Biden's Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will allow embassies to fly the Pride flag on the same pole as the US flag
President Joe Biden's administration will allow US embassies around the world to fly the gay Pride flag on the same flagpole as the American flag, reversing a Trump-era policy.
In 2019, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blocked embassy requests to fly the symbol of support for LBGTQ people on the same pole as the Stars and Stripes.
But now Biden's Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has given approval to fly the flag at diplomatic outposts around the world, according to a confidential cable reviewed by Foreign Policy magazine.
The move comes before May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, and before June, which many nations recognize as Gay Pride month.
Blinken's cable says the chiefs of mission who run the embassies and consulates can choose whether to fly the Pride flag or showcase other symbols of support for LGBTQ rights based on what is 'appropriate in light of local conditions.'
President Joe Biden's administration will allow US embassies around the world to fly the gay Pride flag on the same flagpole as the American flag, reversing a Trump-era policy - above the US national flag and an LGBT pride flag on the front facade of the US Embassy in Moscow
President Joe Biden has vowed to fight for LGBTQ rights; Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sent a cable to diplomatic outposts around the world giving them blanket permission to fly the flag
Embassies are required to get permission from the State Department when flying anything besides the American flag on their main flagpoles. Blinken's cable gives them carte blanche to fly the pride flag.
In February, Biden issued a presidential memorandum aimed at expanding protection of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer and intersex (LGBTQI) people worldwide.
The memo directed U.S. agencies working abroad to work harder to combat the criminalization of LGBTQ people by foreign governments and ordered the State Department to include anti-LGBTQ violence, discrimination and laws in its annual human rights report.
Blinken, however, has yet to name a State Department special envoy for LGBTQ rights, a post that was left vacant for much of the Trump administration.
At least 69 countries around the world have laws that criminalize same-sex relations, according to Human Rights Watch.
Blinken's cable also noted that in some countries, a U.S. embassy flying the Pride flag, or discussing legalizing or decriminalizing same-sex relationships, could do more harm than good, causing a backlash, Foreign Policy magazine noted.
'Posts should support efforts to repeal [criminalization] legislation, while ensuring that 'do no harm' remains our overarching principle so U.S. efforts do not inadvertently result in backlash or further marginalization of the LGBTQI+ community,' the cable read.
Flying the Pride flag - with its distinctive rainbow stripes - became an issue during the Trump era, when diplomatic outposts were told they could not fly it with the American flag but could display it elsewhere; Above - Black Lives Matter banner, a United States national flag and a rainbow flag are hung on the facade of the US embassy building in Seoul
Flying the Pride flag - with its distinctive rainbow stripes - became an issue during the Trump era, when diplomatic outposts were told they could not do so but were allowed to display Pride symbols elsewhere in embassies.
Several embassies simply hung the flag on the building's facade to show support for LGBTQ rights.
Then Vice President Mike Pence defended the move in an June 2019 interview with NBC News, saying 'when it comes to the American flagpole, and American embassies, and capitals around the world, one American flag flies.'
Under the Obama administration, embassies were given permission to fly the flag.
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