It’s probably no surprise that the Trump administration has tried to stomp out LGBTQ representation yet again. On Friday, reports came from around the world that U.S. embassies were being denied requests to fly the pride flag from flagpoles. They’re permitted to hang them inside of the buildings, which means basically hiding them.
It’s June, which in some parts of the world, including the U.S., is LGBTQ Pride Month. NBC News reported that U.S. embassies in Germany, Latvia, Brazil, and Israel were denied their official requests to fly the pride flag. Mind you, when Barack Obama was president, flying the pride flag was permitted.
Which brings us to some good news: The Washington Post reports that some U.S. embassies are flying the pride flag anyway. Pictures of the flag hung over embassy and consulate buildings in many countries have been posted on social media, while in others, including Argentina and Chile, diplomatic staff put it up on their flag poles.
Here’s a video from the U.S. consulate in Chennai, India:
A tweet from Nepal:
And a tweet out of New Delhi:
Flags are also flying in Seoul and Vienna.
The Trump administration has made big changes in the way it is approaching pride. Last year, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the approval process a whole lot harder. In past years, embassy staffers could submit their requests directly to the ambassador, who could approve them. Under Pompeo’s rules, every embassy has to submit requests to fly the pride flag to the State Department.
This year, the State Department rejected every single request.
We all know that the Trump administration has been terrible for the LGBTQ community. From banning trans people from serving in the military, to wanting to drop questions on orientation from the 2020 census, to proposals for defining “sex” on a “biological level,” the administration is a danger to the whole community. And frankly, to everyone: When rights for one group are rolled back, rights for all are threatened—if not immediately, then later on.