June is Pride Month and for the last decade, U.S. embassies around the world have flown the Pride flag to celebrate the LGBTQ community. However, this year every request sent to the State Department to fly the flag was met with rejection. It was frankly, a d*ck move., and hasn’t stopped some embassies from defying orders and showing their solidarity by either flying flags anyway or finding other ways to celebrate.
The U.S. Embassy Vienna’s Facebook banner currently reads “Celebrating Pride 2019” and a post on the main page of their website reads “Diplomats for Equality support the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia” with a photo displaying the Pride flag flying under the American flag, an arrangement first set up under the Obama administration. Sick burn, US embassy.
Elsewhere, the American embassy in Seoul and the U.S. Consulate in Chennai, India are flying the flag regardless, according to Mashable, and the embassy in India lit up the New Delhi building with rainbow lights and tweeted a photo out from its official account announcing their support for pride month.
https://twitter.com/USAndIndia/status/1135901418114568198/photo/1
The Ambassador to Nepal, Randy Berry, also tweeted out his support and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to defending human rights for all, and in Jerusalem diplomats stationed in Israel participated in the March for Pride and Tolerance.
https://twitter.com/USAmbNepal/status/1134670747039805441/photo/1
Since there is absolutely no reason not to fly the Pride flag, we can get behind any embassy willing to ignore the State Department’s mean-spirited directive. Now get out there and celebrate Pride month!