis on gross.”

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