Bigots furious after government building plans to fly Pride and trans flags
GCHQ plans to fly the Pride and trans flags in the near future. (Getty)
Right-wing fusspots are reportedly livid that a government intelligence agency is planning to fly a single trans Pride flag in the near future.
A planning application filed by the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) reportedly revealed it is planning to fly the LGBTQ+ flag outside its Cheltenham, Gloucestershire offices.
The building serves as the HQ for the organisation, which acts as an intelligence, national and cyber security body in the UK.
The move is a plan by the GCHQ to “seek confirmation” on rules from the local council on flag-flying rules for the two poles outside of the building, which is typically used for both the British Union flag and a related flag of interest.
“GCHQ in the future could use two flags for both existing listed consented uses under the Advertisement Regulations but also in addition, fly flags of other groups or interests particularly to mark events throughout the calendar,” the application reads.
The organisation considered several flags to raise during national events or holidays, including the trans and progress Pride flags.
The move has, unsurprisingly, angered anti-LGBTQ+ conservatives who have associated the flag with a so-called “single interest pressure group.”
In its report, which first broke the story, the Daily Mail cited several users on social media who said the organisation “may as well fly the Israeli flag or the Hamas flag,” comparing a group of people who are simply trying to exist with a deadly ongoing conflict.
Others hit out against LGBTQ+ people, baselessly calling them a “minority faction thing.”
In its report, GCHQ emphasised that flying flags outside of government buildings is “generally encouraged” and that there has been “a long tradition of flag flying” on the Gloucestershire site.
The latest flag to be flown outside of the GCHQ is the Ukrainian flag which was raised in February 2022 as a show of solidarity with the country following Russia’s invasion.
“Therefore, this proposal will again have little material impact on public amenity when viewed from outside the office.”
PinkNews has contacted GCHQ for comment
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