House Republicans led by Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina have put forward a new bill that would prevent U.S. embassies around the world from flying flags other than the American flag.
The bill was introduced after a few recent incidents in which a rainbow flag symbolizing gay pride and LGBT rights was flown above some embassies. However, the bill would ban all other flags from being flown with the American flag, not just the rainbow flag.
“The United States flag is the single greatest symbol of freedom the world has ever known, and there’s no reason for anything but Old Glory to be flying over our embassies and posts around the globe,” Duncan said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
Duncan’s Old Glory Only Act was introduced Thursday and had 26 Republican co-sponsors on it as of Friday.
Just this year, the U.S. Embassy in Belize flew a rainbow flag to mark gay pride week.
In 2016, the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica flew a rainbow flag to show solidarity with LGBT people after the gay nightclub shooting in Orlando.
And in 2014, the U.S. Embassy in Israel flew the same flag to mark gay pride week.
