'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
United States President Joe Biden and the recent Pride Month celebration at the White House has been in the news lately. On Saturday, June 10, 2023, President Joe Biden shared a picture of the celebration. As social media users came across the picture of a Pride flag hanging in between American flags, they started saying that the Biden Administration violated the US Flag Code Section 7(e).
In the picture shared by President Joe Biden, one can see a Pride flag on the White House, facing the South Lawn. The Pride flag was placed between two American flags. This sparked the viral claim that the White House violated the United States flag code.
According to the Flag Code Section 7(e):
"The flag of the United States of America should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of States or localities or pennants of societies are grouped and displayed from staffs."
However, it is worth noting that the Biden administration did not violate the US flag code. In the original image that went viral, the US flag was flying atop the White House, but the angle of the picture was such that the flag got cropped out.
Social media users mistook the picture shared by Biden for a violation of the US Flag code at the White House
As US President Joe Biden shared the picture from Pride Celebration, it started a heated debate among social media users about whether the US Flag code was violated or not.
Several netizens who did not fall for the viral claim about the violation, pointed out that the US Flag was at the highest level as it was flying atop the White House.
Other than this, some social media users also pointed out the US Flag Code section 10, as per which, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the United States can make the changes in the flag representation as they deem fit.
The U.S. Flag Code Section 10 states:
"Any rule or custom pertaining to the display of the flag of the United States of America, set forth herein, may be altered, modified, or repealed, or additional rules with respect thereto may be prescribed, by the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, whenever he deems it to be appropriate or desirable; and any such alteration or additional rule shall be set forth in a proclamation."
A week ago, during the Pride celebration that took place at the White House, US President Biden addressed all attendees, saying:
"We need to push back against the hundreds of callous and cynical bills and laws introduced in states, targeting transgender children, terrifying families and criminalising doctors and nurses."
Notably, the event was organized in association with the Gill Foundation and it's main aim was to bring people together to celebrate Pride Month.
