President Joe Biden signed a massive funding bill on Saturday that included a provision prohibiting the flying of LGBTQ Pride flags over US embassies, but the White House has pledged to work to repeal it.
The prohibition was one of many side issues included in the massive $1.2 trillion package to fund the government through September, which passed early Saturday, just after midnight.
The White House announced that it would seek to repeal the ban on flying the rainbow flag
As Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, a conservative Christian, scrambled for votes to pass the bill, he “boasted” about the Pride flag ban as a reason for his party’s support, according to the Daily Beast.
The White House announced on Saturday that it would seek to repeal the ban on flying the rainbow flag, which celebrates the LGBTQ equality movement.
“Biden believes it was inappropriate to abuse the process that was essential to keeping the government open by including this policy targeting LGBTQI+ Americans,” a White House statement said, adding that the president “is committed to fighting for LGBTQI+ equality at home and abroad.”
The White House stated that, while it was unable to stop the flag proposal, it was “successful in defeating 50+ other policy riders attacking the LGBTQI+ community that Congressional Republicans attempted to insert into the legislation.”
According to the law signed by Biden, no US funds may be used to “fly or display a flag over a facility of the United States Department of State” other than US or other government-related flags, or flags supporting prisoners of war, missing-in-action soldiers, hostages, and wrongfully imprisoned Americans.
While such flags may not be flown “over” US embassies, the Biden campaign has argued that this does not prohibit them from being displayed elsewhere on embassy grounds or inside offices.
“It will have no impact on the ability of members of the LGBTQI+ community to serve openly in our embassies or to celebrate Pride,the White House stated, referring to June when LGBTQ parades and other events take place.
The Biden administration has expressed strong support for LGBTQ rights. In a departure from the Trump administration, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has not only permitted but encouraged US missions to fly the rainbow flag during Pride Month.
Blinken’s predecessor, evangelical Christian Mike Pompeo, ordered that only the US flag be flown from embassy flagpoles.
