People Outraged With White House’s Decision On U.S. Embassies Flying Pride Flags
The Trump administration rejected requests from U.S. embassies to fly the LGBTQ pride flag on embassy flagpoles in celebration of Pride Month.
U.S. embassies in Israel, Germany, Brazil, and Latvia are amongst those that had asked permission from Trump’s State Department to fly the pride flag, but the requests were ultimately denied, three American diplomats told NBC News.
In an interview, Vice President Mike Pence confirmed that the Trump administration rejected the embassies’ requests, saying that only “one flag should fly.”
“I’m aware that the State Department indicated that on the flagpole of our American embassies that one flag should fly, and that’s the American flag, and I support that,” Pence told NBC News’ Kristen Welker on Monday.
However, Germany U.S. ambassador Richard Grenell, who is gay, said that he plans to hang a banner on the side of the building during Pride Month.
“The President’s recognition of Pride Month and his tweet encouraging our decriminalization campaign gives me even more pride to once again march in the Berlin Pride parade, hang a huge banner on the side of the Embassy recognizing our pride, host multiple events at the Embassy and the residence, and fly the gay pride flag,” Grenell told CNN.
Despite the backlash directed towards Trump’s response to the requests, the vice president defended him saying that he made the “right decision.”
“As the president said on the night we were elected, we’re proud to be able to serve every American. We both feel that way very passionately, but when it comes to the American flagpole, and American embassies, and capitals around the world, one American flag flies,” Pence said.
He added: “I think it’s the right decision, and we put no restrictions on displaying any other flags or any other displays at our embassies beyond that.”