US embassies to be banned from flying Pride flags
The PinknewsMar 25
A provision that limits which flags are permitted to fly over US Department of State facilities, which was included in the $1.2T spending bill that passed Saturday, has effectively banned embassies from flying LGBTQ Pride Flags.
Under the legislation, the appropriated funds can only be "obligated or expended" to fly specific flags, such as the American flag and the sovereign flag of other countries.
It was inappropriate for Republican lawmakers to include policies targeting LGBTQ Americans in this government spending bill that was necessary to keep the government running. Inclusion and LGBTQ equality are key issues for the Biden Administration, and the White House will continue its efforts to repeal this ban on flying Pride flags at US embassies.
Pride flags have no place being flown above US Embassies. As any other government building, diplomatic missions should display only official flags, instead of promoting ideologies such as the LGBTQ agenda. This ban doesn't limit personal expression or attack any identity group but rather emphasizes that taxpayer dollars should not be used to promote political speech.
There's a 20% chance that an openly LGBTQ person will be elected President of the United States by 2041, according to the Metaculus prediction community.