The embassy could not unfurl the rainbow flag due to a Trump policy; so it decided to illuminate the building in colors of pride.
June is the Pride month and activists and organizations across the globe have been showing their support for LGBTQ rights through various ways. And during the month, if you happened to be India and drove past the US Embassy in New Delhi, you would have seen a mesmerizing sight of the mission building bathed in rainbow colors of gay pride.
The gesture, lauded by pride groups in India, came amid the fact that the US Department of State instructed embassies not to fly Pride flag on a public facing flagpole.
So, even though there was no flag in sight, pride supporters had more reasons to feel happy and included.
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While traditionally US embassies around the world have been displaying the pride flag in June — a practice that was started in 2011, during the tenure of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — this year, according to reports, the embassies were directed not to display the flags by the Trump administration.
The American embassy in India took a lovely way out by leaving out the flag and still sending out a beautiful message of solidarity. The embassy did not just let the by-passers to enjoy the beatific rainbow illumination that swathed its exteriors but also updated its Twitter handle with a background picture of rainbow-colored walls.
It may be noted that President Trump did mark the beginning of the month by tweeting his support for gay rights. He wrote: “As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals…..”
Earlier in the month, the US embassy also tweeted its building facade and showed it support for the pride month.
The United States Embassy in New Delhi is lit up in #Pride colors to celebrate #PrideMonth. #LGBTPrideMonth pic.twitter.com/v6gxzAps8a
— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) June 4, 2019
According to NBC News, President Trump’s State Department denied requests to fly rainbow flags on embassy flagpoles during June, though displaying the flag on walls of the embassy or in other ways is permissible for the embassies.