Rainbows and unicorns. Team Biden allows US embassies to fly pride flags

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the LGBT Pride flag can once again be flown by US diplomatic mission on their official flagpoles, as per media reports. 

Antony’s predecessor Mike Pompeo had previously banned US  consulates and embassies from hosting the LGBT Pride flag on their official flagpoles. 

According to the internal State Department cable obtained by ABC News on Friday, the Biden administration lays out its policies on LGBTQ rights and highlights all the steps taken by President Biden in support of “the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons and communities” since he assumed office.

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First reported by the Foreign Policy magazine, the cable said posts now have “blanket written authorization … to display the Pride flag on the external-facing flagpole, for the duration of the 2021 Pride season. This is an authorization, not a requirement.”

Blinken had said during his confirmation that a special envoy of LGBTQI human rights will be named by the administration. The position was originally created during the Obama administration but was scrapped by Pompeo in the Trump administration.

The cable, which was sent last week, further said the Biden administration will move to repeal laws that criminalize “LGBTQI+ status or conduct,” give LGBTQI people asylum who are fleeing prosecution and “building coalitions of like-minded nations and engaging international organizations in the fight against LGBTQI+ discrimination.” 

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Even though the posts are encouraged to back “efforts to advance the fundamental freedoms of opinion and expression, peaceful assembly, and association … Discussions of same-sex marriage may result in backlash against LGBTQI+ communities in certain contexts hence posts should consult with local advocates on messaging and outreach on this issue,” the cable said. 

However, the cable also notes that the US “as a matter of policy, the United States does not advocate for or against same-sex marriage abroad.”