State Department will now allow US embassies to fly pride flag

U.S. embassies and consulates around the world are authorized to display pride flags, symbolic of the LGTB community, during Pride Month after officials announced a blanket authorization, confirmed Friday.

The decision from Secretary of State Antony Blinken allows the rainbow flag to hang on the same pole as the American flag during the month of June, according to The New York Times, citing a State Department cable.

The flags can be hung before May 17, International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, and stay up through the end of Pride Month, the cable instructs.

“Secretary Blinken is committed to the rights and prosperity of our LGBTQ+ community, both our employees at State and all around the world,” said State Department principal deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter during a Friday press briefing.

Whether the embassies will opt to display the pride flag remains their decision, with Blinken saying that they can “determine that such a display is appropriate in light of local conditions,” according to the Times.

Blinken’s authorization reverses a Trump-era decision that rejected similar requests. Then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly stated that no flags should fly on the same flag pole as the American flag, even temporarily.

Blinken had previously vowed to change Pompeo’s pride flag policy during his confirmation hearing, ABC News notes.

Some embassies hoisted rainbow flags during Pride Month without authorization, The Washington Post reported in 2019. 

Updated: 4:55 p.m.