U.S. embassies and consulates are creatively supporting Pride Month despite Washington’s orders not to raise the rainbow flag.
The embassy in Seoul, South Korea had flown the flag for a few days, though UPI reported Tuesday that it had been taken down.
In Vienna, where EuroPride is being celebrated this month, the embassy is featuring a statement from Diplomats for Equality and stories in support of LGBT rights on its website.
A post on Mashable reported that the U.S. consulate in Chennai, India is flying the flag, while the U.S. embassy in New Delhi is lit in rainbow-colored lights.
In Jerusalem, several ambassadors marched in the Pride parade taking selfies and some employees held up letters outside of embassies spelling “Pride.”
The State Department didn’t issue a statement or guidelines for Pride Month as it has in previous years. This made some diplomats question what was happening to celebrate the month, particularly due to the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which is considered the birth of the modern gay rights movement.
Then, NBC News reported, embassies in Brazil, Germany, Israel, Latvia and other countries submitted requests to raise the flag, only to be denied by Brian Bulatao, the State Department’s undersecretary for management.
Bulatao is a longtime associate of Pompeo and worked for him at the CIA.
The State Department’s ban on rainbow flags being raised outside of U.S. embassies around the world comes only a week after President Donald Trump tweeted a Pride Month message praising the contributions of LGBT citizens to the U.S. and announced his administration’s campaign to decriminalize homosexuality around the world.
“Trump can’t have it both ways,” said Ty Cobb, director of HRC Global. He slammed Trump in a statement from the organization for recognizing Pride but refusing to allow Pride flags at U.S. embassies within the course of one week.
“He can’t tweet claiming to be an advocate for LGBTQ people and turn around and prohibit U.S. embassies across the world from flying a Pride flag,” Cobb said.
Homosexuality is criminalized in more than 70 countries around the world. Some countries have the death penalty for LGBT people.
Germany, where Ambassador Richard Grenell is the highest-ranking gay U.S. diplomat, was also denied a request to raise the flag. The Washington Post reported that Grenell is spearheading Trump’s decriminalization of homosexuality campaign.
The State Department isn’t opposed to U.S. embassies flying the rainbow flag in other parts of the embassy, but officials cannot fly it on the main flagpole with the U.S. flag. Embassies have to obtain permission to fly flags other than the U.S. flag on the main flagpole.
Originally published by the Bay Area Reporter.
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