A New Spending Bill Bans U.S. Embassies From Flying LGBTQ Pride Flags

The newly proposed government spending bill prohibits U.S. embassies from displaying the Pride flag.

Embedded within the extensive government funding package, endorsed by President Biden, lies a clause prohibiting the display of LGBTQ Pride flags at U.S. embassies. However, despite the inclusion of this provision, the White House pledged on the same day of the signing to move towards nullifying it. This prohibition is just one of the numerous matters addressed within the colossal $1.2 trillion package aimed at financing the government until September, which cleared the legislative process early Saturday following a deadline just past midnight.

Reportedly, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson purportedly emphasized the ban on flying the Pride flag as an incentive for his party to back the bill, as per the Daily Beast. In response, the White House announced on Saturday its intent to explore avenues for overturning the prohibition on displaying the rainbow flag, symbolizing the LGBTQ equality movement.

The White House stated that although it couldn’t prevent the flag proposal from being included, it managed to opposed more than 50 other policy riders aimed at undermining the LGBTQI+ community, which Congressional Republicans sought to insert into the legislation. The law signed by President Biden specifies that no U.S. funding can be utilized to exhibit a flag over a facility of the United States Department of State, except for U.S. or other government-related flags, as well as flags advocating for prisoners of war, missing-in-action soldiers, captives, and wrongfully imprisoned Americans.

Nevertheless, the Biden administration has argued that while the law prohibits flying certain flags “over” U.S. embassies, it does not explicitly address displaying them elsewhere on embassy grounds or within offices.