Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reversed a Trump era directive that blocked U.S. embassies around the world from displaying a Pride flag in support of LGBTQ rights on the same flagpole as the American flag. As summarized by Foreign Policy, Blinken “gave authority for diplomats to fly the Pride flag before May 17, which marks the international day against homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia, as well as June, which in the United States and many other countries is Pride month,” although Blinken noted in his memo that local diplomatic teams were free to decide whether or not to display the flag “in light of local conditions.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has issued a blanket authorization for U.S. diplomatic outposts around the world to fly the Pride flag on the same flagpole as the U.S. flag at their embassy or consulate showcasing support for LGBTQ rights. https://t.co/JcFDTN2odt
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 23, 2021
A State Department spokesperson told Foreign Policy the following:
‘Chiefs of Mission are the president’s direct representatives overseas. The Department supports their prerogative to manage mission operations to maximize their effectiveness in that role, within the confines of U.S. law and regulation.’
Trump era Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended his team’s ban on flying Pride flags at embassies on the same pole as American flags in an NBC interview, saying that “when it comes to the American flagpole and American embassies and capitals around the world, one American flag flies.” In reality, of course, displaying Pride flags would not somehow systematically dilute the country’s public image, and pretending otherwise like Pompeo did constitutes a pointless display of egotism. Cultish nationalism doesn’t help anybody.
During the Trump era, the U.S. embassy in South Korea displayed a large Pride flag on the side of the building, although they eventually removed it. As summarized by Foreign Policy, decisions at U.S. embassies on flying Pride flags in certain countries where LGBTQ people face repressive laws and social discrimination could have significant reverberating impacts. In situations without an active threat that agitators could use as an excuse for violence, the Pride flags could serve as an edifying symbol of U.S. support for local LGBTQ communities.
During his confirmation process, Blinken pledged to “immediately” prioritize making sure that the U.S. is “playing the role that it should be playing in standing up for and defending the rights of LGBTQI people.” The “I” refers to intersex people, who are born without biological features that fit into the familiar binary of male/female.
