Crawling out from under his usual rock, Vice President Mike Pence has stepped forward to defend a ban on flying the Pride Flag at US Embassies.
“It’s the right decision,” Pence told NBC. “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.”
The move to ban the Pride Flag reverses yet another Obama era policy which allowed foreign embassies to fly the flag alongside the American Flag during the month of June as an acknowledgment of the history and plight of queer people in the United States. Flying the Pride Flag also served as an example to other nations of American commitment to equality, and to encourage the respect and protection of LGBTQ people worldwide. Word of the ban only began to circulate after several US embassies were denied permission to fly the flag. The Trump Administration never made an official announcement of the policy.
Trump, meanwhile, has continued to pay lip service to the queer community, even while attacking it with policy decisions. Trump’s re-election website sells an “LGBTQ for Trump” T-shirt, while Trump himself has tweeted that he supports the community. Pence personally has a long record of attacking the queer community, including encouraging conversion therapy.
