It turns out the Pentagon isn’t any more amenable to flying the Pride flag at US military bases under President Joe Biden than it was under President Donald Trump, again denying the LGBTQ+ colors from being raised for Pride Month.
Department of Defense (DOD) spokesman John Kirby told CNN on Friday that the Pentagon will leave unchanged its policy prohibiting the display of “unofficial flags” at military installations. The decision to decline a policy exemption for the Pride flag doesn’t “in any way reflect on the respect and admiration we feel for all our LGBTQ+ personnel in and out of uniform,” Kirby said.
The DOD had been reviewing a policy, instituted last year, that limited which flags are allowed to be flown at American bases. The 2020 policy effectively banned the display of the Confederate flag and such activism symbols as Pride and Black Lives Matter flags. Officially approved symbols include the American flag and the POW/MIA flag, as well as the flags of US allies, military branches and senior officers.
“Flags are powerful symbols, particularly in the military community, for whom flags embody common mission, common histories and the special, timeless bond of warriors,” then-defense chief Mark Esper said at the time the rules were announced.
But that was under Trump, and with Biden taking office in January, the policy was reconsidered. The new president has tried to show that he’s a strong ally of LGBTQ+ activists since the day he was inaugurated, when he signed an executive order to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in health care, housing and education.
Biden’s secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, issued blanket authorization in April for US diplomatic installations to fly the rainbow flag during Pride Month, even on the same pole as the American flag. That policy reversed a Trump-era ban on such displays using the official flagpoles at embassies and consulates.
Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said the decision to refuse an exemption allowing the Pride flag stemmed from concerns over “challenges to the policy that an exception of this kind might engender and encourage.”
Major corporations, such as Coca-Cola and Citibank, have long pandered to special interests by flying the Pride flag and adding the rainbow to their symbolism, including logos. But those initiatives have been selective in many cases, with logos being left rainbow-free in certain regions.
103news.net – это самые свежие новости из регионов и со всего мира в прямом эфире 24 часа в сутки 7 дней в неделю на всех языках мира без цензуры и предвзятости редактора. Не новости делают нас, а мы – делаем новости. Наши новости опубликованы живыми людьми в формате онлайн. Вы всегда можете добавить свои новости сиюминутно – здесь и прочитать их тут же и – сейчас в России, в Украине и в мире по темам в режиме 24/7 ежесекундно. А теперь ещё - регионы, Крым, Москва и Россия.
103news.com — международная интерактивная информационная сеть (ежеминутные новости с ежедневным интелектуальным архивом). Только у нас — все главные новости дня без политической цензуры. "103 Новости" — абсолютно все точки зрения, трезвая аналитика, цивилизованные споры и обсуждения без взаимных обвинений и оскорблений. Помните, что не у всех точка зрения совпадает с Вашей. Уважайте мнение других, даже если Вы отстаиваете свой взгляд и свою позицию.
Мы не навязываем Вам своё видение, мы даём Вам объективный срез событий дня без цензуры и без купюр. Новости, какие они есть — онлайн (с поминутным архивом по всем городам и регионам России, Украины, Белоруссии и Абхазии).
103news.com — живые новости в прямом эфире!
В любую минуту Вы можете добавить свою новость мгновенно — здесь.
