The US Congress is set to ban US embassies from flying the rainbow flag, the standard of the LGBTQ+ community, on their flagpoles, a victory for conservatives.
The measure is part of a long-running cultural battle between Democrats and Republicans.
It was slipped into the American federal budget, a text of more than 1000 pages unveiled by elected officials Thursday morning.
The bill stipulates that only the American Stars and Stripes and official flags can receive funding to fly on the official flagpole of embassies.
Under the presidency of Donald Trump, the head of diplomacy Mike Pompeo ordered that only the American flag fly on the masts of embassies, provoking strong protests from the LGBTQ+ community (lesbian, gay, bi, trans).
In power since 2021, Joe Biden has made the defense of sexual minorities a strong axis of his diplomacy. His Secretary of State Antony Blinken not only authorized but encouraged American missions to raise the rainbow flag in June, Pride Month.
But the Democratic president should, barring any major surprises, authorize the ban announced Thursday, since it is included in a text which must at all costs be adopted by the end of the week, for budgetary reasons.
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