Congress is debating a $1.2 trillion government budget measure on Friday that includes a provision that would effectively prohibit Pride flags from flying over US embassies.
Although the measure didn’t explicitly state this, it used the same language as earlier attempts to forbid Pride flags from flying over government buildings.
According to the wording, “none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be obligated or expended to fly or display a flag over a facility of the United States Department of State,” save for those on a list of exceptions that excludes the Pride flag.
The Congressional Equality Caucus described the measure as “a rider that restricts Pride flag displays at State Department buildings,” according to Equality Caucus head Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.).
The document contains language identical to that used in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which prohibited military service members and civilian Defense Department employees from displaying Pride flags in department workstations, common areas, or public areas.
The NDAA language restricted the exhibition of “any flag other than an approved flag” in specified areas and provided a list of ten acceptable flags, which did not include the Pride flag. Following the bill’s passing in the House, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) stated that it would prohibit a “rainbow flag [from] flying alongside the American flag at our military bases.”
In November, Democrats wrote to party leaders and President Biden, urging them to reject an earlier version of the measure that contained at least 40 anti-LGBTQ elements.
In addition to restricting the use of funds to display Pride flags at some government locations, the measures would have limited access to gender-affirming healthcare.
Despite the final provision, the Congressional Equality Caucus concluded that Republican members’ “attempts to use the appropriations process for an all-out assault on LGBTQI+ rights have officially failed.”
“Democrats successfully eliminated more than 45 anti-equality riders from the Fiscal Year 2024 funding bills during negotiations,” according to Pocan.
LGBTQ rights activists have also declared it a victory.
Brandon Wolf, national press secretary and senior director of political communications at the Human Rights Campaign, described the condition as a “mean-spirited but limited provision” that “poses absolutely no limits” on the display of Pride flags in almost all other cases in embassies, except for building exteriors.
