Trump administration refuses to let US embassies fly the Pride flag

This Pride month, the Trump administration has denied requests from its American embassies to fly the rainbow Pride flag on their flagpoles.

This is a shift from the Obama era policy which gave diplomats blanket permission to fly the Pride flag during the month of June.

Donald Trump’s policy is that for the rainbow flag to be flown, express permission must be granted, and no requests have been approved.

The Israeli, Latvian, and Brazilian US embassies all requested permission to fly the pride flag from the State Department and were denied.

Rather, the embassies were told the rainbow flag can be hung elsewhere inside or on the exterior walls of the embassy.

Richard Grenell, the ambassador to Germany and an openly gay member of the Trump Administration, said in a statement to NBC News: "The President's recognition of Pride month and his tweet encouraging our decriminalisation campaign gives me even more pride to once again march in the Berlin Pride parade, hang a huge banner on the side of the Embassy recognising our pride, host multiple events at the embassy and the residence, and fly the gay pride flag."

When specifically asked if the Pride flag would be flown on the embassies flag pole, embassy spokesperson Joseph Giordono-Scholz said: "The pride flag will be on as many places as it can at the embassy."

Despite Mr Trump’s claim that he vocally supports for gay rights and the LGBTQ+ community, his administration's policy decisions share a different story as transgender people are barred from military service.